Smackdown
September 26th, 2002 (taped September 24th)
San Diego Sports Arena
San Diego, California
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Al Snow pins Horshu.
2. Ivory pins Moly Holly.
 
9/28 Velocity taping:
 
1. Crash Holly defeats Billy Kidman.
2. Shannon Moore defeats Doug Basham.
3. John Cena defeats Rev. D-Von.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Rikishi pins Chavo Guerrero with the Banzai Drop at 4:34.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty interesting matchup. Chavo pinned Rikishi in their tag match last week and now Rikishi comes here looking for revenge. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Chavo had decent heat as a heel. Chavo stalls on the outside to start the match as Rikishi goes outside and chases him into the ring with Chavo stomping on him, and he pounds on Rikishi who blocks a whip and he sends Chavo over the top to the floor before pulling him onto the apron. Chavo gets a shot in and goes up top only for Rikishi to catch him coming in and he throws Chavo into the corner, and he pounds on Chavo and hits a clothesline only for Chavo to catch him with a pair of boots to the shoulder. He hits a running bulldog on Rikishi and stomps on him as he pounds on him in the corner only for Rikishi to throw him into the corner, and he pounds on Chavo and whips him into the other corner only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post. He hits a dropkick on Rikishi and pulls his tights down as he looks to give Rikishi the Stinkface only for Rikishi to shove him away, and he hits a backdrop and a pair of clotheslines on Chavo as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex and splashes Chavo in the corner. He looks to give Chavo the Stinkface though Chavo slides away and Rikishi ducks a shot as he hits a spinebuster, and he goes up to the middle rope only for Chavo to block the Banzai Drop with a pair of knees to the groin for a two count. Chavo grabs a video camera from one of the cameramen only for Rikishi to hit a superkick and he pulls Chavo to the corner, and he goes up to the middle rope and hits the Banzai Drop which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Rikishi was hitting his peak by this point while Chavo was getting into a groove as well, and they had decent chemistry as Rikishi gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Chavo and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Rikishi heads up to the stage and dances for the crowd.
 
We see Torrie Wilson getting ready in her dressing room.
 
Commercial break
 
Tazz is in the ring as he says it’s time for the Bikini Competition and he introduces Billy and Chuck who will be the judges, and then Tazz brings out Torrie Wilson who comes down to the ring and then he introduces Nidia who comes down to the ring. Tazz runs down the rules as Nidia takes off her robe and shows off her bikini while dancing and Billy and Chuck give her a total score of 15, and then Wilson takes off her robe and shows off her bikini as Billy and Chuck give her a total score of 20 and she wins the contest. Nidia protests and heads to the back as Billy and Chuck get in the ring and celebrate with Wilson until Jamie Noble and Tajiri come out on the stage, and Noble says that there’s no way that Nidia should be ranked lower than Wilson and they have no taste as no one screws his girlfriend and he challenges them to a tag match.
 
2. Billy and Chuck (w/ Torrie Wilson) defeat Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) and Tajiri when Chuck pins Tajiri at 6:24.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. Billy and Chuck were coming off a tough loss at Unforgiven and look to get back on track here against Noble and Tajiri, who have been cruising as a team and look to get a win here. Billy and Chuck get a decent pop from the crowd while Noble and Tajiri had decent heat as a team. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start with Tajiri sending Chuck over the top to the floor as Billy pounds on Noble in the corner, and Tajiri kicks Billy in the back as he and Noble kick at Billy only for Chuck to trip Tajiri up from the floor. Billy hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Noble and looks for the Fameasser only for Noble to dropkick him in the knee, and Tajiri tags in and kicks at Billy’s knee repeatedly as Billy reverses a whip and Tajiri hits the handspring elbow. He ducks a shot and hits a superkick on Billy for a two count as Noble tags in and he hits a low dropkick to the knee, and he slams down on Billy’s knee only for Billy to send him over the top to the floor as Tajiri comes in and knocks Chuck to the floor. He stomps on Billy as Noble pulls him to the corner and rams Billy’s knee into the post twice before returning to the ring, and he stomps on Billy repeatedly and slams down on his knee as he hooks a submission on and pounds on him. Billy fights out of the hold only for Noble to reverse a whip though Billy collapses to the mat due to his knee, and he stomps on Billy repeatedly as Tajiri comes in and also stomps on Billy before driving his elbow into the knee twice. Noble drops an elbow on the knee twice and hooks another submission on as Billy escapes by slamming his other leg into Noble’s head repeatedly, and both men counter a whip with Noble kicking at Billy’s leg only for Billy to hit a flapjack and Chuck gets the hot ag. He hits a clothesline on Tajiri and a belly-to-belly suplex on Noble as he hits the Jungle Kick on Tajiri and kicks Noble to the outside, and he sets Tajiri up for a powerbomb and puts him on his shoulders as Billy goes up top and they hit the Doomsday Device which gets the three and they win the match. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a decent tag match. Billy and Chuck were hitting their peak as a team while Noble and Tajiri were gelling well as a team, and they had good chemistry as Billy and Chuck get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Billy and Chuck when they won. Billy and Chuck get the win over Noble and Tajiri as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Wilson gets in the ring and celebrates with Billy and Chuck as Nidia spits her gum at Wilson who goes outside and they exchange shoves, and she pounds on Nidia and throws her into the ring as she ducks a shot and gets a kick in with Nidia falling onto the bottom rope. Billy holds Nidia down from the floor and Wilson spanks Nidia repeatedly as she retreats outside and Billy and Chuck return to the ring to celebrate with Wilson.
 
