Smackdown
June 27th, 2002 (taped June 25th)
Allstate Arena
Chicago, Illinois
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Shelton Benjamin defeats Rob Conway.
 
6/29 Velocity taping:
 
1. Tajiri pins Albert at 3:58.
2. Christian pins the Hurricane at 4:37.
3. Billy Kidman pins Funaki at 3:59.
4. Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) forces Chavo Guerrero Jr. to tap out at 5:34.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Vince McMahon is in the ring as he says that he wants to introduce everyone to his friend and the man who made Hulk Hogan submit at King of the Ring, and he says that he wants to bring out the only Olympic Gold Medalist in history as Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and embraces Vince. Angle says that he should be the poster boy for ruthless aggression as at King of the Ring, he made Hogan tap out and last week he beat the Undertaker in the center of the ring, and he says that no matter what he does, he still deals with the fact that the fans don’t appreciate his greatness. He says that he’s not the one that sucks as the people suck and all they do is mock him and try to break his concentration, and he says it won’t work anymore and everyone finds it funny that he’s bald as he takes the wig and headgear off. He asks if they have something to say now and if they find it funny now as it wasn’t funny when Hogan tapped out and he finds it hysterical, and he says that no one will ruin his mood as he is on a roll and tonight, he’s in the mood to show someone what ruthless aggression is all about. He says that he is issuing an open challenge to anyone in the locker room that he's never wrestled before to come down and face him, and he says that there has to be someone who wants to seize the moment and there are future Superstars who want to climb the ladder to success. He says that someone in the back as to want to face him and they shouldn’t be scared as he will take it easy on them, and then someone comes down to the ring and Angle asks who he is as the unknown says that he’s John Cena. Angle asks what is the quality that Cena possesses that makes him think that he can come out and face the best in the business, and Cena says ruthless aggression as he slaps Angle in the face.
 
1. Kurt Angle pins John Cena with a rollup at 5:37.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty interesting matchup. Angle was coming off a big win at KOTR and issued an open challenge to face anyone he hasn’t wrestled yet, and the challenge is accepted by the debuting Cena who looks to make an immediate impact. Angle was red hot as a heel while Cena doesn’t get much of a reaction from the crowd. Cena tackles Angle to the mat and pounds on him to start the match as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor, and he goes outside and pounds on Angle as he throws him back into the ring and ducks a shot before continuing to pound on Angle. He hits a backdrop and a pair of clotheslines on Angle as he whips him into the corner and splashes him for a two count, and Angle trips Cena up and looks for the Ankle Lock only for Cena to kick him away to escape and he hits a clothesline. Angle trips Cena up and looks for the Ankle Lock again only for Cena to roll through to escape though Angle ducks a shot and hits a pair of German suplexes, and he stomps on Cena and pounds on him as Cena blocks another German suplex with a rollup for a two count. Angle hits a clothesline on Cena and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly, and he slaps Cena in the face and hits a suplex for a two count as he hooks a front facelock on. Cena fights to his feet and escapes the hold with a backdrop as he fires up on Angle who reverses a whip and Cena hits a flying forearm, and he hits a spinebuster on Angle for a two count and Angle rakes the eyes as Cena escapes the Angle Slam and gets a kick in before hitting a DDT for a series of two counts. Angle reverses a whip into the corner only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post and Cena hooks a rollup for a two count, and he hooks a small package for a two count and Angle gets a knee in as Cena reverses a whip and hits a powerslam for a two count. Angle takes Cena to the mat and gets on top of him as he hooks a rollup 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. Angle was hitting his stride by this point while this was a good debut for Cena who hung with Angle, and they had good chemistry as Cena gave Angle a challenge only for Angle to get the win. The crowd was into the match and Cena, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Cena and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Cena offers a handshake which Angle refuses as he heads to the back though teases coming back to the ring only to head to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see several wrestlers backstage congratulating John Cena on his effort as the Undertaker walks up to him and asks his name with Cena giving it, and Taker offers a handshake which Cena accepts and Taker tells him nice job before walking away.
 
