Smackdown
August 8th, 2002 (taped August 4th)
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Virginia
 
8/10 Velocity taping:
 
1. Hardcore Holly pins Albert.
2. Chavo Guerrero defeats Tajiri by disqualification.
3. Bull Buchanan pins Mike Awesome.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. John Cena defeats Kurt Angle by disqualification at 8:17.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a rematch from over a month ago. Cena made his debut against Angle and took him to the limit before Angle got the win, and now Cena gets another chance to pull of a major upset. Cena gets a good pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Angle hitting a fireman’s carry and he works Cena’s arm until Cena turns it around and hooks a headlock, and he knocks Angle down and avoids a leapfrog as he knocks Angle down again and Angle slides out to regroup before returning to the ring. They lock up with Angle hooking a headlock and he knocks Cena down as he avoids a leapfrog only for Cena to knock him down, and he hits a clothesline and powerslam on Angle for a two count as Angle reverses a whip and sends Cena over the top to the floor. Angle goes outside and rams Cena into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and stomps on him, and he rams Cena into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as he continues to stomp on him and pounds on him. Cena turns it around and pounds on him in the corner as Angle reverses a whip into the other corner and Cena catches him with a boot to the face, but Angle catches him in a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes for a two count and Cena blocks a suplex attempt as he hits one of his own. He fires up on Angle who reverses a whip and he hoists Cena up as he drives him into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and he hits a backbreaker on Cena for a two count and hits a snapmare as he hooks a submission on Cena. Cena fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he pounds on Angle who ducks a shot and he hits a pair of German suplexes, but Cena blocks a third one and hits a pair of back elbows as he gets a kick in and hits a DDT on Angle. The two men trade blows with Angle taking control until Cena ducks a shot and he hits a flying forearm on Angle, and he hits a pair of clotheslines and a backdrop on Angle who blocks a shot and trips Cena up as he hooks the Ankle Lock on. Cena kicks Angle off to escape and Angle pounds on him as Cena reverses a whip and hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam for a two count, and Angle escapes a back suplex attempt and gets a kick in as he whips Cena into the corner only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post. Angle falls to the apron and gets a shot in only for Cena to hit a dropkick that sends Angle off the apron into the steps, but then Chris Benoit comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring as he knocks Cena down to draw the DQ and Cena wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Cena was getting into a groove by this point while Angle was hitting his stride and they still had good chemistry, but the ending was a bit weird with Benoit getting involved and costing Angle the match. The crowd was into the match and Cena, but are not happy with the ending. Cena gets the win over Angle by DQ, but their night isn’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Benoit hooks the Crossface on Cena as Rey Mysterio runs down to the ring and gets a shoulder in Benoit, and he uses the ropes to send Benoit over the top to the floor as Eddie Guerrero comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring. He nails Mysterio from behind and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker as Edge runs down to the ring and hits a modified facebuster on Eddie, and Angle gets on the apron only for Edge to knock him to the floor and he stands tall with Mysterio and Cena.
 
Commercial break
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, who say that he doesn’t have manners and he should know who they are talking to as they defeated Rock and Edge last week when Rock tapped out to Benoit who he calls the master of submission, but then Kurt Angle walks up to them and says no one makes people tap out like him and he’s the master as Cena would’ve tapped out if they didn’t get involved. Benoit says that Angle was about to get counted out and Cena had him beat though he says this show has the best competition which is why they came here, and Angle says that he’ll give them competition and Eddie says they need to calm down as they have to take out Cena, Mysterio, and Edge tonight in a 6-man tag match.
 
2. Mark Henry pins Rev. D-Von (w/ Batista) with a running powerslam at 2:46.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Henry has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get back on track here against D-Von, who’s been on a slide and looks to get back on track here. Henry gets a decent pop from the crowd while D-Von had decent heat as a heel. Batista tries to distract Henry who catches D-Von with a back elbow to start the match and he pounds on D-Von, and D-Von attempts a sunset flip though Henry grabs him in a choke and pulls him to his feet as he hoists him up and sends him into the corner. He knocks D-Von down and slams down on his back only to miss a charge in the corner and D-Von hits a flying forearm, and he ducks a shot and hits a clothesline on Henry as he drops a fist on him and stomps on him repeatedly. He hits a double stomp on Henry who blocks a stomp and he knocks D-Von down twice as he hits a clothesline and backdrop, and he hits a slam on D-Von and hoists him onto his shoulder though D-Von slides off and pounds on Henry. Henry counters a whip and hits a flapjack on D-Von as Batista gets on the apron and Henry knocks him to the floor, and he hits a side kick on D-Von and hoists him onto his shoulder as he hits a running powerslam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as D-Von got a few shots in, but he puts Henry over strong in 3 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Henry when he won. Henry gets the win over D-Von and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Batista gets in the ring and nails Henry from behind as he pounds on him on the mat and holds him down while D-Von goes up top, but Rikishi runs down to the ring and tosses D-Von to the mat as he backdrops Batista over the top to the floor and takes the mike before challenging Batista to a match.
 
