Smackdown
November 29th, 2001 (taped November 27th)
Kansas Coliseum
Wichita, Kansas
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Brock Lesnar pins Randy Orton at 5:51.
2. Ron Waterman pins Rico Constantino at 5:32.
 
12/2 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Test pins Spike Dudley.
2. Bradshaw pins Chuck Palumbo.
3. Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) pins Funaki.
4. “The One” Billy Gunn pins Faarooq.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see footage from earlier today of Vince McMahon and Ric Flair meeting up.
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
Steve Austin comes down to the ring and says that he was at the Crackle Barrel restaurant earlier today as he ordered a lot of food, and he says that he asked for the food to go because he had to come here to whip someone’s ass. He says that the waitress told him that she was glad he didn’t kiss Vince’s ass on RAW as he said no one has to worry about that because he’ll never do it, and he says that he can’t believe Vince thinks he would be as stupid like William Regal who he calls pathetic for getting on his knees and kissing Vince’s ass. He says that it made him sick and since Regal and Vince are such good buddies and since he whipped Vince’s ass on RAW, then tonight he will take the strap and whip Regal’s ass like it never has been whipped before. He says that everyone is talking about Vengeance and the Undisputed Championship as he agrees with Rock, and he says that Rock was right in that Angle and Jericho shouldn’t be involved though they are and he believes it should be the two biggest names in the WWF. He says that it should be Rock and himself facing off and like Ric Flair said, to be the man you have to beat the man and he knows Rock thinks he’s the man, and he says that he respects that though he believes he’s the man and that’s the way it is though Vince threw Angle into the mix as he has to face Angle first. He says that he will beat Angle’s ass in the ring and go to the back as he will watch Rock face Jericho and he has no favorites, and he says that he hopes it comes down to him and Rock because it will be bigger than WrestleMania was last year and finally, there will be one Undisputed Champion which will be him. Just then, Kurt Angle comes out on the stage and says that Austin won’t beat Rock at Vengeance nor will he beat Jericho, and he says that Austin won’t beat him and Austin says Angle can come down to the ring right now so he can whip Angle’s ass. Angle says that’s not happening because at Vengeance, he will make Austin tap out and if Austin thinks he’ll become Undisputed Champion, he’s dreaming and Austin says Angle is the biggest red, white, and blue jackass he’s ever seen. Angle says that he will whip Austin’s ass at Vengeance and become Undisputed Champion and Austin wants to see Angle get out of the Coliseum which is the bottom line because he said so.
 
Commercial break
 
Test comes out to do commentary for the first match.
 
1. Christian pins Scotty 2 Hotty (w/ Albert) with the Unprettier at 2:48 to retain the WWF European Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first title match of the night. Christian has been rolling as European Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Scotty, who along with Albert helped Edge fight off Test a few nights ago and looks to become champion here. Scotty gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Scotty hooking a headlock and he knocks Christian down as both men block a hiptoss attempt, and Scotty gets a shot in and flips over Christian as he ducks a shot and knocks Christian down. Christian reverses a whip into the corner and Scotty avoids a charge as Christian ducks a shot and catches a kick attempt only for Scotty to hit an enzurgiri, and Christian rolls outside to regroup as Scotty goes outside as well and throws Christian back into the ring. He gets a shoulder in and does a slingshot flip over Christian’s back as Christian ducks a shot and hits an inverted DDT for a two count, and he pounds and stomps on Scotty as he chokes him on the mat and continues to pound on him as Scotty tries to battle back. Christian reverses a whip and Scotty hits a flying forearm on Christian as he ducks a shot and gets a kick in before hitting a front flip legdrop for a two count, and he whips Christian into the corner and Christian catches him with a back elbow as he trips him up and uses the ropes for leverage for a two count as Albert shoves his feet off the ropes. Test leaves the table and nails Albert from behind as he rams him into the post and hits the big boot while Scotty hits a superkick on Christian, and he pulls Test onto the apron and hotshots him on the top rope as he rams him into the post and Test falls into the ring. Scotty sends Christian to the outside and hits the running bulldog on Test as he does the Worm only for Christian to nail him from behind, and he hits the Unprettier on Scotty which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the time they got and put on a basic title match. Both men were hitting their groove and had good chemistry as Test ends up costing Scotty the match. The crowd was into the match and Scotty, but are not happy when Christian wins. Christian retains the title over Scotty and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Test gets in the ring and Christian holds Scotty up as Test hits the big boot on Scotty.
 