2. Billy and Chuck (w/ Rico) defeat Hardcore Holly and Val Venis when Chuck pins Venis at 4:22 to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. Billy and Chuck have been rolling as tag champions and face a unique challenge here in the makeshift team of Hardcore and Venis. Hardcore and Venis get a decent pop from the crowd while Billy and Chuck had solid heat as heels. Hardcore starts off the match with Billy who gets a kick in and he pounds on Hardcore who reverses a whip as he knocks Billy down, and Billy leaps over Hardcore who gets a kick in and Billy ducks a shot as he leaps over Hardcore again. Hardcore hits a dropkick and a clothesline on Billy who tags Chuck and Hardcore sends him into a shot from Venis, and Venis tags in and hits a drop toehold on Chuck as he pounds on him in the corner and Chuck reverses a whip into the other corner. Venis catches him with a boot to the face only for Chuck to get a shot in and Venis catches him with a big boot, and Chuck hits a clothesline on Venis and pounds on him as Venis reverses a whip and hits a back elbow on Chuck. He hits a slam on Chuck and drops a knee on him for a two count as Hardcore tags in and he hits a slam on Chuck while Venis drops an elbow on him, and Hardcore drops an elbow on Chuck who reverses a whip and Billy hits a dropkick on Hardcore as Chuck rams the shoulder into Hardcore’s ribs repeatedly in the corner. He hits a short clothesline on Hardcore and throws him to the outside as Billy rams him into the apron and throws him back into the ring, and Billy tags in and pounds on Hardcore as he stomps on him and chokes him on the mat before tagging Chuck. He pounds on Hardcore who gets a kick in and he tries to battle back as he whips him into the corner and hits a back suplex, and Venis gets the hot tag and he hits a pair of back elbows on Billy who reverses a whip as Venis hits a flying tackle. He hits a clothesline and a neckbreaker on Chuck as he sends Billy over the top to the floor and pounds on Chuck, and he hits a spinebuster on Chuck and kicks at Billy as he looks for a fisherman’s suplex only for Rico to get in the ring. Venis nails him and Hardcore hits the Alabama Slam on Rico as Chuck hits the Jungle Kick on Venis, and then Billy hits the Fameasser on Venis which gets the three and they retain the titles. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic title match. Billy and Chuck were hitting their peak as a team while Venis and Hardcore looked decent as a team, and they had decent chemistry as Billy and Chuck steal the win. The crowd was into the match and Venis and Hardcore, but are not happy when Billy and Chuck win. Billy and Chuck retain the titles over Venis and Hardcore as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Torrie Wilson getting ready backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
Torrie Wilson comes out on the stage and shows off sexy lingerie.
 
We see footage from earlier today of Jamie Noble, Tajiri, and Nidia preparing for tonight.
 
We see footage from Smackdown last month.
 
We see Hulk Hogan arrive to the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
Stacker 2 Burn of the Night: Lance Storm claiming America is prejudice against Canada last week on Smackdown
 
3. Lance Storm pins Mark Henry with a superkick at 2:33.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Henry has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Storm, who was claiming to be held down by Americans and looks to get a win here. Henry gets a decent pop from the crowd while Storm was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Henry throwing Storm into the corner only to miss a charge and Storm goes behind Henry, and he hooks a headlock and Henry whips him off as Storm slides under him though Henry blocks a punch. He presses Storm up though Storm escapes and attempts a sunset flip though Henry hoists him up in a choke and puts him on the top rope, and Storm slaps Henry in the face and Henry knocks him over the top to the floor as he goes outside himself. He throws Storm over the top back into the ring and Storm begs off as he rakes the eyes and pounds on Henry in the corner, and Henry shoves him away and knocks him down as he whips him into the corner and hooks a bearhug on Storm. Storm bites Henry in the face to escape and catches him with a back elbow as Henry blocks a whip and sends Storm shoulder first into the post, and he presses Storm up and hits a front powerslam as he goes up to the middle rope only to miss the springboard splash. Storm rolls out to the apron and hits a springboard dropkick on Henry before hitting the superkick which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself wasn’t much as it was pretty much Henry dominating Storm until Storm gets the win at the end. The crowd was into the match and Henry, but are not happy when Storm wins. Storm gets the win over Henry and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Storm heads to the back as Christian comes down the aisle and they shake hands before heading to the back.
 
