Smackdown
April 29th, 2002 (taped April 27th)
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Kim Neilsen defeats Dawn Marie.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring and says that he can’t describe what it feels like to be here in front of all the Hulkamaniacs as the Undisputed Champion, and he says that if it wasn’t for the Undertaker’s involvement he might not be champion though he believes he still would be. He says that tonight with everyone behind him, he wants to give Triple H his rematch tonight and he’s been in the business for a long time, and he says he’s been in the ring with the best and the nastiest as Triple H has taken the game to a whole new level and is the best he’s ever faced. Just then, Triple H comes down to the ring and says that Hogan questions in his mind if he would be champion had it not been for Taker, and he says that there is no question in his mind though Hogan did earn his respect which is why he shook his hand like a man. He says that the fact that Hogan would be willing to defend the title against him earned his respect again, and he says that the fans love Hogan though he loves the Undisputed Title which is his religion and law. He says that the question is when it was over at Backlash, he shook Hogan’s hand like a man and now he asks when he takes back the Undisputed Title, will Hogan be man enough to shake his hand as Vince McMahon comes out on the stage and Triple H begs him to come to the ring. Vince says that the last he checked, neither Hogan nor Triple H are a co-owner as he is in charge of Smackdown and he makes the matches, and he says that he makes the best matches for the fans as he listens to them and he asks if they want to see Hogan and Triple H. He says that he can’t do it because everyone knows that things need to be cleaned up around here and we need to get rid of the criminal element, and he says that Triple H won’t get his rematch tonight as he was arrested on RAW for attacking Taker and he doesn’t deserve a rematch. He says that Triple H didn’t give Chris Jericho a rematch after WM though if Hogan wants to defend the title, he’ll do it next week against either Triple H or Jericho and he asks what are they going to do when his authority runs wild on them.
 
Commercial break
 
Greyhound Overdrive of the Night: Tajiri winning the Cruiserweight Title from Billy Kidman at Backlash
 
We see Billy, Chuck, and Rico in their dressing room as Tajiri and Torrie Wilson come in as they congratulate him for winning the Cruiserweight Title though they call out his fashion sense, and they say Wilson’s look isn’t working for her and they try to hand her a headband though Tajiri takes it and puts it on himself.
 
1. Al Snow, Maven, and Billy Kidman defeat Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson), Billy, and Chuck (w/ Rico) when Kidman pins Tajiri at 4:16.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a big 6-man tag match. These 6 men had big matches back at Backlash and now they face off here to finally settle their issues. Snow, Maven, and Kidman get a good pop from the crowd while Tajiri, Billy, and Chuck had decent heat as heels. Kidman starts off the match with Chuck as he ducks a shot and kicks at Chuck before hooking a headlock, and Chuck whips him into the corner only to miss a charge and Kidman hits an armdrag and a dropkick on Chuck. Chuck catches Kidman on a leap and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count as he whips him into the corner, and Kidman catches him in a headscissors and pounds on him as Maven tags in and hits a pair of clotheslines on Chuck. He hits a spin kick on Chuck and a hiptoss on Billy as Chuck reverses a whip and Billy hits a clothesline on Maven, and he stomps on Maven and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner along with Chuck as Tajiri gets kick in from the apron. Chuck knocks Maven down and tags Billy who kicks at Maven as Maven tries to battle back though Billy gets a kick in, and he hits the Fameasser on Maven for a two count as Snow breaks it up and Tajiri tags in as he looks for the kick. He gets distracted by Rico taunting Wilson who slaps him in the face and Tajiri slides outside as he berates her, and Kidman gets the hot tag and hits a hurricanrana on Billy as he hits a dropkick and pounds on him. Billy reverses a whip and Kidman catches him ducking with a tornado DDT as Chuck gets in the ring and hits the Jungle Kick on Kidman, and Snow comes in and pounds on Chuck as he gets a kick in and hits a backdrop before pounding on him in the corner. Tajiri gets in the ring and kicks Kidman to the floor as Maven hits a dropkick that sends Tajiri to the outside and he pounds on Billy in the corner, and Snow and Maven whip Billy and Chuck into each other as they pull down their tights and chase them to the back. They stalk Rico until Wilson pulls his pants down and he runs to the back as Tajiri hits a spin kick on Kidman, and Kidman escapes a powerbomb attempt by slamming his head into the mat and he goes up top as he hits the Shooting Star Press which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. All 6 men looked decent in their teams and had good chemistry as Kidman, Snow, and Maven get their revenge for Backlash. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kidman, Snow, and Maven when they won. Kidman, Snow, and Maven get the win over Tajiri, Billy, and Chuck as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Kurt Angle backstage as he comes up to a member of security and he says that he’s out of shape so he must be a local, and he says that tonight he will unveil a new T-Shirt which will list all his accomplishments on the back as well as what will be on the front. He says that they couldn’t fit all his accomplishments on the T-Shirt unless it was 2XL and after he unveils the shirt, he will get the guard a shirt at half price.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Peoria Civic Center.
 
