Smackdown
November 7th, 2002 (taped November 5th)
Verizon Wireless Arena
Manchester, New Hampshire
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Nathan Jones pins Doug Basham.
 
11/12 Super Tuesday taping:
 
1. Eddie Guerrero defeats Chris Benoit and Edge in a Triple Threat match at 7:20.
 
11/9 Velocity taping:
 
1. Chuck Palumbo and Funaki defeat Rev. D-Von and Ron Simmons.
2. Albert pins Vince Vicallo.
3. Tajiri pins Crash Holly.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Billy Kidman and Torrie Wilson defeat Jamie Noble and Nidia when Kidman pins Noble at 5:07.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tag match of the night. Wilson was still having issues with Dawn Marie, but breaks from that to team with Kidman against Noble and Nidia. Kidman and Wilson get a good pop from the crowd while Noble and Nidia had solid heat as heels. Kidman starts off the match with Noble and they lock up with Kidman working on the arm as Noble does a cartwheel and takes Kidman to the mat, and he works the arm until Kidman nips up and takes control only for Noble to get a knee in and he pounds on Kidman. Kidman ducks a shot and hits a hurricanrana on Noble who catches him with a back elbow and he trips Kidman up, and he slingshots Kidman into the corner with Kidman landing on the middle rope and he hits a missile dropkick on Noble for a two count. Noble counters a whip and slides under Kidman as he hits a modified suplex for a two count and Nidia tags herself in, and she kicks at Kidman twice until he blocks a slap attempt and grabs her by the hair before tagging Wilson. She catches a kick attempt and hits a clothesline on Nidia as she stomps on her repeatedly and rams the shoulder into her ribs in the corner, but Nidia rakes the eyes and yanks Wilson to the mat by her hair as she chokes her and hits a slam for a two count. She gets a kick in and Wilson attempts a sunset flip only for Nidia to sit on her for a two count though Wilson blocks a clothesline and hits a neckbreaker, and she hits a dropkick on Nidia for a two count and Nidia reverses a whip into the corner only to miss a charge. Wilson avoids a shot from Noble and slaps him in the face which draws him in and he hits a short clothesline on Wilson, and Noble tags in only for Kidman to get a shoulder in and he gets the hot tag as he ducks a shot and hits a flying clothesline. He hits a dropkick and a backdrop on Noble as he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits a modified neckbreaker for a two count, and he whips Noble into the corner only for Noble to duck a shot and he hits a DDT that spikes Kidman for a two count. Kidman escapes a double underhook powerbomb attempt and hits the sitdown spinebuster for a two count as Nidia breaks it up and she hits a clothesline on Wilson, and she rams Wilson into the buckle and stomps on her in the corner while Noble does the same to Kidman in the other corner. Kidman and Wilson reverse whips and send Noble and Nidia into each other as Kidman hits a dropkick that causes Noble to fall on top of Nidia, and Wilson tackles Nidia to the mat and they brawl to the outside as Noble reverses a whip into the corner and Kidman leaps over him. He hits a tornado bulldog on Noble and 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 basic match. Kidman and Wilson have been gelling well as a team as have Noble and Nidia, and they had good chemistry as Kidman gets a win over the Cruiserweight Champion. The crowd was into the match and popped for Wilson and Kidman when they won. Kidman and Wilson get the win over Noble and Nidia as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
We see the Big Show arrive to the arena and he asks a security if Brock Lesnar is here which the guard says he is, and Show tells the guard to send a message to Lesnar that he is here as well.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Verizon Wireless Arena.
 
We see Torrie Wilson walking down the hallway as she runs into her father Al and they each say they have something to tell each other, and he says that he’s taken care of her and provided for her though he’s been lonely since his divorce and he’s going to do something for himself tonight that he hopes she can understand.
 
