Smackdown
January 24th, 2002 (taped January 22nd)
North Charleston Coliseum
North Charleston, South Carolina
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Mr. Perfect pins Randy Orton.
2. The APA defeat Brock Lesnar and Ron Waterman.
3. Rico Constantino pins AJ Styles at 4:22.
 
1/27 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. The Godfather pins Lance Storm at 3:24.
2. “The One” Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo defeat Funaki and Crash Holly at 5:03.
3. Diamond Dallas Page pins Christian at 6:11.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Rob Van Dam pins William Regal with the 5-Star Frog Splash at :42.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty big matchup. RVD has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Regal, who was rolling as IC Champion and looks to get a win here. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Regal was pretty hot as a heel. RVD wastes no time and hits a slingshot plancha onto Regal on the floor to start the match as he pounds on him, and he throws him into the ring and goes up top as he hits a side kick on Regal and then he hits a low dropkick. He hits the Rolling Thunder on Regal and pounds on him as Regal reverses a whip and RVD ducks a shot, and he hits a spin kick on Regal and goes up top as he hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as RVD makes quick work of Regal in just 42 seconds. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD gets the quick and easy win over Regal as both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, RVD heads to the back as the ref helps Regal to his feet only for Edge to come out of the crowd and get in the ring, and he hits the spear on Regal and pounds on him on the mat before stomping on him as security runs down to the ring and Edge heads back into the crowd.

We see Vince McMahon in his office staring at himself in the mirror as he says that he knows what we’re thinking though we are wrong, and he says that we’re thinking he doesn’t have the guts to do what he said he would do on RAW. He says that he has no alternative and he will do something even he will regret which he will do tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
XBOX Slam of the Week: Rikishi giving the Big Bossman the Stinkface at the Royal Rumble
 