We see Jeff Hardy in the dressing room as Lita comes in and asks to talk as she says that she thought her and Matt were just going through a hard time, but after Monday she thinks something is wrong with him and Jeff agrees with her as we see Matt Hardy start to enter and he listens in. She says that she’s worried about Jeff as well because he wrestled with a concussion and Jeff says that he’s fine, and then Matt grabs both of them and says that they have to suck it up tonight as they have a Number One Contenders match and he’s done a lot for the team. Jeff asks who they are facing and Matt says the Big Show and Kane though they are the greatest team of all time and he leaves as Jeff and Lita are left confused.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as Rob Van Dam comes in and Vince says that he wanted to tell him that he’s invited him to join him numerous times, but RVD has constantly refused and he says that he doesn’t hold a grudge as he wishes him luck against Bubba Ray Dudley tonight and RVD says he’s winning matches as Vince also wants to wish him luck at Vengeance. He says that he meant to tell him that he has a title match against the Undertaker as RVD says it’s cool because he will beat him again since he’s RVD.
 
We see William Regal and Kurt Angle backstage as Regal says after what Austin has done to him and Vince, he will make an example out of him and Angle says he will become Undisputed Champion at Vengeance as they run into Edge. Angle says that he will make an example out of Edge tonight as Edge says he’s talking to the charter member of the Vince Kiss My Ass Club in Regal, and Angle would be a shoo-in for that club as well as he attacks both men only for Angle to ram him into a door and Regal whips him with the strap repeatedly until officials force them back.
 
Commercial break
 
XBOX Slam of the Week: Rob Van Dam defeating D-Von Dudley on RAW 3 nights ago
 
2. Rob Van Dam pins Bubba Ray Dudley (w/ Stacy Keibler) with the Van Daminator at 1:43 to retain the WWF Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and final title match of the night. RVD has been rolling as Hardcore Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Bubba, who looks to end RVD’s reign after D-Von couldn’t do it 3 nights ago. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Bubba had solid heat as a heel. Bubba wastes no time and hits a clothesline on RVD to start the match as he hits a neckbreaker and rams him into the buckle, and he pounds on RVD in the corner and whips him into the other corner as RVD catches him with a boot to the face and leaps up top though Bubba shoves him off into the barricade. He goes outside and throws RVD back into the ring as he brings a chair into the ring and ducks a shot before hitting a double underhook suplex, and he puts the chair on RVD and goes up to the middle rope only to RVD to avoid it as he tosses the chair to Bubba and hits the Van Daminator which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was basically a squash as Bubba got a few shots in, but he puts RVD over strong in just under 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD retains the title over Bubba and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, the Undertaker comes down to the ring and grabs RVD by the throat as he tosses him into the corner and pounds on him, and he goes outside and brings a trash can into the ring as he grabs RVD and hits the Last Ride onto the can. He takes the mike and says that they have to talk as RVD has a lot to learn if he wants to survive in the WWF, and he says that RVD needs to learn to respect authority as this was his first lesson and he will graduate with honors at Vengeance as he will learn to respect him.
 
Commercial break
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Ric Flair, who says that he is huge on respect and if Taker wants it, he’ll get it from RVD though he wants one of the young bucks to step up tonight to face Taker tonight to earn respect.
 