We see the Undertaker walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
Warner Bros. Slam of the Week: Jeff Hardy challenging the Undertaker to a ladder match for the Undisputed Title on RAW 3 nights ago
 
The Undertaker comes down to the ring and says that he needs to get a few things straight as he holds up the Undisputed Title which has his name on it, and he says that makes him the Undisputed Champion and that means no other man can lay claim to it. He says that at King of the Ring, he was due to defend the title against Triple H one-on-one and as a result of that match, Triple H is in a hospital having elbow surgery after what he did to him and that’s the truth. He says that his point is that it was Triple H and him so he asks where the Rock think he can get involved, and he says that he has some footage to show everyone as we see highlights from King of the Ring. He says that Rock almost cost him the title and now he has some good news and bad news as the good news is at Vengeance, everyone needs to set their VCRs because on that night, Rock will return to Smackdown though the bad news is on that night, he will beat Rock down and make him pay for sticking his nose in his business. He says that Rock is in Hollywood working out and getting ready for his return as he says Rock needs to take time to watch RAW next week, and he says that he wants Rock to see what he does to Jeff Hardy with a ladder because that’s a sample of what he will give Rock when he comes back. Just then, Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and says that Taker is a blowhard as all he does is talk while he’s a man of action, and Taker says Angle is a punk and Angle says that Taker won’t break him as he says Taker has a match with Jeff Hardy on RAW which he doesn’t know why he would take that. He says that if Taker beats Jeff on RAW, he’s challenging him to a title match next week on Smackdown and Taker says that he has a motto which is why put off kicking ass next week when he can do it now, and Angle says that he had a tune-up match earlier and isn’t ready for tonight as Taker says Angle almost got beat by a rookie. Angle says not to change the subject as he’s talking about a title match next week and Taker says he will take him anytime, anywhere, and anyhow as Angle says they should put their hostilities aside and he asks to hold the title. Taker says he normally doesn’t do this as he lets Angle hold the belt and he says this is the closest Angle will ever get to it, and Angle tosses the belt at Taker and trips him up as he hooks the Ankle Lock on though he quickly releases it and heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Allstate Arena.
 
We see Torrie Wilson come out on the stage and she poses in a bikini.
 
4. Rikishi defeats Test by disqualification at 2:41.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Rikishi has been floating in the midcard and looks to get back on track here against Test, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Test had solid heat as a heel. Rikishi ducks a shot and pounds on Test to start the match as Test turns it around and pounds on Rikishi in the corner, and Rikishi reverses a whip into the other corner and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Test as he pounds on him. Test reverses a whip into the corner and splashes Rikishi as he pounds on him and hits a series of back elbows, but the ref stops him from throwing a punch and Test shoves him aside as Rikishi pounds on Test who ducks a superkick. He hits a slam on Rikishi and looks for the big boot though Rikishi ducks it and he hits the superkick on Test for a two count, and he pulls Test to the corner and goes up to the middle rope though Test blocks the Banzai Drop with a pair of knees to the groin. Test hits a clothesline on Rikishi for a two count and argues with the ref as he threatens him with a punch and looks for a modified neckbreaker, but Rikishi blocks it by shoving Test off and into the ref only for Test to hit the big boot though the ref calls for the bell and awards the match to Rikishi by DQ. The match itself was nothing much as both men did what they could for the time they got though this was more about the ref in essence screwing Test. The crowd was into the match and did pop for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Test by DQ though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Test argues with the ref and shoves him to the mat as the ref rolls outside and Rikishi splashes Test in the corner, and he gives Test the Stinkface as Christian runs down to the ring and Rikishi hits a superkick while Lance Storm runs down to ringside as well though Rikishi rolls outside and Storm checks on Test and Christian.
 
We see Hulk Hogan go into Vince McMahon’s office where Vince is and Hogan says that Vince wanted to see him, and Vince tells him to calm down and he wanted to tell him that he was upset that Hogan lost to Kurt Angle. He says that he’s seen Hogan in a lot of matches, but he never saw him submit and he can imagine the pain Hogan was feeling and how it had to hurt as he though Hogan would cry, and he says that as the man that built Hulkamania, he would hate to see Hogan tap out to Chris Jericho and Hogan simply says one day as he pokes Vince in the chest twice and walks out.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Lance Storm, Christian, and Test stewing about what happened.
 
