Smackdown
April 4th, 2002 (taped April 2nd)
Blue Cross Arena
Rochester, New York
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Rikishi pins Chris Harvard.
2. D-Von Dudley pins Jerry Toot.
 
4/6 Jakked taping:
 
1. Jazz forces Ivory to tap out.
2. Faarooq pins Lance Storm.
3. Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hugh Morrus defeat the Hurricane and Funaki.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as he says that last Monday night, Ric Flair named the Undertaker the Number One Contender for the Undisputed Title though he should’ve remembered that by virtue of the board of directors, whoever won the coin toss would get the first draft choice and also name the next Number One Contender. He says that since he won the coin toss, he will name a new Number One Contender later tonight.
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and says that he is out here to state that he is willing to face Triple H for the Undisputed Title at Backlash, and he says that he doesn’t need to state the reasons why he deserves the title shot though he will anyway since the fans keep dissing him. He says that he owns Triple H as he beat him more times than anyone in the company and he’s an Olympic gold medalist, and he says that he is adored by children and seniors worldwide especially sick ones and he wants everyone to shut their mouths as he keeps reading off his reasons. Just then, Chris Jericho comes down to the ring and says that Angle is a jackass as there is no way in hell that he deserves the title shot, and he says that no one deserves except for him as he was the first Undisputed Champion and has not gotten his one-on-one rematch yet as he only had the triple threat that he didn’t lose. He says that not only does he not get another chance, he has to stand in front of these idiots who think that he’s a has-been and he sees it in their eyes, and he says that he’s not a has-been and he will prove it by taking the title match at Backlash and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Angle says he doesn’t like it one bit and as far as Jericho’s quest for a title match goes, it’s been completed and Jericho says that if memory serves him correctly, the last time they faced each other in a match he beat Angle and there’s one way to settle this as they should face off in a match with the winner getting the title shot at Backlash. Angle says he’s fine with that as the Rock comes out on the stage and says that he has finally come back to Rochester, and he says that they think they’re the only ones that want to face Triple H at Backlash though there is only one that should get that shot as he’s had bigger matches against Triple H than either of them. He says there’s no one that deserves it more though perhaps there is someone else because he’ll get his shot one day, and he says that he will become WWF Champion again one day though until then, he says the one man who deserves the shot more than him is a legend and an icon as Angle tries to thank Rock who says he’s not talking about him. He says that the man that should face Triple H for the title at Backlash is Hulk Hogan as Jericho says that’s ridiculous though Rock says it doesn’t matter what they think, and he says that they fail to realize that this is a new Smackdown and though this is his show, Smackdown will forever be the People’s Show and they are surrounded by the millions of Rock’s fans and they will let them know who they want to go to Backlash as they chant “Hogan” and Rock says Vince better be listening if you smell what he is cooking.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from earlier today of Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert preparing for their match tonight.
 