3. Kurt Angle pins Edge with the Angle Slam at 5:25.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. Edge has been rolling as IC Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Angle, who was looking towards Vengeance and looks to get a win here to build momentum. Edge gets a good pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. Edge avoids a charge from Angle and hits an armdrag to start the match as he hits a clothesline and ducks a shot, and he pounds on Angle who counters a whip as he hits a fireman’s carry on Edge who quickly recovers by pounding on Angle. He hits a dropkick on Angle for a two count and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him and Angle reverses a whip into the other corner, and Edge catches Angle with a boot to the face and goes up to the middle rope though Angle blocks a shot and Edge blocks the belly-to-belly suplex by hitting a modified facebuster for a two count. Angle gets a kick in and rakes Edge’s eyes as he pounds on him and Edge counters a whip by getting a knee in, and Angle blocks the Edgecution and goes behind Edge as he hits a German suplex and hooks a submission on. Edge fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he hooks a rollup for a two count and Angle ducks a shot, and he hits a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes on Edge who reverses a whip and hits a powerslam on Angle. He ducks a shot and pounds on Angle who reverses a whip and Edge hits a spin kick on Angle as he hits a clothesline, and Angle ducks a shot and goes behind Edge who turns it around and hits the Edge-o-Matic on Angle for a two count. Angle avoids a dropkick as Edge lands hard on the mat and Angle looks for the Ankle Lock though Edge shoves him off into the corner, and he hooks a small package for a two count as William Regal comes down to ringside and Edge pounds on Angle in the corner. Angle reverses a whip into the other corner only to miss a charge and Edge hits the spear for a two count as Regal puts Angle’s foot on the rope. Edge argues with Regal as Angle charges though Edge sends him over the top into Regal and he goes outside as well, and he throws Angle back into the ring only for Regal to hit Edge in the back with the brass knuckles and Angle hits the Angle Slam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and had good chemistry as Regal ends up costing Edge the match. The crowd was into the match and Edge, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Edge and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see Trish Stratus walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
Lugz Boot of the Week: Trish Stratus defeating Stacy Keibler in a Bra and Panties match on RAW 3 nights ago
 
Trish Stratus comes down to the ring for her match only for Vince McMahon to come down to the ring and he says that they will get to business in a minute, and he says that he wanted to come out and let everyone know that a third person will join his Kiss My Ass Club. He says that when he takes his jacket off and drops his drawers, all the women in the crowd will be saying that he does have a nice looking ass as he says Stratus would agree with that. He says that they do go back and he remembers her telling him in the past when they were closer that she told him he had a nice ass, and he says that he told her that she had a nice ass herself and he’s thought about the good times they had together. He says that she can be on fire with her tiny waist and the smell of her hair as he remembers her sensitive neck, and he says that they had good times until WrestleMania which he hasn’t forgotten about and he remembers her slapping him in the face. He says that she will be joining his club tonight and he knows that she’s done it in the past when they were closer, and he says that he knows she likes being Women’s Champion as he tells her to get on her knees and be a good girl as he says it won’t hurt. He says that others have done this before and it’s not a big deal as he tells her again to get on her knees which she does, and he pulls down his pants and turns around only for the Rock to come down to the ring as Stratus heads to the back. Vince goes to pull his pants up only for Rock to tell him to leave them down as he tells him to look him in the eyes, and he says that Vince wanted Stratus to get on her knees and kiss his ass as he says if Vince had it his way, he would have every fan in the building kiss his ass. He says that he wants Vince to ask him to get on his knees and kiss his ass as Vince is wondering why Rock told him to keep his pants down, and he tells Vince to come to the center of the ring which Vince does and he says that Vince loves humiliating people. He says that he saw what Vince did to Jim Ross and what he wanted to do to Stratus though Vince is the one that should be humiliated, and he says that it is easier for him to take an object, stick it sideways, and stick it up Vince’s ass though the question now is what type of object. He says that driving around Kansas, he saw a lot of cornfields and he asks for an ear of corn to stick up Vince’s ass, and he says that he won’t violate Vince like that and the jokes are over as he came out here and let Vince feel what it’s like to be humiliated. He says that now that he’s felt that, then on behalf of the next Undisputed Champion, Jim Ross, Trish Stratus, and the millions of his fans, he has one thing to say as he grabs Vince and hits the Rock Bottom before hitting the People’s Elbow. Just then, Chris Jericho runs down to the ring with a chair and Rock fires up on him in the corner as he looks for the Rock Bottom, but Vince hits a low blow on Rock and Jericho grabs the chair as he hits Rock in the head with it and then he puts the chair on him. He hits the People’s Elbow on Rock which drives the chair into his face and he takes the mike as he says that even though Rock is seeing stars spinning, he says that the biggest star of them all is him and he helps Vince to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Kane and the Big Show defeat the Hardy Boyz (w/ Lita) when Kane pins Jeff at 4:44.
 