Funaki interviews John Cena, who cuts a freestyle rap on Rikishi who walks up to them and he cuts a freestyle rap of his own on Cena.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office watching footage from last week’s show as Los Guerreros come in and Chavo asks her what that hold was, and they say that they should be the ones challenging for the tag titles tonight after Eddie beat Angle last week. She says that Edge and Mysterio beat them to become Number One Contenders as they say Edge and Mysterio got lucky, and she says that at Super Tuesday she will make a big announcement regarding the tag titles though tonight, Eddie will face Brock Lesnar and they say they are a tag team so they will beat Lesnar tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Rikishi pins John Cena with the Banzai drop at 4:13.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Rikishi has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Cena, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get back on track here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Cena had tepid heat as a heel. The two men look to lock up only for Cena to trip Rikishi up and then they do lock up with Cena going behind Rikishi, and Rikishi knocks him back with his ass only for Cena to get a shot in and he hooks a headlock as Rikishi whips him off and knocks him down. Cena rolls outside to regroup before returning to the ring as he gets in Rikishi’s face only for Rikishi to knock him down, and Cena ducks a shot though Rikishi bends over and Cena avoids his ass as he punches his ass though hurts himself. Cena hits a dropkick to the knee and then he hits a back suplex on Rikishi as he stomps and pounds on him in the corner, but Rikishi shoves Cena to the mat though Cena ducks a shot and nails him in the back as he hits a clothesline to the back of the head. He goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Rikishi for a two count as he hooks a submission on and Rikishi fights to his feet before breaking the hold, and he hits a Samoan drop on Cena and splashes him in the corner as he gives Cena the Stinkface and then he hits a spinebuster. He pulls Cena to the corner and goes up to the middle rope as he 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 pretty basic match. Rikishi was hitting his peak by this point while Cena was continuing to get into a groove, and they had decent chemistry with Rikishi getting the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Cena and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Rikishi dances for the crowd.
 
We see Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore backstage as Matt says he is teaching him very valuable lessons and he is first Mattitude follower, or MF’er and he wants him to watch closely as he is going to Brock Lesnar’s locker room to settle some issues.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Dawn Marie backstage as Al Wilson walks up to her and she asks if he really wants to do this in public, and he says that he’s talked to Torrie and has done a lot of soul searching, but no one will stop him and he knows what’s right in his heart as they walk off together.
 
We see Matt Hardy walking down the hallway as he runs into Paul Heyman and they shake hands as Matt says he heard Big Show was looking for him, and he says that he beat the Undertaker twice and softened him up for Lesnar so he is going to demand a match against Show and soften him up for Lesnar at Survivor Series. Heyman thanks him and says this Mattitude thing is something as he goes into Lesnar’s dressing room where Lesnar is pacing back and forth, and Heyman tells him what Matt is doing for them and that he negotiates deals for Lesnar so he needs to focus on Eddie Guerrero and let him decide when to unleash him.
 
We see Al Wilson come down to the ring and he says that 25 years ago, he was blessed with his daughter Torrie and he knows that she wants what’s good for him like he wants what’s good for her, and he says that a few weeks ago he met another angel in Dawn Marie as he asks her to come down to the ring which she does. He says that since he’s met her, she has made him feel very strong and sexy as he’s also felt like a real man, and he says that a man has to do what he has to do as he gets on his knee and asks if she will marry him. She hesitates to answer and walks around as he says that if she doesn’t marry him, he will kill himself and she continues to toy with him before saying yes and they embrace as he puts a ring on her finger and they head to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
JVC Extreme Blast of the Night: Big Show putting Brock Lesnar through the announce table last week on Smackdown
 
We see Torrie Wilson leaving the arena in tears.
 
