Smackdown
December 13th, 2001 (taped December 11th)
Centennial Garden Arena
Bakersfield, California
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Spike Dudley pins Rico Constantino.
 
12/16 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Chuck Palumbo (w/ “The One” Billy Gunn) pins the Big Show at 3:30.
2. Trish Stratus pins Jacqueline at 2:44.
3. Perry Saturn forces Funaki to tap out at 5:24.
4. The Big Show pins “The One” Billy Gunn (w/ Chuck Palumbo).
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Edge and Rikishi defeat William Regal and Kurt Angle when Edge pins Regal at 1:59.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tag match of the night. These four men had gone at it 3 nights ago on RAW and now they face off here to settle their issues. Edge and Rikishi get a good pop from the crowd while Regal and Angle were red hot as heels as Angle slips Regal a pair of brass knuckles. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match as Edge hits a standing dropkick on Regal and Rikishi pounds on Angle on the outside, and he rams Angle into the steps and then he rams him into the announce table as both men roll into the ring and Regal tags in. He kicks at Regal and pounds on him as Angle comes in only for Rikishi to block a double clothesline and he hits one of his own, but Regal gets a shot in and Angle hits a clothesline on Rikishi as Regal stomps on him repeatedly and tags Angle. He pounds on Rikishi in the corner and ducks a shot as both men clothesline each other and Edge makes the hot tag, and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Regal and pounds on him on the mat as he pounds on both men until Angle gets a kick in. Edge escapes an Angle Slam attempt and sends Angle into Regal as he hits the spear which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was nothing much as both teams did what they could for the 2 minutes they got and put on a quick match. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge and Rikishi when they won. Edge and Rikishi get the win over Angle and Regal as both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Angle attacks Edge and rams his shoulder into the post as Rikishi nails Angle and whips him into the corner, and he splashes him and looks for the Stinkface only for Regal to pound on him along with Angle who holds Rikishi from behind. Regal puts the brass knuckles on though Rikishi ducks the shot as Regal hits Angle by mistake and Rikishi hits a superkick on Regal, and he gives Regal the Stinkface only for Regal to hit Rikishi in the face with the brass knuckles as Edge brings a chair into the ring. He hits Regal in the head with the chair and places it on the mat as he hits the Edgecution on Regal on the chair and Regal is bleeding heavily from the nose and mouth.
 
We see Vince McMahon arrive to the arena as security waits for him and Booker T gets out of the limo as well, and Vince tells him where they are and then he tells security to tighten up because a madman named Steve Austin is on the loose and he would love for one of the dogs to bite Austin.
 
Commercial break
 
We see EMTs tending to William Regal backstage as he yells that his nose is broken.
 
We see security leading Vince McMahon and Booker T into the arena as Ric Flair comes up to them and offers Vince a handshake which he accepts, and Flair says that after what happened on RAW he set up the nicest suite for Vince as he leads them to it. They go inside and Vince walks to a door as he tells security to be ready with the dogs when Austin comes out of the room, and he opens the door though the room is empty as Flair says this is a partnership and he wants to make right by Vince. He says that they will co-exist and he will learn how to do it like Vince as Vince says that makes him the boss tonight, and Flair says he can learn some things from Vince as he leaves the suite and Vince and Booker take a seat.
 
We see Lita walking down the hallway as Test comes up behind her and says that he can understand what she’s going through with Matt Hardy, and he says that if she wants to go out he is available and she says that she wants to be by herself for now as Test says she’ll never get the opportunity to go out with someone like him. She says that she appreciates the offer, but she’s better off by herself and he says that she’s sending a message by being a tease and he’s seen the way she looks at him, and he begs her to hit him as Jeff Hardy comes up and says that Test should try to intimidate him in the ring tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) pins Crash Holly with a hurricanrana at 2:33 to retain the WWF Cruiserweight Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. Tajiri has been rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Crash, who was floating in the midcard and looks to become champion again. Tajiri gets a good pop from the crowd while Crash gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. The two men lock up to start with Tajiri going behind Crash who turns it around until Tajiri escapes with a snapmare, and he hooks a submission on as Crash quickly escapes and Tajiri attempts a headscissors though Crash lands on his feet. Tajiri nips up and hits an armdrag on Crash who trips Tajiri up and Tajiri quickly escapes a pin only for Crash to get a kick in, and he whips Tajiri into the corner and catches him on a leap as he sends him over the top with Tajiri landing on the apron. Crash hotshots Tajiri on the top rope and Tajiri falls to the floor as Wilson checks on him until Crash goes outside and scares her away, and he throws Tajiri back into the ring and pounds on him as he stomps on him and rams him into the buckle before reversing a whip back into the corner. He hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Tajiri for a two count and rams him into the buckle as he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner, and he goes up top only for Tajiri to put him in the tree of woe and he stomps on Crash as he hits a baseball slide. The two men trade blows as Tajiri ducks a shot and Crash ducks a spin kick before getting a kick in only for Tajiri to hit the handspring elbow, and Crash reverses a whip into the corner and Tajiri avoids a charge as he hooks the Tarantula on Crash. Crash ducks a kick and gets a kick in himself as Tajiri reverses a whip and Crash ducks a shot before hitting a hurricanrana, but Tajiri bridges out of the pin and hits a hurricanrana of his own 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. Tajiri was hitting his groove by this point while Crash was still serviceable, and they had good chemistry with Tajiri getting a clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and popped for Tajiri when he won. Tajiri retains the title over Crash and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Wilson gets in the ring and celebrates with Tajiri until Crash nails him from behind and sends him to the outside, and he stalks Wilson until the lights go out and when they come back on, the Hurricane is on the top rope as he hits a crossbody on Crash and then he hits the Eye of the Hurricane before heading to the back.
 