Commercial break
 
Funaki interviews Brock Lesnar, who says that everyone wants to know if he will give the Undertaker a rematch for the WWE Title, and he says that he’ll answer the question though he wants to do it in the ring which Funaki agrees to.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon on the phone with someone as Kurt Angle comes in and says what she did to Eric Bischoff at Unforgiven was funny as she set him up perfectly, and he says that he should get a rematch with Chris Benoit tonight as Benoit cheated at Unforgiven and didn’t really beat him. She says that she knew he would ask that though she has something else in mind as Rey Mysterio walks in, and Angle says Mysterio can’t be here for more than 5 hours a day due to child labor laws and Stephanie says the main event tonight will be Angle, Benoit, and Mysterio in a Triple Threat match. Angle asks why Mysterio should be involved just because this is his hometown and he says Mysterio might be home, but he will be the one getting the win and Mysterio says it won’t happen if he hits the 619.
 
Funaki comes down to the ring with the chair that Undertaker used at Unforgiven.
 
Commercial break
 
Funaki introduces Brock Lesnar who comes down to the ring with Paul Heyman and he hands him the chair which Lesnar tosses aside, and he stalks Funaki in the corner as Funaki pounds on him though Lesnar no-sells his shots and hits a clothesline legsweep. He hits a modified suplex on Funaki and rams the knee into him twice as he drives Funaki into the corners, and he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Funaki and kicks at him as he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits the F-5.
 
We see Torrie Wilson backstage as Dawn Marie comes up to her and congratulates her on her win tonight, and she says that it’s such an accomplishment to win a bikini contest over someone like Nidia though one day she might face someone who can bring some competition like her and Wilson walks away.
 