2. Rikishi pins the Big Bossman with the Banzai Drop at 3:19.
 
Special Guest Referee: Jacqueline
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Rikishi eliminated Bossman in the Royal Rumble back on Sunday and Bossman comes here looking for revenge. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Bossman had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Bossman raking the eyes and he sends Rikishi to the outside before going outside himself, and Rikishi pounds on Bossman who gets a knee in and he rams him into the steps as he picks the steps up though Rikishi avoids them. Both men roll back into the ring and Bossman kicks at Rikishi as he pounds on him in the corner and chokes him, and Jacqueline forces a break as Rikishi throws Bossman in the corner and pounds on him repeatedly until Jacqueline again forces a break. Bossman knocks Rikishi down and slides out of the ring as he gets a shot in and drives his hand into Rikishi’s throat repeatedly, and he returns to the ring and kicks at Rikishi as he chokes him with his boot and drops a knee on him before pounding on him. Rikishi attempts to catch him in a belly-to-belly suplex only for Bossman to escape and he hits a clothesline on Rikishi for a two count, and he kicks at Rikishi and pounds on him as Rikishi reverses a whip and Bossman ducks a shot before getting a shot in. Rikishi hits a superkick on Bossman and then he hits a sitdown splash as he drags him to the corner and goes up to the middle rope, and he hits the Banzai Drop on Bossman 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. Rikishi was getting back into a groove by this point while Bossman was clearly slowing down by this point, and they had decent chemistry as Rikishi gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Bossman and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see footage from RAW 3 nights ago.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley getting coffee as Lilian Garcia walks up to her and says she’s surprised to see her here after what happened on RAW, and she says that if Stephanie needs to talk to anyone she’s here for her and Stephanie says she and Triple H have no problems though she does have a problem with her as she throws her coffee on Garcia.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Tazz and Spike Dudley defeat Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert when Scotty taps out at 5:15 to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. Tazz and Spike have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge here in Scotty and Albert, who were cruising in the tag division and look to become champions. Both teams get a good pop from the crowd and they are pretty split for the whole match. Tazz starts off the match with Scotty and they lock up with Scotty working on the arm until Tazz turns it around and takes Scotty to the mat, and Scotty nips up and they trade momentum until Tazz hits a modified suplex and Spike tags himself in. Albert tags himself in as well and Spike fires up on him until Albert shoves him into the corner and he whips him into the other corner, and Spike attempts a headbutt to the ribs though ends up hurting himself and Albert does a giant swing to Spike as he slingshots him throat first into the middle rope for a two count as Tazz breaks it up. Scotty tags in and stomps on Spike as he hits a spinning back suplex and he drops a trio of elbows on him for a two count, and he hits a hangman’s neckbreaker on Spike for a two count as Tazz breaks it up and Scotty hits a back elbow on Spike. He stomps on Spike repeatedly and hits a suplex for a two count as he hits a snapmare and a low dropkick for a two count, and he stomps on Spike repeatedly in the corner and whips him into the other corner as Spike catches him with a back elbow. Scotty misses a charge and rams his shoulder into the post as Tazz gets the hot tag and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Scotty, and he hits a modified suplex on Scotty and knocks Albert off the apron to the floor though Albert gets in the ring and pounds on Tazz. He whips Tazz into the corner and splashes him as Scotty hits the running bulldog and does the Worm as he drops an elbow on Tazz for a two count as Spike pulls Scotty to the outside, and Albert pulls Spike onto the apron and hits a headbutt as he puts Spike on the top rope and tosses him to the mat. Spike avoids a charge and Albert hits the corner as Spike gets a kick in and hits the Dudley Dog on Albert, and Scotty gets on the apron and pounds on Tazz who ducks a shot and hooks the Tazzmission while pulling Scotty back into the ring as Scotty taps out and Tazz and Spike retain. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a solid title match. Scotty and Albert were hitting their stride as a team while Tazz and Spike were getting into a groove as a team, and they had good chemistry as Spike and Tazz get a clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and popped for Spike and Tazz when they won. Spike and Tazz retain the titles over Scotty and Albert as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
We see Triple H in his dressing room as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley comes in and brags about what she did to Lilian Garcia, and she asks what Triple H’s problem is as he doesn’t listen to her or give her feedback as he’s only made it in the WWF because of her. She says that he may love the business, but her family is the business though Triple H says Vince is an asshole and he asks what is up with her, and he says that she’s become so proud to be a McMahon after everything Vince has done to her and Vince is the same guy that told her he should be cast aside. He says that Vince is a piece of trash and she says that she’s proud of who she is as Vince told her Triple H married her for the power, and he says that he married her in spite of her last name and the McMahon name has done nothing for him as she brings up the McMahon-Helmsley Era. He says that Vince never thought he was good enough for her and she says Vince might be right as he says maybe everyone else was right about her and he leaves the room.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the North Charleston Coliseum.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews the Rock, who says that the Rumble was a night of unexpected things though he calls out Coachman for not paying attention, and he asks if he’s thinking about dancing after the show and since he likes dancing so much, Coachman should dance the Charleston. He says that only the fans make the decision as he asks them if they want to see Coachman do the Charleston, and Coachman does the Charleston and gets into it as Rock hypes him up before kicking him out of the way. He says that the Rumble was unexpected with Kane throwing Big Show over the top and Maven eliminating the Undertaker, and he says that Flair made Vince tap out though as far as his match went, the way Jericho won wasn’t unexpected though it is old news. He says that Jericho is still Undisputed Champion and the biggest monkey’s ass walking though tonight he faces Kurt Angle for a title shot at No Way Out, and he says last year he beat Angle at No Way Out and went to WrestleMania as everyone knows his record at WM. He says that this year’s WM will be different because as sure as he is breathing and has blood pumping in his veins, he says this will be the biggest WM and he guarantees this WM will be his as Angle better be ready to roll if you smell what he is cooking.
 
We see Triple H in the hallway as Sharmell walks up to him and asks if he’s ok as he says now’s not a good time and she walks away, and then Christian walks up to him and says that he feels for him as Stephanie has a temper and he wishes him luck. He goes to walk away only for Triple H to grab him and ram him into a cage door as he pounds on him and rams the back of his head into a fence repeatedly, and he rams the knee into him repeatedly and throws him into a garage door before walking away.
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as he says that there are hard, cold facts which can be cruel though since the Rumble, Ric Flair has assumed a leadership position in the WWF and he doesn’t like it at all. He says that everyone has to understand that under Flair’s leadership, the WWF has terminal cancer and it will slowly die as he knows what he has to do and he can do this.
 