We see Vince McMahon having his head massaged by Stacy Keibler in his office as someone comes into the office and Vince asks who he is interrupting him, and then he says that he knows him and that he’s Randy Orton as he’s getting a tryout match tonight. He says that he’s the son of Bob Orton who had the cast on his arm and his grandfather was also a great wrestler, and he wishes Orton luck and says he has something to do as he walks away and Orton introduces himself to Keibler. She says that he has some big hands and she should take a look at his body as he takes his sweatshirt off, and she puts his hand on her hip as Vince comes back in and she says that he tried to take advantage of her. Vince says that Orton is just like his father and his tryout match tonight will be against Hardcore Holly as he tells him to leave.
 
We see Christian and several Superstars backstage as Faarooq and Mark Henry come up to them and Christian says if Henry is the World’s Strongest Man, he can take this frying pan and bend it in half as Faarooq says Henry doesn’t have to do this while everyone places a bet and Henry says he can do it. He grabs a nearby towel and wraps it in the pan as he proceeds to bend the pan in half while everyone applauds and Faarooq takes all the money, and then Test grabs a steel rod and challenges Henry to bend that in half as Henry says double or nothing. He puts his weightlifting belt on and grabs another towel as he wraps it around the rod and bends it over his knee, and he celebrates with everyone until Christian hits him in the back with the pan and runs off.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Randy Orton pins Hardcore Holly with a rollup at 2:45.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card sees a debut in action. Orton was a fresh face on the scene and looks to make an impact here against Holly, who was floating in the midcard and looks to ruin Orton’s debut. Orton gets a decent pop from the crowd while Holly had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Holly going behind Orton who turns it around and he takes Holly to the mat, and he rides Holly who escapes and works the arm before hooking a headlock and he knocks Orton down. Orton comes back with a hiptoss and Holly reverses a whip as Orton blocks a hiptoss and hits a bulldog on Holly for a two count, and Holly hits a clothesline on Orton and pounds on him on the mat as he chokes him on the ropes before hoisting his legs up and kicking him in the groin. He pounds on Orton and hangs him in the ropes as he continues to pound on him only for Orton to hotshot him on the top rope, and Holly reverses a whip and Orton ducks a shot as he hits a dropkick for a two count and pounds on him. Holly reverses a whip into the corner and Orton catches him with a back elbow as he goes up top only for Holly to nail him, and he goes up himself and pounds on Orton who shoves him to the mat as he sets himself on the top rope and hits a crossbody though Holly rolls through for a two count. Orton ducks a shot and hits a drop toehold as he hooks a rollup which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a quick match. Orton looked decent in his first match while Holly was hitting his groove by this point, and they had good chemistry as Orton gets the upset win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Orton when he won. Orton gets the upset win in his debut over Holly and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Kurt Angle admiring his shirt as he goes over to a stagehand and says his shirt will be the fashion statement of the year, and he says that he wants the shirt on the cover of every magazine as we see Edge sneak in while Angle isn’t paying attention. Angle says that he wants the photographers in the right place and he wants the shirt to go worldwide as he will see him out there.
 