5. Billy Kidman and the Hurricane defeat Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) and Tajiri when Kidman pins Tajiri at 4:29.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. Noble defeated Hurricane at KOTR to win the Cruiserweight Title and they face off here in a tag match with Tajiri and Kidman as their partners. Kidman and Hurricane get a good pop from the crowd while Noble and Tajiri had solid heat as heels. Hurricane starts off the match with Tajiri and they lock up with Hurricane hitting a fireman’s carry and he scares Noble to the floor, and Tajiri kicks Hurricane in the back and hits a slam as Noble tags in only for Hurricane to grab him by the throat. Noble escapes and slides outside to stall as Hurricane chases after him with Kidman blocking the path and Hurricane hits a clothesline, and he throws Noble back into the ring and Noble catches a superkick attempt only for Hurricane to hit a clothesline and Shining Wizard for a two count. Noble escapes a suplex attempt and hits a short clothesline as he rams Hurricane into the buckle and Tajiri tags in, and Hurricane ducks a double clothesline attempt and grabs both men by their throats though they kick at him and Hurricane escapes a double back suplex attempt. He hits a double bulldog on both men and tags Kidman as they hit a double hiptoss and a double team on Tajiri for a two count, and Kidman pounds on Tajiri and whips him into the corner as Tajiri launches him into the corner with Kidman landing on the middle rope. He hits a springboard armdrag on Tajiri who hits the handspring elbow and Noble tags in as Kidman ducks a shot and hits a back suplex flapjack for a two count, and he pounds on Noble who reverses a whip and Nidia trips him up from the floor as Tajiri gets a kick in from the apron. Tajiri tags in and they stomp on Kidman repeatedly in the corner as Tajiri rams him into the buckle and pounds on him, but Kidman turns it around and pounds on Tajiri in the corner as he whips him into the corner only for Tajiri to avoid a charge and he hooks the Tarantula on Kidman. He drops a knee on Kidman who reverses a whip into the corner and Tajiri leaps over him as he gets a kick in, but Kidman blocks a tornado DDT with a sitdown spinebuster and Hurricane gets the hot tag as he hits a clothesline on Tajiri and pounds on him. He sends Tajiri to the outside and tosses Noble into the ring as he knocks him down and pounds on him on the mat, and Tajiri gets in the ring and Hurricane pounds on him as he rams him into the buckle and gets a kick in to Noble. He whips Noble into the corner and catches him on a leap as he tosses him over the top to the floor and Tajiri ducks a shot, and he hits a superkick on Hurricane who escapes a suplex attempt and he goes behind Tajiri who hits a pair of back elbows as Kidman makes a blind tag. Hurricane ducks a spin kick and grabs Tajiri by the throat as he hits the chokeslam while Kidman goes up top, and Hurricane hits a slingshot plancha onto Noble as Kidman hits the Shooting Star Press on Tajiri 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. Both teams looked good as teams and had good chemistry as Kidman and Hurricane get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kidman and Hurricane when they won. Kidman and Hurricane get the win over Tajiri and Noble as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Torrie Wilson walking down the hallway as she runs into Stacy Keibler and says that it looks like Keibler is trying to steal her spotlight, and Keibler says she’s right and Wilson says they should let the people decide who looks better.
 
Commercial break
 
Torrie Wilson comes out on the stage and shows off her sexy outfit as Stacy Keibler then comes out on the stage and shows off her sexy schoolgirl outfit, but then Dawn Marie comes out on the stage in her own sexy outfit as she says that they shouldn’t be jealous of her in that she’s more desirable than both of them put together. She says that she’s going to prove it to everyone this Saturday at Divas Undressed and she shoves Wilson into Keibler who shoves her back, and Wilson slaps Keibler in the face and Keibler gets a kick in as she attempts to throw Wilson off the stage though a ref stops her.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Chris Jericho, who says that he changed Edge’s life when he puts him on the shelf 3 weeks ago and says that he can either pin Hogan or make him submit, and he says that maybe he’ll finish off Hogan the same way he finished Edge.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette hyping the debut of Rey Mysterio.
 