3. Rikishi pins Batista (w/ Rev. D-Von) with a superkick at 2:32.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is an impromptu match. Batista attacked Rikishi after his win over D-Von last week and now after Rikishi just saved Henry from both men, he challenges Batista to a match which he accepts. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Batista had decent heat as a heel. Rikishi ducks a shot and pounds on Batista to start the match as he hits a clothesline and knocks him back, but Batista blocks a hiptoss attempt and both men duck a shot as Batista hits a full nelson slam on Rikishi and he pounds on him in the corner. He chokes him with his boot and continues to pound on him as he hits a clothesline and drives his knee into the back of Rikishi’s head, and he chokes Rikishi with his boot and D-Von gets a shot in from the floor as Batista pounds on him until Rikishi ducks a shot. He gets a kick in and hits a DDT on Batista who catches him charging with a knee and D-Von gets on the apron, but Rikishi ducks a shot and D-Von nails Batista by mistake as Rikishi hits a superkick which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as both men did what they could and put on a basic match. Rikishi was hitting his peak by this point while Batista was slowly getting into a groove, and they had decent chemistry though Batista could’ve used the win more. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Batista and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman walking down the hallway as Lesnar says they are going to Hogan’s dressing room to see if he wants to go through with the match, and Heyman says this isn’t a good idea as Lesnar walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman outside Hogan’s dressing room as Heyman tries to reason with Lesnar who goes inside anyway and he gets in Hogan’s face, and he asks if Hogan really wants to put his career on the line by facing him and he’s the man going to Summerslam. Hogan says that Lesnar has the world in the palm of his hands though if he was him, he would lay it on the line to prove a point and he would put the title shot at Summerslam on the line in the match if he was Lesnar though he says Lesnar isn’t him. Lesnar says he has no problem with it and leaves the dressing room as Heyman freaks out about what Lesnar just did and Hogan is a legend that won the title a few months ago, and he says that Lesnar got suckered in and Lesnar asks if Heyman is scared as he walks away and Heyman goes after him. Just then, a brawl breaks out between Torrie Wilson and Nidia as Jamie Noble and officials come over to try and pull Wilson off of Nidia, and then Billy Kidman runs in and goes after Noble as officials keep the four apart.
 
Commercial break
 
4. The Hurricane and Shannon Moore defeat Billy and Chuck (w/ Rico) when Moore pins Chuck at 4:35.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first tag match of the night. Billy and Chuck have been in a bit of a slump and look to get back on track here against the makeshift team of Hurricane and Moore. Hurricane and Moore get a good pop from the crowd while Billy and Chuck had solid heat as heels. Chuck wastes no time and attacks Hurricane from behind to start the match as he hoists him onto his shoulder though Hurricane slides off, and Chuck blocks a rollup attempt and Hurricane hits a drop toehold as he hits the Shining Wizard for a two count. Chuck reverses a whip and Moore makes a blind tag as Hurricane ducks a shot and he pokes Chuck in the eyes, and Moore goes up top and hits a hurricanrana on Chuck only for Billy to come in and he hits a clothesline on Moore. He stomps on Moore repeatedly and chokes him with his boot in the corner as he knocks him down only for Moore to catch him with a dropkick, and Hurricane tags in and fires up on Billy who reverses a whip though Hurricane catches him ducking with a tornado DDT. Chuck comes in and Hurricane ducks a shot as Chuck knocks Moore off the apron and Hurricane grabs both Billy and Chuck by the throats, but they hit a double flapjack on Hurricane for a two count and Chuck rams Hurricane into Billy’s boot as Billy tags in. He chokes Hurricane with his boot and Rico chokes Hurricane from the floor as Billy stomps on him and Chuck gets a shot in from the floor. Billy pounds on Hurricane in the corner and whips him into the other corner only to miss a charge and Hurricane hits a neckbreaker, and Moore gets the hot tag and fires up on Chuck as he hits a modified neckbreaker and goes up top before hitting a twisting press on Chuck. Billy ducks a shot and hits the One and Only on Moore as Hurricane gets in the ring and grabs Billy by the throat before hitting the chokeslam, and Rico comes in only for Hurricane to send him over the top to the floor as he hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Rico on the floor. Moore goes up top only for Chuck to catch him on a hurricanrana attempt and he puts him on his shoulders while Billy goes up top, but Hurricane gets on the apron and Billy kicks him to the mat only for Moore to avoid the clothesline as he hooks a victory roll on Chuck 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. Billy and Chuck were hitting their peak as a team while Hurricane and Moore looked good as a team, and they had decent chemistry as Hurricane and Moore get the upset win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Hurricane and Moore when they won. Hurricane and Moore get the win over Billy and Chuck as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Edge, John Cena, and Rey Mysterio in the locker room as Mysterio is doing pullups on the shelf while Cena says he had Angle beat until Benoit put him in the Crossface, and Edge says he needs to chill out and they will win the 6-man tag as he says the future is right now with them. He says that he has a bone to pick with Eddie and Benoit after what happened last week as Mysterio says that he’ll take care of Angle.
 
