Global Warning Tour
August 10th, 2002
Colonial Stadium
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
 
Note #1: This event was recorded and never aired on PPV in the United States though it would air on PPV in January 2003 in New Zealand, and it would be released on VHS and DVD in the United States.
 
Note #2: This is the first Smackdown-exclusive PPV
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Mark Henry and Randy Orton defeat Rev. D-Von and Batista at 7:00.
2. Hardcore Holly and Chavo Guerrero (w/ Maven) defeat Billy and Chuck at 15:00.
3. Kurt Angle defeats Test at 11:00.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for the Global Warning Tour.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Stephanie McMahon comes down to the ring and says that on behalf of the McMahon family, she welcomes everyone to WWE and after 18 years, they are back to lead their mark on Australia and it’s time to get the party started.
 
1. Rikishi pins Rico with a Samoan drop at 2:32.
 
Stipulation: The loser would be force to kiss the winner’s ass
 
Analysis: We kick off this special show with a pretty basic match. Rikishi was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Rico, who was in a slump along with Billy and Chuck though he looks to get back on track here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Rico had decent heat as a heel. Rico wastes no time and attacks Rikishi from behind to start the match as he ducks a shot and goes out to the apron, but Rikishi throws him back into the ring and he pounds on Rico who ducks a shot and he escapes a slam attempt. He hits a superkick on Rikishi and pounds on him in the corner as he kicks at him repeatedly and attempts a sunset flip, and Rikishi teases a sitdown splash though Rico slides away and Rikishi blocks a shot as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex and drags him to the corner. Rico avoids the Banzai drop though Rikishi lands on his feet and Rico hits a low blow as he pounds on him and hits a side kick, and he goes up top only to miss the moonsault and Rikishi hits a Samoan drop which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Rico got a few shots in, but he puts Rikishi over strong in 2 and a half minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Rico and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Rico argues with the ref and looks for a spin kick though Rikishi ducks it and hits a superkick before splashing Rico in the corner and he gives him the Stinkface, and Rico heads to the back as Rikishi brings two young fans into the ring and they dance.
 
We see footage of Jamie Noble and Nidia learning to surf.
 
2. Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) pins the Hurricane with a backslide and using the ropes at 8:45 to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. Noble has been rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Hurricane, who was cruising in the division and looks to become champion again. Hurricane gets a good pop from the crowd while Noble had solid heat as a heel. Hurricane wastes no time and throws Noble into the ring to start the match as he pounds on him until Noble reverses a whip, and Hurricane knocks Noble down and ducks a shot as he pokes Noble in the eyes and hoists him up before putting him in the tree of woe. He goes up to the middle rope and steps on Noble’s groin as he grabs him by the throat though Noble blocks the chokeslam with a pair of back elbows, but Hurricane hits a superkick on Noble who rolls outside to regroup and Hurricane goes up top as he hits a crossbody onto Noble on the floor. He throws Noble back into the ring only for Nidia to give him a kiss and he chases her into the ring as Noble hits a clothesline on Hurricane, and he stomps on Hurricane repeatedly and hits a snap suplex for a two count as he whips him into the corner and hoists him up before driving him into the corner. He hits a snapmare and hooks a submission on Hurricane who fights to his feet and tries to turn the hold around only for Noble to get a shot in, and he hits a back suplex on Hurricane and makes out with Nidia as he stomps on Hurricane who blocks a suplex with a small package for a two count. Noble gets a knee in only for Hurricane to hit a high crossbody for a two count and Noble counters a whip as he hoists Hurricane onto his shoulders, and he hits an electric chair drop on Hurricane for a two count and chokes him on the ropes as Nidia does the same from the floor. Noble hooks a sleeper on Hurricane who fights to his feet and he whips Noble off as he hooks a sleeper of his own on, but Noble whips him off and Hurricane hits a headscissors as he fires up on Noble who gets a kick in only for Hurricane to hit a flying clothesline. He hits a back elbow on Noble and whips him into the corner as he hits a jumping neckbreaker for a two count and Noble reverses a whip into the corner, and Hurricane catches him with a boot to the face and goes up to the middle rope as he hits a blockbuster on Noble for a two count. He looks for the Eye of the Hurricane though Noble escapes as he slides under Hurricane and he hits a pump handle suplex for a two count, and Hurricane blocks the double underhook powerbomb and ducks a shot as he hits the Eye of the Hurricane for a two count. He hoists Noble onto his back though Noble escapes and Hurricane ducks a shot as Noble catches a superkick attempt and hits a Northern lights suplex for a two count, and Noble misses a charge and rams his shoulder into the post as Hurricane goes up top and pulls Noble up with him before hitting a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Nidia gets on the apron and Hurricane chases her to the floor as Noble hooks a backslide while using the ropes for leverage which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid title match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and they still had good chemistry as this was better than their KOTR match with Noble stealing the win. The crowd was into the match and Hurricane, but are not happy when Noble wins. Noble retains the title over Hurricane and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Nidia brings the belt into the ring and checks on Noble only for Hurricane to step on the belt and he stalks her, and she tries to seduce him though he grabs her by the throat and pulls her into a charge from Noble as he grabs Noble by the throat and hits the chokeslam.
 