3. The Big Show pins Matt Hardy with the Chokeslam at 1:59.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Show was preparing for his title match at Survivor Series and looks to get a win here over Matt, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to pull an upset here. Neither man get a pop from the crowd as both were pretty hot as heels. Matt wastes no time and pounds on Show to start the match as he ducks a shot though Show blocks the Side Effect with a knee, and he hoists Matt onto his shoulder though Matt slides off only for Show to hit a clothesline and Matt rolls out to the apron. Show whips Matt into the post and goes outside himself as he throws Matt back into the ring and whips him into the corner before splashing him, and he hits a backbreaker on Matt and hooks a bearhug on as Matt tries to fight out of the hold and he bites Show on the face to break it. Show whips Matt into the corner only to miss a charge and Matt pounds on him until Show shoves him into the corner, and Matt catches him with a pair of boots to the face and goes up to the middle rope only for Show to catch him coming in and he hits the Chokeslam 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 Show over strong in 2 minutes. The crowd was in and out of it for the match though are not happy when Show wins. Show gets the easy win over Matt and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Show takes the mike and says that they need to get one thing straight which is he was the next big thing before Lesnar ever was, and he says that at Survivor Series he will become WWE Champion and heads to the back.
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in their locker room watching as Lesnar picks up the TV and throws it to the ground.
 
We see footage from Smackdown last week.
 