We see Ric Flair in his office as Lance Storm comes in and Flair says Storm is supposed to be gone though he keeps following him and he doesn’t like him, and Storm asks about Hurricane and Flair says he did re-hire him as he says there’s a shortage of superheroes. Storm asks for one more chance and Flair says after this, he must leave him alone and he’s not playing around as he will force Storm to be gone forever.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Vince McMahon and Booker T in the suite as Vince is on the phone with someone as there’s a knock on the door and a server brings in a tray of food beers and numerous alcoholic beverages, and the server lists off the items as Vince remembers it’s everything Steve Austin mentioned on RAW and he says this isn’t over him. Booker says that they got Austin’s order and Vince says they’ll go ahead and take it as they tell the server to heat everything up when he gets another phone call.
 
3. Jeff Hardy (w/ Lita) defeats Test by disqualification at 3:05.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Jeff came to Lita’s defense against Test earlier tonight and now they face off here to settle their issues. Jeff gets a big pop from the crowd while Test was pretty hot as a heel. Test gets a knee in and pounds on Jeff to start the match as he rams him into the buckle and whips him into the corner, but Jeff catches him with a back elbow and he backdrops Test over the top to the floor before hitting a baseball slide. He hits a slingshot plancha onto Test on the floor and then he runs the barricade only for Test to catch him with a clothesline, and he throws Jeff back into the ring and knocks him down as he threatens the ref and he rams the knee into Jeff. He hits a delayed suplex on Jeff for a two count and Jeff tries to battle back only for Test to get a knee in and Jeff ducks a shot, and he hits a jawbreaker on Test and pounds on him as Test reverses a whip and Jeff hits a flying forearm on Test. He trips Test up and hits a legdrop to the groin as he stomps on him in the corner and Test reverses a whip into the other corner, and Jeff goes up top and hits Whisper in the Wind on Test as Lita goes up top and hits a hurricanrana on Test. Jeff goes up top only for Test to shove the ref into the ropes which causes Jeff to get crotched on the top rope, and Test hits the big boot which knocks Jeff to the floor as the ref calls for the bell and awards the match to Jeff by DQ. The match itself was nothing much as both men worked hard for the 3 minutes they got and put on a basic match. Jeff was slowly growing as a singles star while Test was also hitting his groove, and they had good chemistry as Jeff gets the win while Test doesn’t lose clean. The crowd was into the match and Jeff, but are not happy with the ending. Jeff gets the win over Test by DQ and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Test argues with the ref and grabs him before knocking him down as the Rock runs down to the ring, and he tackles Test to the mat and pounds on him before hitting the Rock Bottom.
 
We see Vince and Booker in the suite as the server accidentally causes a fire and Vince uses a beer to put it out as they rant about what happened.
 
Commercial break
 
XBOX Slam of the Week: Matt Hardy defeating Jeff Hardy and Lita in a handicap match on RAW 3 nights ago
 
We see the APA and Matt Hardy playing cards as they say Matt should take everything off his mind and Matt appreciates what they are doing, and Faarooq asks Matt about his and Lita’s sex life as Matt says he just wants to play until Faarooq asks about Lita’s thongs and Matt gets frustrated.
 