Commercial break
 
JVC Extreme Blast of the Night: Edge and Rey Mysterio saving John Cena from Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle earlier tonight
 
We see Paul Heyman go into Stephanie McMahon’s office and she asks if he’s seen Dawn Marie as she has papers needed to be delivered urgently, and he says that he’ll send Marie to her if he sees her though he brings up Hogan stirred up the pot by having Lesnar put his title shot up. She says that the Summerslam main event will either be Lesnar vs. Rock or Hogan vs. Rock II which is a win-win for Smackdown and she’s glad he’s willing to make the stipulation legally binding, and he says that she reminds him more of her father every day.
 
5. Edge, John Cena, and Rey Mysterio defeat Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle when Mysterio pins Angle at 11:06.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a big 6-man tag match. Edge and Mysterio saved Cena from Angle, Benoit, and Eddie earlier tonight during Cena’s match with Angle, and now the 6 men face off here to settle their issues. Edge, Cena, and Mysterio get good pops from the crowd while Angle, Benoit, and Eddie were red hot as heels. Edge starts off the match with Angle and they lock up with Angle hooking a headlock as he yanks Edge to the mat by his hair, and he pounds on Edge in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly as he chokes him with his boot and he continues to pound on him. Edge reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Angle as he gets a chop in only for Angle to get a knee in, and Benoit tags in only for Edge to hit a flapjack and Mysterio tags in as he pounds on Benoit who reverses a whip and he hits a flapjack on Mysterio. He gets a trio of knees in on Mysterio and whips him into the corner as Mysterio catches him with a boot to the face, and he catches him with a back elbow and goes up to the middle rope only for Benoit to pound on him and puts him on his shoulders though Mysterio hits a hurricanrana. Mysterio ducks a shot only for Angle to get a knee in from the apron and Benoit nails Mysterio from behind, and Eddie tags in and pounds on Mysterio as he works the arm and drives the elbow into it until Mysterio tries to battle back. He leaps to the middle rope and hits a springboard headscissors on Eddie as Cena tags in only for Eddie to duck a shot and he pounds on Cena, and the two trade blows with Cena taking control and he hits a hiptoss for a two count as Eddie escapes a suplex attempt. Cena goes behind Eddie and hits a back suplex for a two count as Angle breaks the pin up and he pounds on Cena, and Edge comes in and pounds on Angle as he sends him to the outside and Benoit comes in and stomps on Cena. He and Eddie continue to stomp on Cena in the corner as Eddie pounds on Cena and tags Benoit who kicks at Cena, and he pounds on him and whips him hard into the corner as he stomps on him and hits a snap suplex for a two count. He stomps on Cena and rams him into the buckle as Angle tags in and stomps on Cena before pounding on him, and he hits a short clothesline on Cena and hooks a submission on as Cena fights to his feet and breaks the hold. Angle catches him in a spinebuster for a two count as Edge breaks the pin up and Angle hits a slam on Cena, and Eddie tags in and hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Cena for a two count as he pounds on him and stomps on him repeatedly. He chokes Cena with his boot and hits a snapmare as he rakes his boot across Cena’s face and Benoit tags in, and he kicks at Cena and they hit a double back elbow on Cena as Benoit hits a back suplex and he whips Cena into the corner. Cena catches him with a back elbow only for Benoit to hit a drop toehold and he drives the elbow into the back of his head as he taunts him, and he knocks Cena down and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and Cena tries to battle back only for Angle to get a shot in from the apron. Eddie tags in and pounds on Cena as he hooks a front facelock on and he hits a back suplex before going up top, but Mysterio grabs at Eddie’s foot and Eddie knocks him to the floor as Cena gets a shot in and goes up himself before hitting a superplex on Eddie. Edge gets the hot tag and he hits a clothesline on Angle as he knocks Benoit off the apron and hits a flying forearm on Angle, and he hits a backdrop on Eddie and kicks at Benoit as he whips him into the corner and rams the shoulder into his ribs. He hits the spear on Eddie and Angle gets a shot in as Edge escapes the Angle Slam and ducks a shot before hitting the spear, and Benoit hits a German suplex on Edge and Mysterio gets in the ring as he ducks a shot and hits a wheelbarrow bulldog on Benoit. Eddie gets a kick in and hits a brainbuster on Mysterio as Cena gets in the ring and hits a spinout powerbomb on Eddie, and Angle gets a shot in and hits the Angle Slam on Cena as Mysterio hits the 619 and West Coast Pop on Angle which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid match. All 6 men were hitting their groove and they had great chemistry as Mysterio gets a huge win over Angle to win for his team. The crowd was into the match and popped for Mysterio, Cena, and Edge when they won. Mysterio, Cena, and Edge get the win over Angle, Benoit, and Eddie as both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Kurt Angle being distraught over being pinned by Rey Mysterio.
 