4. Edge and Rey Mysterio defeat Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Decisions:
1. Mysterio pins Benoit at 5:59.
2. Edge taps out at 9:26.
3. Edge pins Angle at 25:00.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our lone title match of the night. Angle and Benoit defeated Edge and Mysterio at No Mercy to become the first tag champions and now Edge and Mysterio get another shot here in a 2-out-of-3 falls match. Edge and Mysterio get a big pop from the crowd while Angle and Benoit were red hot as heels. Mysterio starts off the match with Angle and they lock up with Angle going behind Mysterio and he takes him to the mat, and Mysterio escapes and goes behind Angle as he works the arm and hooks a headlock until Angle sends him into the corner. Mysterio catches him with a boot to the face and slides under him as he kicks him into the corner and hits a drop toehold, and he goes back to the headlock on Angle who escapes only for Mysterio to hit an armdrag and Angle chases him around the ring. Mysterio spins in the ropes as Angle falls to the outside and he regroups before returning to the ring and he gets a kick in, and he hits a short clothesline on Mysterio who nips up and ducks a shot as he hits a headscissors on Angle. Edge tags in as does Benoit and they lock up with Edge hooking a headlock as Benoit whips him off and Edge knocks him down, and he hits a pair of armdrags on Benoit and then he hits a dropkick as he stomps on Benoit and pounds on him. He rams Benoit into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him and hooks a headlock, but Benoit escapes by pounding on Edge who catches him ducking with a kick and Angle grabs at his hair from the apron. Edge knocks him to the floor and Benoit gets a shot in as he whips Edge into his corner and hits a back suplex, and Angle tags in and stomps on Edge repeatedly as he knocks Mysterio to the floor and he chokes Edge on the ropes. He hits a snap suplex on Edge for a two count and tags Benoit who kicks at Edge and he pounds on him in the corner, and he whips Edge into the other corner only for Edge to catch him with a back elbow and then he catches Benoit with a boot to the face. Benoit ducks a shot though Edge blocks the German suplex with a series of back elbows and he hits the Edgecution, and Mysterio gets the hot tag and hits a springboard legdrop to the back of Benoit’s head for a two count. He pounds on Benoit who reverses a whip into the corner and Mysterio hits a drop toehold that sends Benoit into the buckle, and Angle comes in only for Edge to get a kick in and he whips Angle into Benoit in the corner as he rams the shoulder into his ribs. Mysterio hits a dropkick that sends Angle to the outside and Edge puts Benoit on the top rope as he launches Mysterio into a hurricanrana on Benoit for a two count, but Angle pulls him out of the ring and he gets in the ring only for Edge to clothesline him over the top to the floor. He pounds on Benoit and hoists him up for a powerbomb as Mysterio gets on the apron and they hit a double team on Benoit which gets the three and they win the first fall, and Angle gets in the ring and sends Edge to the outside as he knocks Mysterio down and stomps on him repeatedly. Mysterio escapes an Angle Slam attempt with an armdrag and ducks a shot only for Angle to catch him in a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count, and he hits a back suplex on Mysterio for a two count and tags Benoit who kicks at Mysterio and hoists him onto his shoulders. He hits a gutbuster on Mysterio and whips him into the corner as he rams the knee into his ribs repeatedly and hoists him onto his shoulders again, and he goes up to the middle rope only for Mysterio to ram the knee into his head repeatedly and he hits a bulldog off the top on Benoit. Edge gets the hot tag and hits a pair of clotheslines on Angle as he knocks Benoit off the apron and he hits a backdrop on Angle, and he sends Benoit through the ropes to the outside before hitting a belly-to-belly suplex on Angle and he sets up for the spear. Angle avoids it and Benoit hits Edge with one of the belts from the floor as Mysterio goes up top only for Benoit to shove him to the floor, and Angle hooks the Ankle Lock on Edge who taps out and the match is tied at one fall apiece as Angle stomps him to the outside. Angle and Benoit continue to argue and exchange shoves until Mysterio gets on the apron and slingshots over Angle, and he ducks a shot only for Benoit to trip him up from the floor and Angle kicks at him for a two count. He pounds on Mysterio in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly as he chokes him with his boot and throws him to the outside, and Benoit rams Mysterio into the barricade twice and throws him back into the ring as Angle gets a two count. Mysterio blocks a suplex attempt and hits one of his own on Angle who catches a kick attempt only for Mysterio to hit a spin kick, and Edge tags in and stomps on Angle repeatedly in the corner as he pounds on him until Angle reverses a whip into the other corner. Edge catches him with a boot to the face only for Angle to catch him in a belly-to-belly suplex and Benoit tags in, and he hits a backdrop on Edge and then he hits a backbreaker for a two count as he hooks a half Boston crab on Edge. Edge fights his way out of the hold and Angle tags in as he gets a shot in on Mysterio and he stomps on Edge repeatedly, and he hits a short clothesline on Edge for a two count and tags Benoit who kicks at Edge and he rams the knee into his ribs twice. He pounds and stomps on Edge in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and Edge catches him with a back elbow, and he goes up top only for Benoit to pound on him and he goes up himself as he hits a back superplex on Edge. Mysterio gets the hot tag and he ducks a shot as he hits a dropkick on Angle and he pounds on him until Angle reverses a whip into the corner, and Mysterio avoids a charge and Angle rams his shoulder into the post as Mysterio hits the Bronco Buster on Angle. Benoit grabs Mysterio from behind and hits the German suplex as he knocks Edge to the floor and Mysterio escapes an Angle Slam attempt, and he sends Angle into Benoit who gets knocked to the floor and Mysterio hits a drop toehold that sends Angle into the ropes. Angle avoids the 619 and launches Mysterio into the corner as Mysterio lands on the top rope and he leaps onto Angle’s shoulders, and Angle blocks a hurricanrana only for Mysterio to hook a sunset flip which gets the three and we seemingly have new champions though Angle grabbed the rope during the pin which the ref missed. Benoit and Angle argue with the ref who then makes the decision that the fall is voided and the match will continue, and Benoit and Angle argue with each other as Mysterio hits a springboard dropkick on both men and he pounds on Benoit in the corner. Benoit reverses a whip into the other corner and he hits a back suplex on Mysterio as he hits a snap suplex for a two count, and Angle tags in and they slam Mysterio’s knees into the mat as Angle stomps on him repeatedly and whips him into the corner. He pounds and stomps on Mysterio in the corner as he chokes him with his boot and hits a snapmare before tagging Benoit, and he hits a low dropkick on Mysterio and knocks him down as he hits a gutwrench suplex for a two count and tags Angle. He kicks at Mysterio and hits another gutwrench suplex for a two count as Edge breaks it up and Angle hooks a submission on, and Mysterio fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he hits a wheelbarrow DDT on Angle and Edge gets the hot tag. He goes up top and hits a flying clothesline on Angle as he hits a flapjack on Benoit and a spin kick on Angle, and he clotheslines Benoit over the top to the floor and ducks a shot as he hits the Edge-o-Matic on Angle for a two count. Angle trips Edge up and hooks the Ankle Lock on as Edge rolls through to escape and he sends Angle into the corner, and Mysterio spins around the post and hits the 619 on Angle as Benoit kicks at Mysterio and sends him into the barricade. Edge ducks a shot and hits the spear for a two count as Benoit goes up top only for Edge to avoid the diving headbutt with Benoit hitting Angle by mistake, and Mysterio gets in the ring and dropkicks Benoit to the outside as Edge gets the three and we have new champions. The match itself was great as both teams worked hard and put on a really fun title match though it wasn’t quite up to their No Mercy match. Both teams were gelling well and they had still had great chemistry though having the false finish on the third fall seemed unnecessary, but it was still a great moment to see Edge and Mysterio get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge and Mysterio when they won. Edge and Mysterio get the win over Angle and Benoit and are the new tag champions, but this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 4
 