We see footage of Kurt Angle and the Un-Americans visiting the Melbourne Zoo.
 
3. The Un-Americans defeat Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman when Lance Storm pins Kidman at 9:09 to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. The Un-Americans have been rolling as tag champions and face a unique challenge here against the makeshift team of Kidman and Mysterio. Mysterio and Kidman get a big pop from the crowd while the Un-Americans were pretty hot as heels. Kidman starts off the match with Storm and they lock up with Storm going behind Kidman and they trade momentum until Kidman hits a snapmare, and Kidman ducks a shot and both men block a hiptoss attempt as Kidman gets a knee in and flips over Storm who gets a knee in. He pounds on Kidman in the corner and whips him into the other corner as he catches Kidman on a leap and Kidman hits a headscissors, and he hits a dropkick on Storm for a two count and Storm catches him with a jawbreaker as Christian tags in. They pound on Storm who ducks a double clothesline attempt and he hits one of his own as Mysterio tags in and he goes up top, and he hits a hurricanrana on Christian and pounds on him as Christian reverses a whip and Mysterio slides under him. He hits a wheelbarrow bulldog on Christian for a two count and Christian gets a knee in as he kicks at Mysterio in the corner, and he whips Mysterio into the other corner as Mysterio leaps over the top to the apron and he gets a shoulder in. He knocks Storm off the apron and goes up top only for Christian to shove him off the top to the floor and Storm throws him back into the ring, and Christian stomps on Mysterio and kicks at him as he rakes his boot across Mysterio’s face and pounds on him in the corner. Storm tags in and he kicks at Mysterio as he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits a rolling senton for a two count, and Christian tags in and they hotshot Mysterio on the top rope as they stomp and pound on him on the mat. Christian chokes Mysterio on the mat and continues to pound on him as he hits a gutbuster for a two count, and he throws Mysterio into the corner and Storm chokes him from the apron as Christian hits a snapmare and hooks a submission on. Mysterio fights to his feet and breaks the hold though Christian gets a shot in and Mysterio hits a springboard dropkick, and Christian grabs Mysterio’s foot to keep him from tagging and Mysterio hits an enzurgiri as Storm comes in and knocks Kidman to the floor. Christian pulls Mysterio to his corner and Storm comes in as they stomp on Mysterio and Storm hits a flapjack on Mysterio for a two count, and he pounds on Mysterio and hooks another submission on as Mysterio tries to fight out of the hold only for Storm to whip him into the corner. Mysterio lands on his feet on a German suplex attempt and hits a spin kick on Storm as Kidman gets the hot tag and he knocks Christian off the apron, and he hits a back elbow and clothesline on Storm as he hits a backdrop and then he hits a dropkick on Christian. Storm gets a shot in and Kidman escapes a back suplex attempt as he kicks off of Christian and hits a tornado bulldog on Storm for a two count, and both men counter a whip and Kidman hits a sitdown spinebuster as Christian comes in with one of the belts and Kidman gets a kick in. He whips Christian into the corner and hits a clothesline only for Storm to hit a superkick on Kidman for a two count with Mysterio breaking it up, and Christian pounds on Mysterio and puts him on shoulders while Storm goes up top though Kidman crotches him on the top rope. Mysterio slides off Christian’s shoulders and dropkicks him in the back as he falls into the ropes and Mysterio hits the 619, and Kidman sets Storm on the top rope and launches Mysterio onto him as Mysterio hits a hurricanrana on Storm. They pull Storm to the corner and Kidman goes up top as he hits the Shooting Star Press for a two count as Christian pulls the ref out of the ring, and Kidman hits a baseball slide on Christian and he backdrops Mysterio over the top to the apron as Mysterio hits a springboard moonsault onto Christian. Storm grabs the belt and he hits Kidman in the face with it which gets the three and they retain the titles. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid title match. The Un-Americans have gelled well as a team while Kidman and Mysterio still look good as a team, and they had good chemistry as the Un-Americans steal the win to retain. The crowd was into the match and Kidman and Mysterio, but are not happy when the Un-Americans win. The Un-Americans retain the titles over Kidman and Mysterio as both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
We see footage of Edge, Billy Kidman, and Torrie Wilson touring Melbourne.
 