We see Edge walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Edge pins Eddie Guerrero with the Edgecution off a ladder in a No-Disqualification match at 18:45.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men fought at Summerslam and Unforgiven with each man getting a win, and now they face off here in a No-DQ match to finally settle this issue. Edge gets a good pop from the crowd while Eddie was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Eddie backing Edge into the corner and he pounds on him as he hits a back elbow, and he stomps on Edge and hooks a headlock on as he knocks Edge down and Edge leaps over him before hitting a monkey flip on Eddie. He pounds on Eddie in the corner and wraps his arm around the rope as he works on the arm until Eddie drives him into the corner, and he rams the shoulder into Edge’s ribs repeatedly and pounds on him as he drapes him on the middle rope and hits a slingshot hotshot. He rolls back into the ring and uses the ropes for leverage for a two count as Edge reverses a whip and hits a backdrop on Eddie, and he hits a dropkick and a slam on Eddie as he drops an elbow on him for a two count and goes back to the arm. Eddie kicks at Edge twice and hits a standing enzurgiri as he stomps on him repeatedly and pounds on him, and he hits a brainbuster on Edge for a two count and hooks a submission on as Edge fights to his feet only for Eddie to get a shot in. Edge reverses a whip and hits a powerslam on Eddie as he goes up top only for Eddie to get a shot in and he goes up himself, and he hits a superplex on Edge for a two count and pounds on him as Edge reverses a whip and Eddie leaps onto his shoulders. Edge hotshots him on the top rope and clotheslines him over the top to the floor as he goes outside himself while the ref checks on Eddie, and Edge pulls a ladder out and charges at Eddie who avoids it and Edge hits the ref in the face with the ladder by mistake. Eddie nails Edge and pulls out a chair from under the ring as he hits Edge in the back with it and throws him back into the ring, and he brings the chair into the ring and hits Edge in the back with it again as he goes up top only to miss the Frog Splash. Both men recover as Edge ducks a shot and hits the spear while a second ref finally comes down to the ring though Edge only gets a two count, and Eddie pounds and stomps on Edge in the corner before hooking a sleeper on as Edge fights to his feet and breaks the hold. He ducks a pair of shots and hits a modified facebuster on Eddie for a two count as he goes up to the middle rope, but Eddie gets a shot in and goes up himself as he hits a hurricanrana on Edge for a two count and he works on the arm. He pounds on Edge and leaps up top only for Edge to catch him in a sitdown powerbomb and he goes outside as he brings the ladder into the ring, but Eddie catches him with a dropkick that drives the ladder back into Edge and he goes outside as he pulls a second ladder out and slides it into the ring. He puts the first ladder on the mat and pounds on Edge who falls onto the ladder as Eddie grabs the second ladder and puts it on top of Edge, and he goes out to the apron and hits the slingshot somersault senton which sandwiches Edge between the ladders for a two count. Eddie sets one of the ladders up and goes up top as he climbs to the top only for Edge to climb up the other side, and he pounds on Eddie who battles back and he rams Edge’s face into the top of the ladder before hitting a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder for a two count. Eddie props the ladder up in the corner and rams Edge into it as he charges only for Edge to backdrop him into the ladder, and he sets the other ladder up and climbs only for Eddie to nail him from behind and he goes up top. He climbs up the other side and they trade blows with Edge gaining control and he rams Eddie’s face into the top of the ladder repeatedly, and then he hits the Edgecution on Eddie off the ladder which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was great as both men worked hard and put on a really good brawl. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and still had great chemistry as they build on their previous matches and Edge gets the win to finally close this feud out. The crowd was red hot for the whole match and popped big for Edge when he won. Edge gets the win over Eddie and both men move on. Grade: 4
 
After the match, Edge celebrates and heads to the back as the ref helps Eddie to his feet while the crowd gives him a standing ovation and he heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an ad for No Mercy featuring Pete Rose.
 
We see a shot outside the San Diego Sports Arena.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Chris Benoit, who says that the people chant that Angle sucks when he comes out though he admits Angle is a great wrestler, and he says that Angle is also one of the toughest he’s ever competed against and he is looking forward to beating him as well as Rey Mysterio tonight.
 
We see Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore watching footage from last week and Matt says that he hopes Moore is paying attention as he beat Hurricane so bad he ran off to a different show, and he says that only he made the Undertaker run away twice in their matches though Moore says it had more to do with Brock Lesnar. Matt says that he wants Moore to watch him tonight against Taker and he walks away as we see Lesnar watching.
 
Commercial break
 
We see highlights from the WrestleMania XIX press conference.
 