Commercial break
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring as we see his new T-Shirt under cover in the ring and he says that he knows that most aspire to be rich and famous to avoid being in places like this, and he says that he loves all his fans and though Peoria sounds like a urinary infection, he knows everyone is excited to have an Olympic champion in their presence. He says that he can’t help but notice how obese many in the crowd are though for once, it is to their advantage because tonight, he is going to unveil his new T-Shirt which he designed himself and is only available in size 2XL or larger. He says that he needed a lot of space to print out all his accomplishments and they will see it on the shirt, and he says that everyone is asking if wearing his shirt would be like living a lie to which he says the answer is yes. He says that it’s ok because when you wear his shirt, you’ll feel something never felt before and they will feel like winners as Edge comes down to the ring, and Angle asks why he’s here and says that he beat him at Backlash so he has nothing on him. Edge says that despite their differences, they had a great match at Backlash and he wanted to come out here to congratulate him on the new shirt, and he says that he couldn’t be happier for him and he wants to see it up close as he says he is dead serious after the match they had. Angle says it was a good match and he knew Edge would come around as they shake hands and Angle asks if everyone wants to see the shirt, and he tells the photographers to get in position and says he wants everyone to see the new look of Kurt Angle. He calls for a drumroll and unveils the shirt which says “You Suck” on the front as Angle says that the shirt is truly him, and he says it will make a great gift until he sees the shirt and he tells the photographers to stop taking pictures. He asks Edge who did this and Edge says the shirt is all Angle as he has Angle’s theme played and the crowd chants “You Suck”, and Edge heads to the back as Angle freaks out in the ring.
 
We see highlights from RAW 3 nights ago.
 
Commercial break
 
Clearasil Smack of the Night: Mark Henry lifting a car off its wheels on Smackdown last week
 