We see Vince and Booker in the suite as a team of firemen come in to respond to the fire and Vince says they’re no different than the cops in that they show up when you don’t need them, and Vince says that there’s nothing until he sees that Steve Austin is one of the fireman and Austin nails him before pounding on Booker as they head into the crowd. He chases Booker through the crowd to ringside as he continues to pound on him and he chases Booker to the back, and he continues to chase Booker outside the arena as Booker gets in a limo which drives off and Austin gets in his truck to drive after him.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Bakersfield Garden Arena.
 
4. Kane pins Lance Storm with the Chokeslam at 1:42.
 
Stipulation: If Storm wins, he earns a WWF contract
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Storm lost a chance to earn a contract on RAW 3 nights ago and gets another shot here though he is forced to face Kane. Kane gets a good pop from the crowd while Storm was pretty hot as a heel. Storm wastes no time and attacks Kane from behind to start the match only for Kane to knock him down and he rams Storm into the buckle, and he pounds on Storm in the corner and hits a backdrop as he rams Storm into the buckle again and he pounds on him in the corner. He whips Storm into the other corner only for Storm to catch him with a back elbow though Kane catches him with a big boot, and Storm escapes a suplex attempt and hits a chop block on Kane’s knee as he hits a side dropkick on Kane. He goes up top and hits a spin kick on Kane for a two count as Kane sits up and Storm ducks a shot before hitting a superkick, but Kane no-sells it and Storm escapes a tilt-a-whirl only for Kane to grab him by the throat and he hits the chokeslam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Storm got a few shots in, but he puts Kane over strong in just under 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kane when he won. Kane gets the easy win over Storm and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see the APA and Matt Hardy continue to play as Faarooq continues to press Matt about Lita and Bradshaw says Matt is distraught, and Faarooq asks if Lita is a natural redhead and Bradshaw says that’s inappropriate though he says that Jeff might know. Matt slams his cards down and says if he doesn’t want to play, then they can fight as he flips the table over and storms off as Faarooq asks why he’s so mad and Bradshaw says maybe Lita isn’t a natural redhead.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an ad for “The Undertaker: This is My Yard”.
 
5. Tazz, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Albert defeat Christian and the Dudley Boyz when Christian taps out at 4:47.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a big 6-man tag match. These six men have been cruising in the midcard and tag division as they face off here to build momentum. Tazz, Scotty, and Albert get a good pop from the crowd while Christian and the Dudleyz were pretty hot as heels. Albert starts off the match with D-Von who nails Albert from behind and he pounds on him until Albert reverses a whip and knocks D-Von down, and he pounds on D-Von and tags Scotty as they hit a double team on D-Von and Scotty does the moonwalk before pounding on D-Von who gets a knee in. He whips Scotty into the corner and Scotty knocks Christian and Bubba off the apron as he catches D-Von with a back elbow, and Christian and Bubba trip Scotty up and crotch him on the post as Christian tags in and pounds on him. He hits an atomic drop and a clothesline on Scotty for a two count as he stomps on him repeatedly and pounds on him on the mat, and he chokes Scotty with his boot and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly and continues to choke him with his boot. Scotty tries to battle back as Christian counters a whip with a Russian legsweep and he hooks a front facelock as Bubba tags in, and he pounds on Scotty in the corner and tags Christian back in as he whips Scotty into the corner only for Scotty to catch him with a pair of back elbows. He ducks a shot and hits a superkick on Christian as Tazz gets the hot tag and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Christian, and he ducks a shot and hits a modified suplex on Christian for a two count as Bubba breaks it up and Albert comes in. He pounds on Bubba while D-Von pounds on Tazz who ducks a shot and he clotheslines D-Von over the top to the floor, and he goes outside and pounds on D-Von while Albert rams Bubba into the steps as Christian ducks a shot only for Scotty to escape a back suplex attempt. He hits the bulldog on Christian and does the Worm as Keibler gets on the apron to distract him only for Albert to pull her skirt down, and she argues with him as the Dudleyz get in the ring and hit the 3-D on Scotty as Albert gets in the ring. They duck a clothesline attempt and hit a double clothesline that sends Albert over the top to the floor, and Albert pulls D-Von to the outside as Tazz gets in the ring and hits a modified suplex on Bubba as Christian gets in the ring. He looks for the Unprettier only for Tazz to escape and hook the Tazzmission on as Christian taps out and Tazz wins it for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a solid 6-man tag. All six men were hitting their stride by this point and had good chemistry as Tazz, Scotty, and Albert get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Tazz, Albert, and Scotty when they won. Tazz, Albert, and Scotty get the win over Christian and the Dudleyz as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Vince McMahon in the suite with ice on his jaw as he gets a call from Booker T who says that he lost Austin though he could’ve taken him out if he wanted, and he says that he’s stopped at a local supermarket to catch a break though he says he thinks he sees Austin as he hangs up.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside WWF New York.
 