4. Edge pins Chris Jericho with a small package at 14:22.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. Edge has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Jericho, who had jumped over to RAW prior to this show though comes here to finish his issues with Edge. Edge gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. Jericho takes the mike and tells the crowd to shut up to start the match and he says that he was the first Undisputed Champion in history, and he says that he is the Undisputed King of the World only to come to this country and he has to listen to the crowd calling him a wanker. He says that Australia sucks and as far as Edge goes, the fact he has the nerve to face him makes him a stupid son of a bitch and Edge knocks him down as he pounds on him, and he rams Jericho into the buckle and Jericho holds the ropes on a whip as he slides outside to regroup. Edge goes outside and chases Jericho back into the ring as Jericho ducks a shot and Edge catches him with a back elbow, and he hits a flapjack on Jericho and pounds on him on the mat as Jericho rakes the eyes and pounds on Edge. He chokes Edge on the ropes and Edge catches him ducking with a kick as Jericho gets tied up in the ropes and Edge rams the shoulder into his ribs, and he hits a spin kick on Jericho for a two count and Jericho ducks a shot as he grabs at the ref and uses him as a distraction to send Edge into the middle buckle. He hits a clothesline on Edge and stomps on him repeatedly as he chokes him on the ropes and slams down on his back, and he goes outside and drapes Edge across the apron as he drives the elbow into his throat twice and slides back into the ring. He hits a back suplex on Edge and drops a series of elbows on him for a two count as he hooks a submission on, and Edge fights to his feet and gets a kick in as he pounds on Jericho and hooks a rollup for a two count. Jericho hits a clothesline on Edge and then he hits a delayed suplex for a two count as he takes the pad off the buckle, but the ref catches him and tries to put the pad back on as Edge hooks a rollup for a two count and Jericho hits a dropkick to the back. He hooks an abdominal stretch on Edge and uses the ropes for leverage until the ref catches him and Edge escapes with a hiptoss, but Jericho hits a clothesline on Edge and chokes him on the ropes only to miss a charge as he crotches himself on the ropes. Edge hits a pair of clotheslines on Jericho who reverses a whip and Edge hits a flying forearm as he ducks a shot and hits a modified facebuster for a two count, and he pounds on Jericho and whips him into the corner as Jericho leaps over him and Edge hotshots him on the top buckle. He goes up top only for Jericho to get a shot in and he goes up himself though Edge blocks a superplex and he hits a front superplex on Jericho for a two count, and Jericho reverses a whip and avoids a flying forearm as Edge hits the ref by mistake and Jericho hits a sleeper slam. He goes outside and brings a chair into the ring only for Edge to hit the spear though the ref is still down, and Jericho leaps over a second spear attempt as Edge hits the corner and Jericho hits the running bulldog on Edge. Edge avoids the Lionsault as Jericho lands on his feet and Edge ducks a shot before hitting a second spear for a two count, and Edge checks on the ref as Jericho grabs the chair and he jabs it into Edge’s throat before hitting the Lionsault for a two count. He slaps Edge in the face and pounds on him as Edge catches him on a dropkick attempt and slingshots him into the exposed buckle, and he hits the Edge-o-Matic on Jericho for a two count and gets a kick in though Jericho escapes the Edgecution attempt. He trips Edge up and looks for the Walls of Jericho though Edge hooks a small package 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 they still had good chemistry as Edge gets one more win to finish off the feud. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge when he won. Edge gets the win over Jericho and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Jericho flips out at ringside and heads to the back as Edge heads into the crowd to celebrate.
 
We see highlights from the Fan Frenzy event the previous day.
 
Val Venis comes out to be the ring announcer for the next match.
 