6. Jamie Noble and Nidia defeat Billy Kidman and Torrie Wilson when Nidia pins Wilson at 1:58.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our third and last tag match of the night. After these four got into it earlier in the night, they now face off here to settle their issues. Kidman and Wilson get a good pop from the crowd while Noble and Nidia had decent heat as heels. Noble and Kidman keep Nidia and Wilson away from each other to start the match until Noble nails Kidman from behind, and he whips Kidman into a boot from Nidia and he hits a Northern lights suplex for a two count as he rams Kidman into the buckle. He chokes Kidman on the ropes and Kidman blocks a hiptoss attempt as he gets a knee in and hits a headscissors on Noble, and he hits a dropkick on Noble and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner only for Noble to duck a shot. Kidman catches him in a sitdown spinebuster for a two count as Nidia breaks the pin up and Kidman grabs at her, and she slaps Kidman in the face and Kidman avoids a charge from Noble as he sends her into Nidia and he clotheslines Noble over the top to the floor. Kidman grabs Nidia and puts him over his knee only for Noble to get in the ring and hit a dropkick on Kidman, and Kidman backdrops Noble over the top to the floor and blocks a slap from Nidia as Wilson tags in and Kidman puts Nidia over his knee again. Wilson spanks Nidia repeatedly and Kidman knocks Noble off the apron to the floor only for Noble to avoid a slingshot plancha with Kidman hitting the floor, and Wilson hits a swinging neckbreaker on Nidia and pounds on her as Nidia reverses a whip and Noble grabs at Wilson’s foot from the floor. She kicks him to the floor and Nidia hooks a rollup while grabbing her tights which gets the three and she wins the match for her team. The match itself was nothing much as both teams did what they could for the 2 minutes they got and put on a basic match. The crowd was into the match and Kidman and Wilson, but are not happy when Noble and Nidia win. Noble and Nidia steal the win over Kidman and Wilson as both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
We see Dawn Marie walking down the hallway and she goes into Stephanie McMahon’s office where Stacy Keibler is waiting and Keibler asks where she’s been, and she says that Stephanie’s been looking for her and Marie says she has the papers as Keibler says she’ll take them though Marie says they are time sensitive so she will give them to Stephanie. Keibler says that she screwed up last week and won’t do it again as she says Vince told her all about it and even brought up Marie, and she says that she won’t be able to meet him and he will be by himself in his suite as she tells Marie not to get any ideas. She takes the papers from her and says she will make sure Stephanie will get them as she promises Marie this as well as to let Vince know, and Marie leaves the room as Keibler slides the papers under the couch and sits back down.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Stacy Keibler still in Stephanie’s office as Stephanie walks in and asks if Marie was here with the documents as Keibler says she was here though told her where Stephanie was so she could go to her, and Stephanie heard that Marie left the building and Keibler says she was going to meet Vince at his hotel. Stephanie says she wants to apologize for last week and jumped to conclusions given her history and what happened with Bischoff, and she says that she appreciates her and asks her to let her know if Marie returns with the papers. She leaves the room as Keibler retrieves the papers from under the couch and then we see Eric Bischoff come out from a door, and she hands him the papers and he looks at them while smiling.
 