Stipulation: The winners would earn a WWF Tag Team Championship match at Vengeance
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. The Hardyz have been dealing with some issues though look to put them aside and get a win here over Kane and Show, who were thrown together here to see who will get a title shot at Vengeance. Both teams get a good pop from the crowd and they are pretty split for the whole match. Matt starts off the match with Kane and they lock up with Kane shoving Matt into the corner as he pounds and stomps on him, and Matt tries to battle back as Kane gets a shot in and Matt catches him ducking with a kick though Kane no-sells it. He hits a big boot on Matt who escapes a powerbomb attempt and tries a sunset flip as Jeff comes in and hits a hooking clothesline on Kane, and Matt ducks a shot and gets a kick in though Kane blocks the Twist of Fate by hoisting Matt onto his shoulder and he hits a powerslam. He rams Matt into the buckle and tags Show who kicks at Matt and presses him up though Matt lands on his feet, and he hits a dropkick on Show and tags Jeff who ducks a shot and Show catches him on a crossbody attempt as he hits a slam. He puts Jeff in the corner as Matt comes in and nails Show from behind though Show shoves him away, and he hits a front powerslam on Jeff for a two count as Matt breaks it up and Show throws Jeff into the corner before pounding on him. Jeff ducks a shot and goes up top as he hits Whisper in the Wind on Show and Matt gets the hot tag, and he ducks a shot and fires up on Kane who reverses a whip into the corner as Matt catches him with a boot to the face. He goes up top and hits a moonsault on Kane for a two count as he gets a kick in though Kane again blocks the Twist of Fate by shoving Matt off, and Jeff makes a blind tag as Kane grabs Matt by the throat and Jeff pounds on Kane as the Hardyz hit a double back elbow on Kane. They tie him up in the ropes and pound on him as they hit a double baseball slide that knocks Show off the apron to the floor, and they continue to pound on Kane as Show comes in though they duck a double clothesline and they kick at Show. Show blocks a double suplex attempt and hits one of his own on the Hardyz as he charges though Matt ducks down and Show tumbles over the top to the floor, and Kane pounds on the Hardyz as Lita goes up top though Kane catches her on a leap and puts her back on the top rope. Jeff hits a dropkick to Kane’s back which causes Kane to knock Lita off the top to the floor and Show grabs at Matt’s foot, and Jeff attempts Poetry in Motion only for Kane to catch him with a big boot which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was basically a squash as the Hardyz got a few shots in, but they put Show and Kane over strong in just under 5 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kane and Show when they won. Kane and Show get the win over the Hardyz and both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside WWF New York.
 
We see Jeff Hardy and Lita recovering backstage as Matt comes up to them and they exchange shoves as Matt says this is all Jeff’s fault, and Jeff says that if Matt wants a match at Vengeance so bad he’s got one against him and Matt will find out what he’s capable of before walking away as Matt calls him a sore loser.
 
We see highlights from RAW 3 nights ago.
 
We see Tazz walking down the hallway as he runs into Ric Flair and says that no one has the grapefruits to fight the Undertaker, and Flair says that’s true and Tazz says that he’ll be the volunteer and Flair says that’s awesome as they exchange “Woos”.
 
Commercial break
 
Norelco Smack of the Night: Undertaker attacking Rob Van Dam earlier tonight
 
5. The Undertaker pins Tazz with the Chokeslam at 4:39.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Taker was attacked RVD earlier in the night and looks to get a win here over Tazz, who steps up to the plate in facing Taker here. Tazz gets a decent pop from the crowd while Taker gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. The two men have a staredown to start the match and Taker shoves him to the mat as Tazz pounds on him in the corner, and he stomps on him in the corner and Taker reverses a whip into the other corner as Tazz catches him with a back elbow. He pounds on Taker who hits a big boot only for Tazz to avoid the elbow as he gets a two count and hooks a front facelock on, and Taker hoists Tazz up and crotches him on the top rope as he stomps on him and grinds his forearm into Tazz’s face. He goes outside and drapes Tazz on the apron as he drives the elbow into his throat twice and slides back into the ring, and he tears at Tazz’s face and hoists him onto his shoulder as he rams him into the corner and puts him in the tree of woe. He stomps on Tazz who falls to the mat and Taker grabs the arm as he looks to go up top though decides not to, and Tazz tries to battle back only for Taker to knock him down and he rams him into the buckle as he whips him into the other corner. He catches a kick attempt and splashes Tazz in the corner for a two count as he goes back to the arm and goes up top, but Tazz tosses him to the mat and hooks the Tazzmission on as both men fall through the ropes to the outside though Tazz keeps the hold on. Taker escapes the hold by ramming Tazz into the barricade and then he rams Tazz into the post before throwing him back into the ring, and he grabs Tazz by the throat and hits the chokeslam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as Tazz got a few shots in, but he puts Taker over strong in 4 and a half minutes. The crowd was into the match and Tazz, but are not happy when Taker wins. Taker gets the fairly easy win over Tazz and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Taker goes outside and grabs the steps as he brings them into the ring and slams them down on Tazz’s back before heading to the back.
 