5. Torrie Wilson defeats Stacy Keibler in a Bra and Panties match at 4:45.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic match. Wilson was cruising on Smackdown and looks to get a win here over Keibler, who was revealed to be in cahoots with Eric Bischoff 2 nights ago and looks to get a win on her way out of Smackdown. Wilson gets a good pop from the crowd while Keibler gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. Keibler offers a handshake only to slap Wilson in the face to start the match and she hits a slam before whipping Wilson into the corner, and she hits another slam on Wilson and hooks a headlock as Wilson fights out only for Keibler to yank her to the mat by her hair. She chokes Wilson on the mat until Wilson whips her off and she leaps over Keibler as she hits a hiptoss, and she hits a pair of clotheslines on Keibler and grabs at her shirt before trying to pull her shorts off though Keibler escapes and gets a kick in. Wilson ducks a shot and pounds on Keibler who hotshots her on the top rope and she pulls Wilson’s shirt off, and Wilson yanks her to the mat by her hair twice and pulls her shirt off as she kicks at her and whips her into the corner. Keibler leaps over the top to the apron and gets a shoulder in as she hotshots her on the top rope only for Wilson to hit a baseball slide, and she slides outside and stomps on Keibler as she throws her back into the ring and kicks at her before hitting a suplex. She goes for her shorts only for Keibler to roll through and she grabs at Wilson’s pants until Wilson shoves her off and hooks a rollup, and she again goes for the shorts though Keibler escapes and Wilson ducks a shot as she trips Keibler up and they brawl. They roll around as they trip the ref up and roll over top of him which he gets excited about until Keibler confronts him and Wilson pulls his pants down revealing pink underwear, but then Nidia runs down to the ring and nails Wilson from behind as they stomp on her until Wilson ducks a double clothesline attempt. She hits one of her own and then she hits a clothesline on Keibler before hitting a swinging neckbreaker on Nidia, and she pulls Nidia’s shorts off and tosses them in the aisle as Nidia goes after them and Keibler gets a kick in. She whips Wilson into the corner and Wilson catches her with a boot to the face as she trips Keibler up and slingshots her into the corner, and she hooks a rollup and pulls Keibler’s shorts off which gives her the win. The match itself was decent as both women worked hard and put on a basic match. Both women were getting better in the ring and they still had good chemistry as Wilson overcomes Nidia’s interference and wins. The crowd was into the match and popped for Wilson when she won. Wilson gets the win over Keibler and both women move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Keibler argues with Wilson who slaps her in the face and then she gives her a spanking as Keibler rolls out of the ring.
 
We see highlights from the special charity dinner the night before.
 