We see a shot outside the Richmond Coliseum.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Hulk Hogan, who says that Brock Lesnar is stronger and younger than him as well as he doesn’t stand a chance against Lesnar, and he says that the Hulkamaniacs will scream for him and Hulkamania took him to the top and the WWE Title. He says that Hulkamania is unstoppable and Lesnar has never faced anything like it as he is relying on the fans to pull him through, and he says that the question that needs to be asked is what will Lesnar do when Hulkamania runs wild on him.
 
Commercial breaks
 
7. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) forces “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan to pass out at 10:05.
 
Stipulation: If Hogan wins, he gets Lesnar’s WWE Undisputed Championship match at Summerslam
 
Analysis: After a long and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Lesnar was preparing for his title match at Summerslam and looks to keep it here against Hogan, who won the chance to face Lesnar last week and looks to now take the title shot from him. Hogan gets a big pop from the crowd while Lesnar was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and they lock up with neither gaining an edge as they lock up again with Lesnar shoving Hogan to the mat, and he goes behind Hogan and knocks him down as he stomps on him repeatedly and hits a slam which Hogan no-sells. He pounds on Lesnar in the corner and Lesnar reverses a whip into the other corner only to miss a charge and Hogan hits a clothesline for a two count, and he drops a pair of elbows on Lesnar and rakes his boot across his face as he clotheslines Lesnar over the top to the floor. Lesnar trips Hogan up and crotches him on the post repeatedly as he rolls back into the ring and stomps on him repeatedly, and he drops a trio of elbows on Hogan and whips him into the corner as he rams the shoulder into his ribs repeatedly. He knocks Hogan down and stomps on him as he sends him to the outside and he goes outside himself, and he continues to pound on Hogan and clears the announce table off only for Hogan to rake the eyes and he pounds on Lesnar. He whips Lesnar into the post and both men roll back into the ring as Hogan pounds on Lesnar in the corner until Lesnar comes out with a powerbomb for a two count, and Hogan starts to hulk up and no-sells Lesnar’s shots as he pounds on him and hits the big boot only for Lesnar to pop up and he gets a kick in. He hoists Hogan onto his shoulders though Hogan slides off and pounds on Lesnar as he hits the big boot again while Heyman gets on the apron and Hogan knocks him to the floor, and he hits the legdrop on Lesnar for a two count and Lesnar begs off as Hogan pounds on him and hits a third big boot. Heyman grabs at Hogan’s foot from the floor and Hogan pulls him onto the apron only for Lesnar to get a shot in as he hoists Hogan onto his shoulders and he hits the F-5, and he hooks a side bearhug on Hogan who is bleeding from the mouth and Hogan passes out as the ref calls the match off and Lesnar wins. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Hogan was clearly slowing down by this point while Lesnar was hitting his groove and they had good chemistry, and this was a dominant showing for Lesnar by having Hogan pass out in the bearhug. The crowd was into the match and Hogan, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Hogan and keeps his title shot as both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Lesnar takes Hogan to the mat and keeps the hold on until Heyman tells him to release the hold which he does and he raises Lesnar’s hand, and they start to head to the back until Lesnar returns to ringside and he grabs a chair which he brings into the ring. He scares the ref out of the ring as Hogan struggles to his feet and Lesnar hits him in the head with the chair which busts him open, and Heyman tries to take Lesnar to the back only for Lesnar to return to the ring as he wipes the blood off Hogan’s face and smears it across his chest as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty good show as we continue the build to Summerslam. With most of the Summerslam card still needing to be set up, these next few shows are going to be the ones to do that as you can see the paths we are about to take with certain guys. We had no title matches as Cena, Henry, Rikishi, Hurricane, Moore, Edge, Mysterio, Noble, Nidia, and Lesnar get big wins, and in terms of the matches the 6-man was the best though the biggest moment was Lesnar destroying Hogan. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as it looks like Smackdown is going to be featuring a lot of young talent and also stand out as the wrestling based show, and as we head closer to Summerslam we will see how Smackdown shapes their half of the card. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show with a memorable moment at the end. Final Grade: B-