1. Billy and Chuck (w/ Rico) defeat Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert when Billy pins Scotty at 3:06 to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first title match of the night. Billy and Chuck have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge here in Scotty and Albert, who have been cruising in the tag division and look to become champions here. Scotty and Albert get a good pop from the crowd while Billy and Chuck had solid heat as heels. Scotty starts off the match with Chuck and they lock up with Chuck getting a knee in and he pounds on Scotty, and both men block a hiptoss attempt and Scotty gets a shot in as he flips over Chuck and ducks a shot before hitting a neckbreaker for a two count. Chuck regroups with Billy in the corner until Scotty rams Chuck’s head into Billy’s groin as Billy tags in and Scotty hits an armdrag, and Billy reverses a whip and Chuck gets a shot in from the apron as Scotty knocks him to the floor and Billy hits a clothesline on Scotty. Chuck comes in and stomps on Scotty repeatedly along with Billy as Chuck taunts Scotty who tries to battle back, but Chuck gets a knee in and hoists Scotty onto his shoulder only for Scotty to slide off and he sends Chuck into the corner. Scotty ducks a shot and hits a superkick on Chuck as Albert gets the hot tag and he fires up on both men, and he hits a powerslam on Billy for a two count as he avoids an elbow from Chuck who hits Billy by mistake. Albert throws Chuck over the top to the floor and whips Billy into the corner as he splashes him and Scotty tags in, and Rico draws Albert to the outside and Albert chases him until Chuck hits a clothesline and Billy pounds on Scotty. Scotty catches him ducking with a tornado DDT though the ref is distracted as Rico gets in the ring and hits a spin kick on Scotty which allows Billy to get 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 stride as a team while Scotty and Albert were also hitting their peak as a team, and they had decent chemistry as Rico helps Billy and Chuck retain. The crowd was into the match and Scotty and Albert, but are not happy when Billy and Chuck win. Billy and Chuck retain the titles over Scotty and Albert as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Rico gets in the ring and celebrates until Albert stalks him and Scotty hits the bulldog on Rico before looking for the Worm, but then Albert hits the pump kick on Scotty and splashes him in the corner as he gets a series of knees in and hits a back elbow. He pounds on him in the ropes and yells that he let him down as he hits the Baldo Bomb on Scotty.
 
We see Marc Lloyd outside Vince McMahon’s office.
 
Commercial break
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Vince McMahon, who says that he has made a decision on the Number One Contender and this is the land of opportunity, and he says that he doesn’t succumb to pressure as he cares less what the public wants and it’s about what he wants. He says that he wants the deserving individual to have a chance at the Undisputed Title and Triple H will defend the title against Hulk Hogan at Backlash.
 
We see Chris Jericho freaking out backstage as he runs into the Rock and says that Rock screwed him over by opening his big mouth as the title shot was his, and he says that Hogan was a never-was and asks what has he ever done for the business as he couldn’t beat Rock at WM. He says that he’s beaten Rock numerous times until Rock interrupts him and says that he should try to beat him tonight, and Jericho says that he will beat the People’s Champion on the People’s Show as Rock tells him to get ready.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
2. Chrisitan pins Diamond Dallas Page with the Unprettier at 3:17.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last month with each having a win over the other and now they face off here to finally settle their issues. Page gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian had solid heat as a heel. Page ducks a shot and knocks Christian down to start the match as Christian catches him ducking with a kick, and Page leaps over him and hits a monkey flip on Christian as he hits a clothesline that sends him over the top to the floor. Christian gets on the apron and hotshots Page on the top rope as he stomps on him repeatedly and hits a Russian legsweep for a two count, and he hooks a submission on Page who fights to his feet and whips Christian off as Christian ducks a shot and blocks a monkey flip with a rollup for a two count. Page rolls through and hits a wheelbarrow German suplex on Christian as he fires up on him and hits a spinning clothesline, and both men reverse a whip with Page getting a knee in and he hits a spinning sitdown powerbomb on Christian for a two count. Christian ducks a spinning clothesline and hits a modified backbreaker for a two count as he whips him into the corner and Page catches him with a back elbow, and he looks for the Diamond Cutter though Christian blocks it by holding the ropes and Page surprises him with a small package for a two count. Christian catches a kick attempt and ducks a shot as he hits the inverted DDT for a two count and he throws a temper tantrum, and Page grabs him only for Christian to rake the eyes and he hits the Unprettier 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. Page was clearly slowing down by this point while Christian was hitting his groove, and they had decent chemistry as Christian cheats his way to the win. The crowd was into the match and Page, but are not happy when Christian wins. Christian gets the win over Page and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Kurt Angle in the hallway as he complains about Hogan being named Number One Contender and they should elect Hillbilly Jim for president, and Edge walks up to him with a bunch of pictures and says that they have a match as they’ve had their problems recently. He says that they used to be tight and he wanted to show Angle the pictures which he does, and we see they have phrases on the back like “You Suck”, “Yes, I Do Suck”, “And I’m a Dork”, “It’s True”, and “P.S. I Have No Testicles” as Angle is oblivious to it. Edge says that he hopes they can have a good match tonight and walks away as Angle beams over the pictures until he sees the phrases on the back of them and storms off in anger.
 