Commercial break
 
Stacker 2 Burn of the Week: Maven eliminating the Undertaker in the Royal Rumble and Taker assaulting him afterwards
 
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin pins Booker T with the Stunner at 9:17.
 
Stipulation: The winner would advance to a Number One Contender’s match on RAW
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last two months and face off here to settle their issues while also seeing who will get a chance to get an Undisputed Title shot at No Way Out. Austin gets a huge pop from the crowd while Booker was pretty hot as a heel. The two men square off to start and they lock up with Booker shoving Austin back as they lock up again with Booker backing Austin into the corner, and the ref gets between them as they each get a shot in and they lock up again with Booker hooking a headlock. Austin whips him off and Booker knocks him down as he stomps on him repeatedly only for Austin to battle back, and Booker goes back to the headlock and knocks Austin down again as he ducks a shot only for Austin to catch him in a spinebuster. He stomps on Booker and pounds on him as he whips him hard into the corners only for Booker to reverse a whip into the corner, and Austin hits a clothesline on Booker for a two count and Booker rakes the eyes as he stomps on Austin in the corner and pounds on him. Austin reverses a whip and hoists Booker up as he hotshots him on the top rope and he hits a swinging neckbreaker for a two count, and he pounds on Booker in the corner and Booker attempts an atomic drop which Austin no-sells though Booker ducks a shot and hits a side kick. He clotheslines Austin over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he rams him into the steps twice and throws him back into the ring, and he stomps on Austin repeatedly in the corner and rolls outside as he rams Austin’s knees into the post and pounds on him. He returns to the ring and hits a chop block on Austin as he kicks at him in the corner and slaps him in the face repeatedly, and he stomps on him repeatedly only for Austin to hit a spear on Booker and he pounds on him on the mat. Booker catches him ducking with a kick and he hits a spin kick on Austin for a two count as he stomps on the knee and slams down on it twice, but he misses a third time and both men clothesline each other as Austin fires up on Booker and hits the Lou Thesz press before pounding on him on the mat. He rams Booker into the buckle and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner as he gets a kick in though Booker blocks the Stunner, and he hits a flapjack on Austin and does the Spinaroonie as he hits a side kick on Austin for a two count. He pounds on Austin who reverses a whip though Booker gets a knee in and he hits the scissors kick for a two count, and he gets a kick in and looks for the Stunner though Austin shoves him off and gets a kick in before hitting the Stunner 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. Austin was hitting his peak by this point while Booker was getting back into a groove, 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 Booker and both men move on as Austin waits to see who he will face on Monday. Grade: 2.5
 
Commercial break
 
8 Weeks to WrestleMania X8
 
Sharmell interviews Ric Flair, who says that he has no idea what Vince is talking about and he is a beaten man as he beat him at the Rumble, and he says that this company continues to get better everyday and he owns 50% of the greatest company of the world as the guys can come to him for leadership if they want it.
 
5. The Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler) defeat the Big Show and Kane in a Tables match at 2:07.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. Show and Kane suffered a tough loss on RAW 3 nights ago and look to get back on track here against the Dudleyz, who were in a slump since losing the tag titles and look to get back on track here in their specialty. Kane and Show get a good pop from the crowd while the Dudleyz were pretty hot as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl on the floor to start the match as Show hoists D-Von onto his shoulder, but D-Von slides off and rams Show into the post as Kane brings a table into the ring and then he throws Bubba into the ring. Bubba ducks a shot as D-Von gets in the ring and they hit a double team on Kane as Show gets in the ring and hits a pair of clotheslines on the Dudleyz, and he hits a pair of headbutts on both men and sets the table up as he grabs both men by the throats though they hit a pair of low blows on Show. They shove him into the corner and hit a double flapjack though Kane moves the table out of the way and he hits a pair of clotheslines on the Dudleyz, and he hits a sidewalk slam on D-Von and a big boot on Bubba as he goes up top though Bubba avoids a clothesline from Show who hits the ropes and causes Kane to get crotched on the top rope. Show hits a clothesline on Bubba and sets the table up as Kane falls to the floor and Show grabs D-Von by the throat, and he hits the Chokeslam though Bubba pulls the table away as Kane gets on the apron and Bubba charges at Show. Show whips him into the ropes though Bubba knocks Kane off the apron and goes through a table which gives the Dudleyz the win. The match itself was nothing much as Show and Kane dominated the match until another miscue costs them the match. The crowd was into the match and Show and Kane, but are not happy when the Dudleyz win. The Dudleyz get the win over Show and Kane as both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, the Dudleyz and Keibler head to the back as Kane gets in the ring and confronts Show only for officials to come out and keep them apart.
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as he says that it’s a damn shame though everything on Earth has to end at some point, and he says that he never thought it would be like this and he never thought his world would crash down around him. He says that this is his life and he built the WWF with no help from anyone as he did it all on his own, and he says that someone wants to take it away from him and someone gave the WWF cancer as he starts crying. He says that he needs to get a hold of himself though he admits that it’s too bad.
 