6. The Rock defeats Triple H and Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) in a Triple Threat match when he pins Triple H at 14:33 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Rock and Lesnar were set to face off at Summerslam for the title, but first they face off here with Triple H also being in the match despite now being on RAW. Rock gets a big pop from the crowd as does Triple H while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. Rock wastes no time and pounds on Lesnar to start the match as Triple H joins in pounding on Lesnar and they hit a double back elbow, and they clothesline Lesnar over the top to the floor and Triple H hits a clothesline on Rock as he knocks him down and rams him into the buckle. He pounds and stomps on Rock in the corner and whips him into the other corner only for Rock to hit a clothesline and he tosses Lesnar back into the ring, and he pounds on Lesnar in the corner until Triple H grabs him though Rock knocks him down and Lesnar hits a clothesline on Rock. He stomps on Rock repeatedly and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly as Triple H pounds on Rock, and Lesnar knocks Rock down as Rock battles back on Triple H who catches him ducking with the facebuster. Lesnar hits a clothesline on Rock and Triple H gets a two count as Lesnar stomps on Rock repeatedly and they continue to stomp on Rock in the corner, and they pound on Rock who tries to battle back until Triple H gets a kick in and Rock ducks a double clothesline as he hits one of his own. He pounds on both men and whips Lesnar into Triple H as he continues to pound on Lesnar who reverses a whip, and he hits a clothesline on Rock and stomps on him only for Rock to backdrop him over the top to the floor. Rock rolls outside and rams Lesnar into the barricade as Heyman nails Rock from behind and Rock chases him, but Triple H hits a clothesline on Rock and he hotshots him on the barricade as Lesnar rolls back into the ring. Triple H gets on the apron and hotshots Lesnar on the top rope as he gets in the ring and pounds on Lesnar, and he continues to pound on Lesnar in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly as he chokes him with his boot and Lesnar reverses a whip into the other corner. He rams the shoulder into Triple H’s ribs repeatedly and pounds on him as he continues to ram the shoulder into Triple H’s ribs in the corner, and Rock rolls back into the ring as Triple H catches Lesnar with the high knee and he whips him into Rock who sends him into the top buckle. He pounds on Lesnar in the corner until Triple H hits a neckbreaker on Rock for a two count as he ducks a shot and hits a spinebuster on Lesnar for a two count, and Rock gets a kick in and hits a swinging neckbreaker on Triple H for a two count as Lesnar breaks it up and he hoists Rock onto his shoulders. Triple H gets a pair of kicks in on Lesnar who drops Rock and Triple H goes for the Pedigree though Lesnar escapes with a backdrop, and Rock looks for the Rock Bottom though Lesnar blocks it with a back elbow and he clotheslines Triple H over the top to the floor. Rock pounds on Lesnar who counters a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex as Triple H gets on the apron, and Lesnar rams him into the post and then he hits a short clothesline on Rock who tries to battle back until Lesnar hooks a bearhug on. We see Triple H is busted open as Rock fights out of the hold until Lesnar hoists him onto his shoulders though Rock lands on his feet on an F-5 attempt, and he continues to pound on Rock and ducks a shot as he hits a clothesline and Lesnar counters a whip. Rock ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits a DDT on Lesnar for a two count and he trips Lesnar up before hooking the Sharpshooter on, and Triple H gets in the ring and hits a clothesline on Rock to break the hold as Rock gets a shot in though Triple H counters a whip. He gets a kick in and hits the Pedigree for a two count as Lesnar breaks it up and he hoists Triple H onto his shoulders before hitting the F-5 for a two count as Rock breaks it up, and Lesnar pounds on Rock who reverses a whip and hits the spinebuster before hitting the People’s Elbow for a two count. Heyman gets on the apron and Rock knocks him to the floor as Lesnar hoists Rock onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 for a two count with Triple H breaking it up, and Triple H ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits the Pedigree on Lesnar for a two count and he argues with the ref only for Rock to catch him in the Rock Bottom which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was pretty good as all three men worked hard and put on a solid Triple Threat. All three men were hitting their stride by this point and they had good chemistry as Rock gets the win though Lesnar stays strong by not getting pinned. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rock when he won. Rock retains the title over Triple H and Lesnar as all three men move on. Grade: 3.5
 
After the match, Lesnar stomps on Rock repeatedly as Heyman slides a chair to him only for Triple H to take the chair from him, and he gets a kick in and pounds on Lesnar along with Rock and they knock Lesnar over the top to the floor. Heyman gets in the ring and attacks Rock only to be surrounded by Rock and Triple H as he gets on his knees and begs, and Rock offers a handshake and Heyman is reluctant though eventually accepts it as Triple H then offers a handshake of his own. Heyman readily accepts it though Triple H gets a kick in and he hits the Pedigree on Heyman as Rock goes to leave, but Triple H stops him and brings him back in as Rock hits the People’s Elbow on Heyman and Triple H goes to leave. Rock stops him and Triple H does his own People’s Elbow on Heyman as he grabs the belt and hands it to Rock before raising his hand, and Triple H salutes the crowd and shakes Rock’s hand as he heads to the back and Rock takes the mike. He says that he’s said a lot of things though has never been able to say that he has finally come back to Melbourne, and he says that he has been here all week and he’s eaten all the kangaroo steak he could as well as laying the smackdown on someone’s candy ass. He says that he’s had the best Australian pie he’s ever had and he thanks everyone for the love if you smell what he’s cooking, and he poses with the belt and heads to the back as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this special show was a pretty good show that was exclusive for the Australian crowd here. It is always really cool to get this unique shows in different settings as Australia was clearly starved for wrestling, and after a long 18 years since they were in the country, WWE returns with mostly the Smackdown crew though does add some extra star power with a few RAW stars. Rock is still the man while the Un-Americans and Noble retains their titles and Rikishi, Edge, and Wilson get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest ranged from good to average though the crowd is red hot for the whole night and that helps carry everything. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point and Smackdown has proven they have the horses to carry great shows, and as we head towards Summerslam we will see which brand has the better night. As for this show, it is a really fun show though sadly it will be a long time that Australia gets another major show. Final Grade: B-