3. Mark Henry forces Christian to tap out at 1:54.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Christian attacked Henry moments ago after Henry proved his strength and now Henry looks to get revenge. Henry gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. Christian ducks a shot and pounds on Henry to start the match as Henry blocks a whip and sends Christian over the top to the floor, and Henry stomps on Christian’s hand and goes outside as well as he rams Christian into the apron and presses him up. He drops Christian on the top rope and rolls back into the ring as he knocks him down twice and hits a diving headbutt for a two count, and he hooks a claw on Christian who shoves the ref away and he hits a low blow on Henry before kicking at him. He hits a low dropkick and looks for the Unprettier though Henry escapes and hooks a bearhug on as Christian taps out and Henry wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as Christian got a few shots in, but he puts Henry over strong in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Henry when he on. Henry gets the easy win over Christian and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Chris Jericho, who says that it’s a testament to Vince McMahon that he proved this is the land of opportunity, and he says that two warriors will face off for a chance to face Hogan for the Undisputed Title and after he beats Triple H tonight, he will beat Hogan for the title and then face Undertaker at Judgment Day. He says that he’s looking forward to facing Triple H who gave his title match to Hogan and Triple H only held the title for a month while he held it for four months, and he says that he had a high fever at WM and Triple H took advantage of it as he says Triple H is now a former champion and his stepping stone to becoming champion again.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Kurt Angle and Albert defeat Edge and Rikishi when Albert pins Rikishi at 4:03.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second tag match of the night. Edge pulled a fast one on Angle earlier tonight and now they face off here with Rikishi and Alber as their partners. Edge and Rikishi get a good pop from the crowd while Angle and Albert had solid heat as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match as Rikishi sends Albert to the outside and Angle pounds on Edge, and Edge reverses a whip and hits a pair of clotheslines on Angle as he ducks a shot and hits a spin kick. He stomps on Angle in the corner and pounds on him as Angle reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Edge, and Albert tags in and kicks at Edge as he rams him into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner before stomping on him. He hits a double underhook suplex on Edge for a two count and presses him up though Edge escapes and sends Albert into Angle, and he ducks a shot and hits a spear on Albert for a two count as Angle breaks it up and he knocks Rikishi off the apron. Edge escapes the Angle Slam and ducks a shot as he hits a modified facebuster on Angle and Rikishi gets the hot tag, and he fires up on both men and hits a powerslam on Albert as he pounds on Angle in the corner and whips him into Albert in the other corner. He splashes both men and hits a clothesline on Angle as he hits a Samoan drop on Albert and then he hits a sitdown splash for a two count as Angle breaks it up, and Edge hits a clothesline on Angle and then he hits a clothesline on Albert that sends both men over the top to the floor. Rikishi sends Angle over the top to the floor and Albert gets in the ring as Rikishi pounds on him and whips him into the corner, and he splashes him and looks for the Stinkface only for Angle to hit the Angle Slam on Rikishi as Edge gets in the ring and hits the spear on Angle. He stomps him to the outside and Albert grabs him by the throat though Edge gets a knee in and pounds on Albert, and Albert gets a knee in and tosses Edge over the top to the floor though he misses a charge in the corner. Rikishi hits a superkick on Albert and goes up to the middle rope as he knocks Angle to the floor only for Albert to hit the pump kick, and then he hits the Baldo Bomb on Rikishi which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Both teams looked good together and they had decent chemistry as Albert ends up getting the pin on Rikishi. The crowd was into the match and Edge and Rikishi, but are not happy when Albert and Angle win. Angle and Albert get the win over Edge and Rikishi as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Edge stomps on Angle on the floor until Albert goes outside and nails Edge before throwing him back into the ring, and he stomps on Edge and rams the knee into him repeatedly as Angle brings a chair into the ring. Albert holds Edge from behind only for Edge to kick the chair back in Angle’s face and he hits a low blow on Albert, and he grabs the chair and clears Albert and Angle from the ring.
 
We see Rev. D-Von getting ready in the bathroom as he says it’s time for the collection funds.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Rev. D-Von in the stands collecting money from the fans until a fan takes the box from him and D-Von chases after him, and the fan trips on the guardrail and D-Von attacks him as he rams him into a piece of plywood and slaps him in the face repeatedly.
 
We see Kurt Angle walk up to a security guard and he tells him to get his car so he can leave though he sees the guard wearing the “You Suck” shirt and freaks out before walking away.
 
We see Triple H walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Chris Jericho pins Triple H with a rollup at 15:30.
 