4. The Undertaker pins Matt Hardy with the Last Ride at 1:50.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Taker came close to winning the WWE Title at Unforgiven and looks to take his frustrations out on Matt, who interfered in the match and looks to get the biggest win of his career. Taker gets a big pop from the crowd while Matt was pretty hot as a heel. Matt offers a handshake to start the match and Taker accepts it though he holds onto to Matt and throws him into the corner, and he hits a pair of back elbows on Matt and knocks him down as Matt catches him with a boot to the face. He hits a chop block on Taker and pounds on him on the mat as he stomps on him and goes up to the middle rope, and he hits a legdrop on Taker and gets a kick in though Taker blocks the Twist of Fate by shoving him off and Matt catches him ducking with a kick. Taker no-sells it and grabs Matt by the throat as he hits the chokeslam and then he hits the Last Ride which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Matt got a few shots in, but he puts Taker over strong in just under 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Taker when he won. Taker gets the quick and easy win over Matt and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Brock Lesnar runs down to the ring and hits Taker in the face with the belt which busts him open, and then he hits Taker in the face with the belt again and heads to the back with Heyman.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of the Undertaker making his way to the back and being checked on by the trainers.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Rey Mysterio defeats Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match when he pins Benoit at 8:44.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Benoit defeated Angle back at Unforgiven and Angle comes here looking for revenge with the added factor of Mysterio being in the match. Mysterio gets a big pop from his hometown crowd while Benoit also gets a good pop and Angle was red hot as a heel. Angle and Benoit have a staredown to start the match with Mysterio stepping up to them and Angle shoves him to the mat, and he knocks Benoit down and Mysterio hits a headscissors on Angle as he pounds on Benoit in the corner. Benoit reverses a whip and Mysterio flips onto Angle’s shoulders as Angle tosses him off and Benoit gets a shot in, and Mysterio kicks Angle away as he hits a bulldog on Benoit for a two count with Ange breaking it up. He sends Mysterio to the outside and tackles Benoit to the mat as he rides him until Benoit escapes and they have a standoff, and Mysterio gets on the apron and Angle knocks him to the floor as Benoit tackles him to the mat and rides him until Angle takes control and he goes behind Benoit who escapes. Mysterio gets on the apron again and Benoit knocks him back to the floor as Angle picks him up and slams him to the mat, and he looks for the Ankle Lock and Benoit quickly escapes as Angle trips him up and uses the ropes for leverage for a two count. Mysterio gets on the apron again and gets a shoulder in as he slingshots over Angle and hits a spin kick on Benoit, and he hits a drop toehold on Angle and sends him into the corner as he leaps over Benoit who narrowly avoids running into Angle. Mysterio hooks a rollup on Benoit for a two count with Angle breaking it up and he whips Mysterio into the corner, and Mysterio leaps over him with Angle ramming his shoulder into the post as Benoit gets a shot in and hits a back suplex. He hits a back elbow on Mysterio for a two count and then he hits an atomic drop as he pounds on him and hits a snap suplex for a two count, and he hooks a submission on Mysterio who escapes the hold and he ducks a shot only for Benoit to press him up and toss him over the top to the floor. Angle returns to the ring and pounds on Benoit in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly and hits a short clothesline for a two count, and the two men trade blows with Benoit taking control until Angle reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count. He pounds on Benoit who reverses a whip and he hits a clothesline on Angle as he pounds on him and rams him into the buckle, and he hits a pair of German suplexes on Angle who blocks a third one with a pair of back elbows and he goes behind Benoit. He hits a pair of German suplexes though Benoit blocks a third by going behind Angle who blocks the German suplex himself with a pair of back elbows, and he ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits the Angle Slam on Benoit only for Mysterio to hit a springboard dropkick which sends Angle to the outside. He gets a two count on Benoit and pounds on him as Benoit reverses a whip and Angle trips Mysterio up from the floor, and he pulls Mysterio out of the ring and returns to the ring himself as Benoit ducks a shot and hits a release German suplex on Angle. Mysterio goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Benoit who rolls outside as Mysterio ducks a shot and Angle tosses him over the top onto Benoit, and Angle goes outside and sends Mysterio into the barricade as he throws Benoit back into the ring and hits a chop block. He hooks the Ankle Lock on Benoit who grabs the ropes to force a break and Angle grabs at him while Mysterio gets in the ring, and he hits the 619 on both men and Angle shoves Benoit down as he catches Mysterio on a springboard only for Mysterio to hook a sunset flip for a two count. Angle hits a clothesline on Mysterio and Benoit takes Angle to the mat as he hooks the Crossface on and Angle rolls through only for Benoit to keep the hold on, but Mysterio hits a springboard legdrop on Benoit to break the hold for a two count and Angle kicks at Mysterio who escapes an Angle Slam attempt. He kicks at Angle and hits a dropkick which sends him into Benoit who hits a back suplex that sends Angle over the top to the floor, and Benoit launches Mysterio onto the ropes and he hits a springboard hurricanrana which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was really good as all three men worked hard and put on a fun match. All three men were hitting their groove by this point and they had great chemistry as Mysterio gets the win in his hometown. The crowd was into the match and popped for Mysterio when he won. Mysterio gets the win over Benoit and Angle as all three men move on. Grade: 3.5
 
After the match, Mysterio heads up the ramp and celebrates as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown coming off a solid Unforgiven was a really good episode and continues to prove that Smackdown was clearly superior in terms of in-ring. While RAW was establishing its identity as the more entertainment based of the brands, Smackdown was killing it in terms of wrestling and this show was a good showcase of that. We had no title matches on the show as Rikishi, Billy, Chuck, Edge, Taker, and Mysterio get big wins, and in terms of the matches Edge/Eddie was easily the best with the main event right behind it and the rest was pretty standard for TV. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as it can be argued Smackdown was having the better year, and as we head towards the end of the year we will see which brand ends up having a stronger year. As for this show, it is a pretty good show with two great matches that topped anything RAW had. Final Grade: B