Commercial break
 
Goldust quotes “An Affair to Remember” as he says that he has warm memories because when he arrived to the WWF, it was changed forever and now that he’s back, it’s not about change and he has his greatest production yet for an audience of one as he needs this and if he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t give a damn as a star falls for every one that rises and the memory that will last forever will be his.
 
We see Billy and Chuck watching on TV as they talk about Goldust before talking about possibly being tag team champions and they put themselves over.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Kurt Angle, who says that he still has a chance to become champion as the Rock will be his and he is an Olympic Gold medalist, and he’s won more titles and awards than anyone though the fans disrespect him by saying “What” and he’s had it as that word has ruined his life.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Trish Stratus defeats Jazz by disqualification at 2:08.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a big rematch from the Rumble. Stratus defeated Jazz back at the Rumble to retain the Women’s Title and Jazz looks to get revenge here in a non-title match. Stratus gets a good pop from the crowd while Jazz was pretty hot as a heel. Stratus wastes no time and attacks Jazz to start the match as she rams her into the buckle repeatedly and stomps on her in the corner, and she gets a kick in and kicks Jazz to the mat for a two count as she pounds on her in the corner and Jazz reverses a whip into the other corner. Stratus catches her with a boot to the face only for Jazz to hit a clothesline and she hits a clothesline on Stratus, and she tosses Stratus to the mat by her hair and then she hits a double underhook suplex on Stratus as she hotshots her on the top rope. She throws Stratus through the ropes to the outside and goes outside herself as she slams Stratus’ hand into the apron, and she slaps Stratus in the face and slams her hand into the apron again as she pulls her into the post. She rolls back into the ring and pulls Stratus onto the apron as she rams her into the buckle only for Stratus to get a shoulder in, and she gets in the ring and ducks a shot as she pounds on Jazz and whips her into the corner only to miss a charge. Jazz takes Stratus to the mat with an armbar and uses the ropes for leverage as the ref does the 5 count and she refuses to break which draws the DQ and Stratus wins the match. The match itself was not much as both women did what they could for the 2 minutes they got and Jazz gets herself DQ’ed. The crowd was into the match and Stratus, but are not happy with the ending. Stratus gets the win over Jazz by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: .5
 
After the match, the ref pulls Jazz off of Stratus only for Jazz to slam down on Stratus’ arm and she hoists her up in a double-arm chickenwing, and she hits a DDT on Stratus and heads to the back as the ref checks on Stratus.
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as he says that he won’t be talked out of this as he is resolved in the fact that he has to do this, and he says that if there was any other way he would do it as he knows this isn’t logical or normal. He says that it’s something that has to be done because when you care like he cares about something, he’ll do anything and it has to be done as he won’t be talked out of it and he’s starting to feel it and it feels good.
 
Commercial break
 
Greyhound Overdrive of the Night: Rock pinning Chris Jericho on RAW 3 nights ago
 
Chris Jericho comes out to do commentary for the main event.
 