We see Triple H walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Blue Cross Arena.
 
Triple H comes down to the ring and says that on RAW, Ric Flair made a match for Backlash between him and the Undertaker though now Vince stated that he has the right to make the match for Backlash, and he says that Vince instead makes the match between him and Hulk Hogan for the Undisputed Title. He says that he doesn’t care who he faces though since it will now be Hogan as he knows Taker is watching and is pissed off for losing his chance, and he says that the title is going nowhere and Taker lost nothing because after he beats Hogan, he will be waiting for Taker. Just then, Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring and says that as far as he goes, he was just as surprised as Triple H to be named Number One Contender and he thought it couldn’t get bigger than the first WrestleMania when he and Mr. T punked out Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. He says that at WrestleMania III, he slammed Andre the Giant and beat him in the ring as he says that it then couldn’t get bigger than WrestleMania X8 when he faced Rock and the fans brought Hulkamania back, and he says that the fans have surprised him more than anything and Hulkamania is back though it doesn’t get bigger than the Undisputed Title. He says that if the fans believe in him and they believe he deserves a shot, he’s going to take it as Triple H says that it doesn’t get bigger than the Undisputed Title and it will be an honor to be in the ring with Hogan. He says that while it is an honor, there’s a part of him that’s sad because he’s going to have to hurt someone that he’s looked up to his whole life, and he says that he’s going to have to hurt him badly and he will not hesitate because when Hogan steps in the ring with him, he will know that he’s not immortal or an icon as he is just like everyone else in that he’s an obstacle and he will run Hogan down. He says that’s not a threat or a warning, it’s a fact and nothing will come between him and the title which includes the immortal Hulk Hogan, and he says that he is the Game and he is that damn good as Hogan says that Triple H may be right though when everyone said Hulkamania was dead, it rises again. He says that at Backlash, Hulkamania will rise up and he asks what Triple H will do when Hulkamania runs wild on him as he rips his shirt off and they have a staredown.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Edge defeats Kurt Angle by disqualification at 3:13.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last few weeks and face off here to settle their issues. Edge gets a good pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men waste no time and brawl to start with Angle getting a knee in and he pounds on Edge as he stomps on him repeatedly, and Edge reverses a whip and hits a spin kick on Angle who ducks a shot and he hits a German suplex on Edge. He hits a suplex on Edge for a two count and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner until Edge throws him into the corner, and he pounds on Angle who reverses a whip into the other corner and Edge catches him with a boot to the face. Angle catches him in a belly-to-belly suplex and Edge escapes an Angle Slam attempt as he ducks a shot and hits a modified facebuster, and he fires up on Angle who counters a whip as Edge ducks a shot and hits the Edge-o-Matic for a two count. He ties Angle up in the ropes and pounds on him as he rams the shoulder into the ribs twice until the ref frees Angle from the ropes, and he knocks Angle down and Angle rolls outside to regroup as he grabs a chair until Edge comes off the apron with an axehandle. He throws Angle back into the ring and Angle rakes the eyes as he pounds on Edge who reverses a whip and he hits a backdrop on Angle, and he pounds on Angle and looks for the spear though Angle blocks it with the chair which draws the DQ and Edge wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the time they got and put on a basic match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had good chemistry as Edge gets the win by DQ. The crowd was into the match and Edge, but are not happy with the ending. Edge gets the win over Angle by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Angle argues with the ref and grabs the chair which the ref tries to take from him though Edge ducks a swing, and he knocks Angle down and grabs the chair as Angle rolls outside and heads to the back.
 