6. Rev. D-Von and Bautista defeat Faarooq and Randy Orton when Bautista pins Orton at 3:19.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our third and final tag match of the night. D-Von and Bautista have been cruising as a team and they look to get a win here over the makeshift team of Faarooq and Orton. Faarooq and Orton get a good pop from the crowd while D-Von and Bautista had decent heat as heels. Orton starts off the match with D-Von who gets a kick in and he pounds on Orton who reverses a whip and he hits a hiptoss, and he hits a hiptoss and a sidewalk slam on D-Von for a two count as he pounds on him in the corner and D-Von reverses a whip into the other corner. He hits a dropkick on Orton and pounds on him as he hits a jumping back elbow and rams Orton into the buckle, and he pounds on him in the corner and chokes him with his knee as he puts him on the middle rope and goes up himself. Orton blocks a superplex attempt and knocks him to the mat as he hits a bulldog on D-Von and Faarooq gets the hot tag, and he knocks D-Von down and hits a backdrop as he hits a powerslam for a two count and D-Von escapes a Dominator attempt. He gets a kick in and hits a DDT on Faarooq as he hits a slam and goes up top only to miss a diving headbutt, and Orton tags in and goes up top as he hits a crossbody for a two count and then he hits a dropkick for a two count. He pounds on D-Von as Bautista gets a blind tag and Orton hits a back elbow that knocks D-Von to the outside, and Orton hotshots Bautista on the top rope and hits a clothesline that Bautista no-sells as he hits a clothesline of his own. He knocks Faarooq off the apron to the floor and rams Orton into the corner as he hits a spinebuster 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. Both teams looked decent together and had decent chemistry as this was more of a showcase for Bautista in his in-ring debut. The crowd was into the match and Orton and Faarooq, but are not happy when D-Von and Bautista win. D-Von and Bautista get the win over Orton and Faarooq as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
Commercial break
 
7. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan defeats Chris Jericho by disqualification at 6:29.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Both men were coming off tough losses at KOTR and they face off here to see who can regain some momentum. Hogan gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. Jericho wastes no time and attacks Hogan to start the match as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, but Hogan comes back with a pair of clotheslines and he pounds on Jericho as he hits a backdrop and a slam. Jericho avoids the elbow and gets a kick in as he pounds on Hogan who reverses a whip and sends Jericho over the top though Jericho skins the cat, and Hogan knocks him down and kicks at Jericho in the corner as he pounds on him until Jericho catches him with a low blow. He kicks at Hogan and knocks him down as he hits a back suplex for a two count and Hogan grabs at his leg, and he pounds on Hogan and chokes him on the ropes as he slams down on Hogan’s back and chokes him with his boot. Hogan tries to battle back only for Jericho to get a kick in and he hits a DDT for a two count as he pounds on him, and he hooks an abdominal stretch on and uses the ropes for leverage until Hogan escapes the hold with a hiptoss. Jericho pounds on Hogan who battles back and Jericho reverses a whip into the corner though he misses a charge and rams his shoulder into the post, and Hogan fires up on Jericho who ducks the big boot as he trips Hogan up and looks for the Walls of Jericho only for Hogan to spin him off. He gets a kick in and Jericho catches him ducking with a kick as he hits the running bulldog and Lionsault for a two count, and Hogan starts to hulk up and no-sells Jericho’s shots as he pounds on him and hits the big boot as Jericho rolls outside to regroup. He grabs a chair and brings it into the ring as Hogan tries to kick it away only for Jericho to hit him in the head with the chair which draws the DQ and Hogan wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Hogan was starting to slow down by this point while Jericho was hitting his groove and they had good chemistry, but the ending was a bit weak as Jericho gets DQ’ed out of frustration. The crowd was into the match and Hogan, but are not happy with the ending. Hogan gets the win over Jericho by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Jericho goes outside and moves the steps around as he gets back in the ring and throws Hogan to the outside, and he grabs the chair and goes outside himself as he hits Hogan in the back with the chair and Hogan falls onto the steps. Jericho gets on the steps and winds up the chair only for his music and pyro to go off as Edge appears on the stage and runs down to the ring, and he hits a clothesline on Jericho and fires up on him as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor. Hogan throws Jericho back into the ring and Edge whips him into the corner as he rams the shoulder into his ribs, and he hits a spin kick on Jericho who rolls outside only for Hogan to grab him and he throws him back into the ring. Edge hits the spear on Jericho as Hogan gets in the ring and the two men stand tall as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid episode coming off a fairly average PPV that was King of the Ring. Looking back at the PPV, Smackdown had the better matches as has been the case with the last few PPVs and they were looking to continue building momentum while growing their roster. We did have a title match as Billy and Chuck still rule the tag division while Angle, Storm, Rikishi, Hurricane, Kidman, D-Von, Bautista, and Hogan get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard as the big moment of the show was the debut of Cena though his impact wouldn’t come for a while. 2002 has been an interesting year as we have seen some new faces come in, mainly on Smackdown and look to make their mark as we really begin the build to Vengeance. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show coming off of KOTR and starting the build to Vengeance. Final Grade: C+