7. Kurt Angle pins the Rock after a chokeslam from the Undertaker at 9:22.
 
Stipulation: The winner would advance to a Number One Contender’s match on RAW
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men were looking to get a shot at the Undisputed Title at No Way Out and face off here to see who will face Austin to get that shot. Rock gets a huge pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with neither gaining an edge and they lock up again with Rock hooking a headlock, and Angle whips him off and Rock knocks him down as he avoids a leapfrog and knocks Angle down before hitting an armdrag. He works the arm and goes behind Angle who hits a back elbow as he hits a fireman’s carry and works on Rock’s arm, and he hooks a headlock and knocks Rock down as he avoids a leapfrog only for Rock to knock him down. He ducks a shot and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Angle for a two count as he pounds on him until Angle reverses a whip, and he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Rock and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly and chokes him with his boot. Rock throws Angle into the corner and pounds on him as Angle reverses a whip into the other corner and Rock catches him with a back elbow, and Angle ducks a shot and hits a pair of German suplexes on Rock who blocks a third one with a series of back elbows. Angle ducks a shot and hits the German suplex on Rock for a two count as he chokes him on the ropes and Rock tries to battle back, and Angle reverses a whip and Rock catches him ducking with a kick only for Angle to send him over the top to the floor. Angle goes outside as well and pounds on Rock as he hotshots him on the announce table and rolls back into the ring, and Jericho rams Rock into the table and sends him into the post before returning to commentary as Angle goes outside. He throws Rock back into the ring and hits a spinebuster before hooking the Ankle Lock on Rock who grabs the rope to force a break, and Rock tries to battle back as Angle reverses a whip and Rock ducks a shot only for both men to clothesline each other. Rock fires up on Angle who reverses a whip and Rock hits a flying clothesline on Angle as he ducks a shot and gets a kick in, and he hits a DDT on Angle for a two count and pounds on him until Angle counters a whip with a clothesline. He hits a slam on Rock and looks for the People’s Elbow to mock him though Rock nips up and sends Angle over the top to the floor, and Rock goes outside only for Angle to reverse a whip into the barricade though Rock fires back with a clothesline. He grabs Jericho and tosses him over the table to the floor as he pounds on him and knocks him onto the table, and he rams Angle’s head into Jericho’s groin and throws Angle back into the ring as he hits a spinebuster and hooks the Sharpshooter on. Jericho pulls the ref out of the ring as Angle taps out and Jericho grabs a chair while the Undertaker runs down to the ring, and he grabs Rock by the throat and hits the chokeslam as he heads up the ramp while Jericho throws the ref into the ring with Angle getting 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 still had good chemistry as Taker ends up being the difference in costing Rock the match. The crowd was into the match and Rock, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Rock and will face Austin to see who will get the title shot at No Way Out. Grade: 3
 
We see Steve Austin pacing back and forth backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Steve Austin, who says that he said he wasn’t going to face the champion at WM because he has a chance to face Jericho for the title, but then Kurt Angle attacks him from behind as Austin battles back and rams him into a table before pounding on him. Angle rakes the eyes and hits Austin in the head with a steel platter as he stomps on him repeatedly and hooks the Ankle Lock on until officials break it up.
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as he says that the WWF is going to die which he knows and the WWF has cancer because of Ric Flair, and he says that Flair is going to kill the company and this cancer is a slow-eating kind of cancer which is not quick. He says that he won’t let Flair kill what he created as the WWF is his and he created it so he won’t let Flair kill what he created, and he says that he will do it himself as he will inject the WWF with a lethal dose of poison and if anyone is going to kill his company, it will be him as he spins his chair around and we see the letters “nWo” on the chair as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty standard episode coming off the Rumble with a pretty memorable announcement included. We were barely a week removed from the Rumble and we already had some big stuff being planned for No Way Out, and now things are looking to get even hotter with the revelation we got at the end of the show. We did get a title match as Spike and Tazz still rule the tag division while RVD, Rikishi, Austin, the Dudleyz, Stratus, and Angle get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest were standard for TV with the big moment being the reveal by Vince that the New World Order was coming in. 2002 is off to a solid start as the Rumble was a really good show and as we continue the build to No Way Out, we will see if that show delivers especially given who was going to be coming in. As for this show, it is a solid show that has the memorable moment of the impending arrival of the New World Order. Final Grade: C+