We see Torrie Wilson getting ready backstage as Billy Kidman walks up to her and says that he has a Cruiserweight Title match tonight, and he says that they’ve had their differences in WCW though that’s in the past and he wishes both of them luck. Wilson says that he’s a class act and wishes him luck too as Tajiri walks up and yells at them in Japanese, and he makes Wilson kiss him on the cheek and walks off with her.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Billy Kidman pins Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) with a sunset flip at 3:17 to win the WWF Cruiserweight Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and final title match of the night. Tajiri has been rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and faces a tough challenge in Kidman, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to become champion again. Both men get a good pop from the crowd and they are pretty split for the whole match. The two men lock up to start with Kidman going behind Tajiri as he works the arm until Tajiri escapes with a snapmare, and both men block a hiptoss attempt and Tajiri gets a shot in as he hits a hurricanrana on Kidman and whips him into the corner. He catches him on a leap and Kidman hits a headscissors on Tajiri who ducks a shot and Kidman ducks a spin kick attempt, and both men exchange armdrags and have a standoff as Tajiri ducks a shot and hits a superkick that sends Kidman to the outside. Tajiri goes outside and hits a springboard moonsault on Kidman as he throws him back into the ring and goes up top, but Kidman catches him coming in with a dropkick for a two count and Tajiri reverses a whip as he hits a spin kick on Kidman for a two count. He looks for a tornado DDT only for Kidman to hit a sitdown spinebuster and he goes up top though he misses the Shooting Star Press, and Tajiri kicks him in the head for a two count and pounds on him as Kidman reverses a whip into the corner. Tajiri avoids a charge and looks for the Tarantula only for Kidman to send him over the top to the floor and Tajiri puts the belt in the ring, and he rolls back into the ring as Kidman stomps on him and Tajiri reverses a whip into the corner only for Kidman to block a monkey flip attempt. He puts Tajiri on the top rope and Tajiri gets a shot in as he hooks the Tarantula on Kidman while Wilson grabs the belt, and he realizes Wilson has the belt and yells at her as Kidman hooks a sunset flip which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic title match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and they had good chemistry as Kidman gets the shocking win to become champion. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kidman when he won. Kidman gets the win over Tajiri and is the new Cruiserweight Champion, but this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Kidman celebrates with the title and heads to the back as Tajiri takes the mike and yells at Wilson in Japanese, and he forces her to get in the ring and continues to yell at her before heading to the back.
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office as he says he has no problem with Billy Kidman as Cruiserweight Champion and the one change that makes him mad was Maven losing the Hardcore Title to Raven last week, and he says that he drafted Maven to bring the Hardcore Title to Smackdown and he lost it as we see he is talking to Hardcore Holly. He says that he wants Holly to teach Maven a lesson he won’t forget and Holly says that if he was the trainer on the first Tough Enough, Maven wouldn’t have lasted a day and Vince says that he hopes Maven doesn’t last the rest of the night. Stacy Keibler then walks in and says that she knows he has a lot on his plate as she offers him her services, and he drops his papers which she picks up for him and says that she can be his executive assistant as she talks about what he said on RAW. She says that she loves the way he talks and he says that he loves the way she walks as they sit down the couch.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Vince straightening himself out as D-Von Dudley comes in and asks who the hell Vince is splitting the best tag team in WWF history because of his and Flair’s issues, and he says that the Dudleyz proved they were the best tag team and Vince’s arguing with Flair caused them to be split up. Vince says that he wanted to draft the team and Flair found out about it so Flair was the one who split them up by picking Bubba first, and he says that he had no alternative but to pick the better brother in him though he thinks he was wrong. He says that he though D-Von was ready to step up and climb the ladder of success as he tells him to get out of his office, and he says that he wants D-Von to find out who he is because he has high hopes for him and he tells him not to come back until he’s ready to be a WWF Superstar.
 