We see William Regal walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats William Regal in a Strap match at 7:31.
 
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 weeks and face off here in a strap match to settle their issues. Austin gets a big pop from the crowd while Regal was pretty hot as a heel. Regal taunts Austin by keeping the strap away from him to start the match only for Austin to pound on him in the corner, and he stomps on Regal repeatedly in the corner and throws him over the top to the floor as he goes outside himself and rams Regal into the announce table twice. He chokes Regal with the strap and sends him over the barricade into the crowd as he goes into the crowd as well and pounds on Regal, and Regal tries to battle back as Austin gets a knee in and continues to pound on Regal before whipping him with the strap. They head through the crowd as Austin continues to pound on Regal and he sends him over the barricade back to ringside, but Regal gets a shot in and rams Austin into the table before throwing him back into the ring though Austin rolls back outside. He uses the strap to pull Regal into the post twice and whips him with it repeatedly as he gets a knee in and rams Regal into the steps, and he again whips Regal with the strap and grabs a pair of beers as he hands one to the ref and does a toast. He chugs the beer and hits Regal in the head with the can as he clears the table off and pulls Regal onto it, and he pounds on Regal and sets up for a piledriver only for Regal to escape with a backdrop onto the table. The ref finally puts the strap on Austin’s wrist and Regal whips Austin with the strap repeatedly as he throws him back into the ring, and he again whips Austin with the strap as he gets a kick in and pounds on him before knocking him down. Austin escapes a suplex attempt and gets a kick in though Regal blocks the Stunner and hits a back elbow on Austin, and he touches two buckles only for Austin to crotch him with the strap and he flips him to the mat before stomping on him repeatedly. He ties Regal’s feet together with the strap and drags him around the ring as he touches two buckles until Regal grabs the ropes, and Austin stomps on him repeatedly and pounds on him until Regal sends him over the top to the floor. He uses the strap to pull Austin back onto the apron and tosses him over the top back into the ring as he stomps on him, and he whips Austin with the strap until Austin rakes the eyes and he whips Regal with the strap repeatedly. Regal gets a kick in and hits a running kneelift on Austin as he whips him repeatedly with the strap though Austin catches him ducking with a kick, and Regal reverses a whip and uses the strap to hit a clothesline on Austin as he wraps the strap around Austin’s neck and hits a modified neckbreaker. He touches three buckles only for Austin to use the strap to pull Regal into a spinebuster and he touches two buckles, and Regal grabs at Austin who hits a low blow and he touches the third buckle as he gets a kick in and hits the Stunner before touching the fourth buckle to win the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid strap match. Austin was hitting his peak by this point while Regal was hitting his groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Austin gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Austin when he won. Austin gets the win over Regal and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Kurt Angle runs down to the ring and nails Austin from behind as he pounds on him and stomps on him repeatedly along with Regal, but then Edge runs down to the ring and pounds on Regal as he hits a clothesline and the spear before sending Regal to the outside. Austin blocks a German suplex with a back elbow and he whips Angle with the strap repeatedly as he chokes him with it, and he sends Angle over the top to the floor and stands tall with Edge as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid show to continue the build to Vengeance. Obviously, a lot of the focus of Vengeance was on who would be the Undisputed Champion and the rest of the card was still being fleshed out, and this show as a good chance to see the rest of the card being built. We had two title matches as Christian and RVD retain their titles while Angle, Kane, Show, Taker, and Austin get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard for TV as there was a lot of focus on building Vengeance. 2001 has been a great year for the WWF as they have been pretty hot for the whole year and now we will see if they can close out on a strong note. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show to continue the build towards Vengeance. Final Grade: C+