6. Bradshaw pins Matt Hardy with the Clothesline from Hell at 3:43.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Bradshaw was having some fun at Matt’s expense and now Matt comes here looking for revenge. Bradshaw gets a good pop from the crowd while Matt gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. Matt wastes no time and attacks Bradshaw to start the match as Bradshaw reverses a whip and knocks Matt down, and he pounds on Matt and hits a slam as he drops a pair of elbows on him for a two count and rams him into the buckle. He rams the knee into Matt and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and splashes him, and he puts Matt on the top rope and goes up himself as Matt blocks the back superplex by sending Bradshaw to the mat. He sets himself on the top rope and hits a moonsault on Bradshaw for a two count as he pounds on him and hits a swinging neckbreaker for a two count, and he pounds on Bradshaw who reverses a whip into the corner as Matt catches him with a boot to the face. He goes up to the middle rope only for Bradshaw to catch him on a crossbody attempt and he hits the fallaway slam for a two count, and he pounds on Matt who battles back until Bradshaw gets a knee in and he hits a suplex on Matt. He puts Matt on the top rope and pounds on him until Matt battles back and he hits a tornado DDT on Bradshaw, and he hits a Russian legsweep on Bradshaw and goes up to the middle rope as he hits a legdrop for a two count. He looks for the Twist of Fate though Bradshaw escapes and Matt ducks a shot as he gets a kick in and looks for the Twist of Fate again, but Bradshaw shoves him off and Matt ducks a shot only for Bradshaw to hit the Clothesline from Hell 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. Both men looked solid in this solo outing and they had decent chemistry as Bradshaw gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Bradshaw when he won. Bradshaw gets the win over Matt and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Vince McMahon in the suite icing his jaw down as Ric Flair comes in talking to someone on the phone and Vince asks who he’s talking to, and Flair tells him to calm down though ends up handing the phone to him as it is revealed to be Steve Austin on the phone and he says that Vince and Booker screwed him at Vengeance and on RAW. He tells Vince that he was going to do something about it as he says he’s in his truck which is at the parking lot of the supermarket where Booker is, and Austin says he had some shopping to do anyway which he will do as well as beat the crap out of Booker.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Vince McMahon trying to reach Booker T.
 
We see Booker T in the supermarket as he grabs a box of cereal and opens it up to taste it until he hears Steve Austin’s voice over the intercom, and someone walks past which freaks Booker out and he sneaks up on the person before attacking him from behind. He pounds and stomps on him until he realizes it’s not Austin as Austin comes up behind Booker and cracks a beer open, and he pounds on Booker and stomps on him repeatedly as he throws him into some produce and continues to pound on him. He throws Booker into a shelf of condiments before squirting some ketchup and mustard onto Booker as he pounds on him, and he throws him into a display of flowers and stomps on him as he gets a knee in and throws him into more produce. He dumps several baskets of nuts and beans on Booker and stomps on him as he drags him down an aisle and opens a few bags of flour on him, and he gets a knee in and throws him into a stack of cereal boxes as he puts him in a shopping cart and pounds on him. He wheels down an aisle and stops to grab a beer which he drinks from as Booker begs for mercy and Austin hits him with the can, and he puts a case of beer on Booker and wheels him down an aisle to the back into the storage as he sends him into a stack of boxes. Austin throws several eggs at Booker and kicks at him as he cracks more eggs on his back and head before getting a knee in, and he grabs a case of crackers only for Booker to catch him with a side kick and he rams Austin into a stack of boxes. He rams Austin into the cooler door and opens it up as he throws Austin into the cooler and locks the door, and he tries to recover only for Austin to come out a cooler door and he chugs a half gallon of milk before pounding on Booker. He puts Booker on a cart and wheels him down an aisle as he grabs a package of diapers and mocks Booker with it before pounding on him, and he grinds up some coffee beans and throws them on Booker as he takes him to the checkout aisle. He throws Booker onto the belt and Booker falls to the floor as Austin hears police sirens and he stomps on Booker, and he heads out the supermarket as he calls for a price check on a jackass and Booker lays on the floor vowing revenge.
 
We see Vince McMahon and Ric Flair in the suite watching the whole thing as Flair laughs hysterically and Vince is stewing as Flair says he told Vince he would enjoy the show before leaving.
 