Stipulation: The winner would earn an Undisputed Championship match next week on Smackdown
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Triple H was looking to get another shot at the Undisputed Title and tries to get it by defeating Jericho, who was still demanding his one-on-one shot for the title and he looks to defeat Triple H. Triple H gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. Jericho slides outside to stall to start the match and he returns to the ring as he gets a kick in and pounds on Triple H, and Triple H knocks him down and pounds on him as Jericho catches him ducking with a kick only for Triple H to send him over the top to the floor. He goes outside and chases Jericho back into the ring as he hits a clothesline and he pounds on Jericho before ramming his shoulder into the post, and he works the arm and rams the shoulder into the post again as he continues to work on it until Jericho pounds on him. Triple H catches him ducking with an armbreaker and he slides outside as he drags Jericho to the corner and rams the shoulder into the post, and Jericho rakes the eyes and rams Triple H into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and Triple H tries to battle back. Jericho ducks a shot and hits a flying forearm on Triple H as he pounds on him on the mat and then he pounds on him in the corner, and he whips Triple H into the other corner and splashes him as he continues to pound on him until Triple H again tries to battle back. Jericho hooks a sleeper on Triple H who whips Jericho off before hooking a sleeper of his own, and Jericho whips him off and gets a shot in as he falls to the mat and Triple H hits a falling headbutt to Jericho’s groin. Triple H starts to battle back until Jericho ducks a shot and hits the inverted Russian legsweep for a two count, and he stomps on Triple H repeatedly in the corner and goes outside as he drives the elbow into Triple H’s throat twice. He returns to the ring and Triple H again tries to battle back as Jericho reverses a whip and hits a spin kick for a two count, and he stomps on Triple H repeatedly and hits a low dropkick as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. Triple H avoids a charge and Jericho rams his shoulder into the post as Triple H ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker, and he pounds on Jericho who ducks a shot and Triple H hits the spinebuster for a two count as he rams him into the buckle. He pounds on Jericho in the corner and Jericho avoids the high knee as he hits a sleeper slam on Triple H for a two count, and he goes up top only for Triple H to crotch him on the top rope and he pounds on Jericho as he goes up himself. Jericho blocks a superplex and shoves Triple H to the mat as Jericho sets himself on the top rope only for Triple H to grab him, but Jericho rakes the eyes and hits a missile dropkick on Triple H for a two count as Triple H hits the high knee for a two count. He rams Jericho into the buckle and Jericho reverses a whip into the other corner as Triple H hits a clothesline for a two count, and Jericho reverses a whip and Triple H blocks a dropkick attempt as he slingshots Jericho into the corner with Jericho landing on the middle rope. He leaps off and Triple H gets a kick in though Jericho escapes the Pedigree with a backslide for a two count, and he kicks and pounds on Triple H who reverses a whip and Jericho hits the running bulldog though he misses the Lionsault. Triple H gets a kick in and looks for the Pedigree though Jericho trips him up and hooks the Walls of Jericho on, and Triple H reaches the rope to force a break and Jericho rolls outside as he slides a chair into the ring before bringing a second chair into the ring. Triple H gets a kick in and hits a DDT for a two count as they trade blows with Triple H taking control until Jericho reverses a whip, and Triple H catches him ducking with a facebuster and gets a kick in as he looks for the Pedigree only for the Undertaker to come out of the crowd. He gets on the apron and Triple H knocks him to the floor as Jericho hooks a rollup while grabbing the tights 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. Triple H was getting back into a groove while Jericho was hitting his stride as well, and they had good chemistry as Taker ends up costing Triple H as revenge for what happened on RAW. The crowd was into the match and Triple H, but are not happy when Jericho wins. Jericho steals the win over Triple H and earns a title shot for next week, but this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Triple H nails Jericho from behind as Taker gets in the ring and Triple H pounds on him until Jericho nails him from behind, and Taker pounds on Triple H on the mat and chokes him as he grabs him by the throat and hits the chokeslam. Jericho hooks the Walls of Jericho on Triple H as Taker goes outside and brings a chair into the ring as he stands over Triple H, but then Hulk Hogan runs down to the ring as Jericho rolls outside and Hogan pounds on Taker before clotheslining him over the top to the floor. He goes outside and pounds on Taker as he sends him over the barricade into the crowd and he goes after him, and Jericho celebrates on the stage as we go off the air.
 
4/27 Jakked taping:
 
1. Chavo Guerrero Jr. pins the Hurricane.
2. Lance Storm and Hugh Morrus wrestle to a no contest.
3. Jazz defeats Ivory.
4. Faarooq and Val Venis defeat the Godfather and Test.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid show coming off of Backlash and now slowly beginning the build to Judgment Day. We are now about over a month into the brand extension and Smackdown was already starting to show signs that they were wanting to become the superior brand over RAW. We had no title matches as Kidman, Snow, Maven, Orton, Henry, Albert, Angle, and Jericho get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest were standard as this show is more remembered for the debut of Orton and the Edge/Angle feud continuing. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as both brands were continuing to grow since the brand extension and we will see how they continue to shape themselves. As for this show, it is a pretty good show with a solid main event and some other interesting happenings. Final Grade: C+