We see Al Snow and Maven backstage as Snow says that one year ago, Maven was a teach in Oregon and now he’s a Tough Enough winner that’s wrestled for the Undisputed Title and is a 3-time Hardcore Champion. He says that when he faces Hardcore Holly tonight, he needs to remember God is with him and he’s going to need him tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Hardcore Holly pins Maven with the Alabama Slam at 2:02.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Vince was upset about Maven losing the Hardcore Title to RAW’s Raven last week and he forces him to face Holly here as punishment. Maven gets a decent pop from the crowd while Holly had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Maven hooking a headlock and Holly whips him off as Maven ducks a shot and hits a spin kick for a two count, and Holly gets a kick in and pounds on Maven in the corner as he holds his legs up while Maven is draped on the ropes and Holly kicks him in the groin. He hits an atomic drop and a clothesline on Maven as he hits a dropkick and a slam before going up top, but Maven catches him with a boot to the face for a two count and goes up top as he hits a missile dropkick for a two count only for Holly to hoist him up and hit the Alabama Slam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Maven got a few shots in, but he puts Holly over in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and Maven, but are not happy when Holly wins. Holly gets the quick win over Maven and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
We see footage from earlier tonight.
 
We see the Rock walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
6. The Rock pins Chris Jericho with the Rock Bottom at 7:33.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men traded barbs back and forth earlier in the night and now they face off here to settle their issues. Rock gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. The two men waste no time and brawl in the aisle to start the match with Rock taking control as he rams Jericho into the apron and pounds on him, and he knocks Jericho over the barricade into the crowd and goes into the crowd himself as he rams him into the barricade until Jericho blocks a second ram and he rams Rock into the barricade. Rock hiptosses Jericho over the barricade back to ringside and Jericho reverses a whip as he ducks a shot and trips Rock up, and he slingshots Rock into the post and throws him into the ring as he kicks at Rock and hits a low dropkick to the back. He pounds on Rock in the corner until Rock ducks a shot and he pounds on Jericho in the corner only for Jericho to reverse a whip into the other corner, and he hits a spin kick on Rock for a two count and pounds on him on the mat as he knocks him down and goes up top. He hits a missile dropkick on Rock for a two count and then he hits a suplex on Rock for a two count as he stomps on him, and Rock tries to battle back until Jericho ducks a shot and trips Rock up as he looks for the Walls of Jericho though Rock grabs the ropes to block it. Jericho stomps on Rock repeatedly and goes up top only for Rock to crotch him on the top rope and he pounds on Jericho, and he goes up himself and hits a superplex on Jericho as he fires up on him and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. He gets a kick in and hits a DDT on Jericho for a two count as he pounds on him before avoiding a flying forearm as Jericho hits the ref, and Rock hits a spear on Jericho and hooks the Sharpshooter on until Kurt Angle runs down to the ring and Rock releases the hold. He pounds on Angle and knocks him over the top to the floor as Jericho hits a slam on Rock and mocks him by looking for the People’s Elbow, but Rock nips up and hits the spinebuster on Jericho as he looks for the People’s Elbow only for Angle to get in the ring and he hits a clothesline on Rock. He hits the Angle Slam on Rock and goes outside as Jericho gets a two count and Edge runs down to ringside, and he attacks Angle and chases him into the crowd as Rock fires up on Jericho who ducks a shot and he blocks the Rock Bottom with a back elbow. He hits the running bulldog on Rock only to miss the Lionsault and Rock hits the Rock Bottom which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and still had good chemistry as Rock gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rock when he won. Rock gets the win over Jericho and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Rock celebrates as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, the first Smackdown of the brand extension was a solid show as we now really kick off the build to Backlash. After the last few weeks of getting everything in gear in regards to the brand extension and the draft, we now had our first week of each show having its own identity and much like RAW, Smackdown did fairly well with the first episode of this new era. We did have two title matches as Kidman now rules the Cruiserweight Division while Billy and Chuck still rule the tag division and Christian, Edge, Holly, and Rock get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest were pretty standard and the big story was the announcement of Hogan facing Triple H at Backlash. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point everything now feels completely different from where we were prior to WrestleMania, and we will see how the two shows continue to shape their identities as we head to Backlash. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show as the new era is officially underway. Final Grade: C+