Commercial break
 
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex Super Slam of the Week: Undertaker winning the Hardcore Title at Vengeance
 
7. The Rock and Rob Van Dam defeat Chris Jericho and the Undertaker when RVD pins Jericho at 10:31.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Rock and RVD suffered losses to Jericho and Taker back at Vengeance and now the four men face off here in a tag match. Rock and RVD get a big pop from the crowd while Jericho and Taker were pretty hot as heels. Rock starts off the match with Taker as Rock goes after Jericho only for Taker to pound on him in the corner, and he hits a back elbow and stomps on Rock before pounding on him and he whips him hard into the other corner. Rock catches him with a back elbow and ducks a shot as he pounds on Taker in the corner and Taker reverses a whip into the other corner, and Rock fires out with a clothesline on Taker who reverses a whip and Rock catches him ducking with a swinging neckbreaker. He calls for Jericho to come in only for Taker to nail him from behind and Jericho tags in as Taker holds Rock from behind while Jericho pounds on Rock, and he hits a clothesline on Rock and pounds on him as Rock catches him ducking by slamming Jericho’s head into the mat. He pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip and Taker gets a shot in from the apron as he hotshots Rock on the top rope, and Jericho hits a spin kick on Rock for a two count and then he hits a suplex on Rock before putting his foot on Rock’s chest to taunt him. He pounds on Rock on the mat and tags Taker who kicks at Rock and he hits a back suplex for a two count, and he grinds his forearm into Rock’s face and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on Rock in the corner and Rock tries to battle back. Taker gets a knee in and whips Rock into the corner as he splashes him only for Rock to again try and battle back, and Taker ducks a shot and hits a flying clothesline on Rock as he hoists him onto his shoulder though Rock slides off. He gets a kick in and hits a DDT on Taker as RVD gets the hot tag and he goes up top before hitting a side kick on Taker, and he stomps on Taker and hits a somersault senton as he hits a spin kick on both Jericho and Taker before kicking at Taker repeatedly in the corner. He pounds on Taker who reverses a whip into the other corner and RVD catches him with a back elbow and he goes up top, and he hits a somersault senton on Taker for a two count as he avoids the elbow from Jericho who hits Taker by mistake. RVD pounds on Jericho and hits a side kick as Jericho rolls outside and Taker hits a big boot on RVD before tossing him to the outside, and Jericho stomps on RVD and rams him into the announce table twice as he takes a piece off the table and hits RVD with it. He throws RVD back into the ring and Taker gets a two count as Jericho tags in and they pound and stomp on RVD in the corner, and Jericho slaps RVD in the face and pounds on him as RVD tries to battle back only for Jericho to duck a shot and he hits a flying forearm for a two count. He stomps on RVD and rams him into the buckle as Taker tags in and kicks at RVD before pounding on him in the corner, and he stomps on RVD and tears at his face as Jericho chokes RVD on the bottom rope from the floor and Taker works the arm. He goes up top and looks for Old School only for RVD to toss him off the top to the mat and both men clothesline each other, and Rock gets the hot tag and he fires up on Jericho who reverses a whip and Rock hits a flying clothesline on Jericho. He hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Jericho and pounds on Taker as he knocks him off the apron to the floor, and he hits a spinebuster on Jericho and then he hits the People’s Elbow for a two count as Taker pulls the ref out of the ring. He gets in the ring and hits a clothesline on Rock as RVD tags in and goes up top only to miss the 5-Star Frog Splash, and Jericho hooks the Walls of Jericho on RVD as Rock knocks Taker down and he hits a clothesline on Jericho to break the hold. Taker pounds on Rock who ducks a shot and he pounds on Taker as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor, and Jericho brings a chair into the ring only for RVD to hit the Van Daminator which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. Rock and RVD looked good as a team as did Jericho and Taker, and they had good chemistry as RVD gets the win over the champion. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rock and RVD when they won. Rock and RVD get the win over Jericho and Taker as both teams move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Rock and RVD celebrate on the ramp as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid show as we continue getting the fallout from Vengeance. There were still some lingering issues from Vengeance and with such a long gap until the Royal Rumble, this was a good time to get some feuds wrapped up before the year ended. We had one title match as Tajiri still rules the Cruiserweight division while Edge, Rikishi, Jeff, Kane, Tazz, Albert, Scotty, Bradshaw, Rock, and RVD get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was easily the best while the highlight from the show was the supermarket brawl with Austin and Booker. 2001 has been a great year for the WWF and as we come to the end of the year, we will see if they can keep the momentum going into 2002. As for this show, it is a solid show to continue dealing with the Vengeance fallout. Final Grade: C+