Commercial break
 
Marc Lloyd interviews the Big Show, who says that the only winner will be him and everyone will see what he means.
 
We see Los Guerreros walking down the hallway as they run into Paul Heyman and they say that they have something in common with Heyman in that Lesnar can’t beat Show, and they say that Lesnar can beat Eddie until Lesnar comes out of his locker room and chases them off with Heyman holding him back. Heyman says he is sick of this and for the last few weeks, he’s been asking him to stay calm and Lesnar won’t listen to him as he says he coined him the Next Big Thing and has done everything for him. He says that he’s been with him since day one because he knows everyone and he’s cared about him since the beginning, and he says that all he wanted was a little gratitude and he can wrestle Eddie Guerrero tonight though he won’t be at ringside.
 
Commercial breaks
 
5. Brock Lesnar pins Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chavo Guerrero) with the F-5 at 6:41.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Lesnar was looking to get his hands on the Big Show and looks to get a win here over Eddie, who was cruising in the tag division and looks to get an upset win here. Lesnar gets a mixed reaction from the crowd while Eddie had solid heat as a heel. Los Guerreros try to surround Lesnar only for Lesnar to knock them down to start the match as he knocks Eddie down and rams his back into the apron, and he throws Eddie into the ring and Eddie tries to battle back until Lesnar gets a knee in and he pounds on Eddie. He rams Eddie into the buckle and Eddie again tries to battle back only for Lesnar to get a knee in and he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and he whips Eddie into the other corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs again as he gets a knee in and whips him back into the other corner. He catches Eddie on a leap and hotshots him on the top buckle as he hits a backdrop and hooks a bearhug on before tossing him to the mat, and Eddie again tries to battle back though Lesnar gets a shot in and he gets a kick in as he hoists him up in a backbreaker submission. He hits a Dominator on Eddie who rolls out to the apron and Lesnar hits a belly-to-belly suplex back into the ring, and Chavo gets on the apron and Lesnar hits a clothesline that knocks him to the floor as Eddie hits a low blow on Lesnar. He pounds and stomps on Lesnar who shoves him away and Eddie hits a low dropkick as he stomps on him repeatedly, and he kicks at Lesnar and stomps on the knee twice as he hooks the Lasso from El Paso on until Lesnar uses his legs to throw Eddie off. Chavo gets on the apron and distracts Lesnar as Eddie hits a dropkick to the knee for a two count and chokes him, and Chavo does the same from the floor while Eddie distracts the ref and he pounds on Lesnar who reverses a whip and Eddie ducks a shot. Lesnar presses him up and Eddie hits a dropkick that Lesnar no-sells as he hits a pair of clotheslines and whips him into the corner, and he rams the shoulder into Eddie’s ribs and hits a belly-to-belly suplex as he rams the shoulder into the ribs in the corner repeatedly. He whips Eddie into the other corner only for Chavo to pull Eddie away and Lesnar rams his shoulder into the post, and Eddie hooks a submission on the arm and hits a series of headbutts on Lesnar as Chavo goes up top. Lesnar tosses Eddie into the corner which crotches Chavo on the top rope and he falls to the floor, and Lesnar hoists Eddie onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as it was pretty much a squash with Eddie getting a few shots in, but he puts Lesnar over strong in under 7 minutes. The crowd was into the match and did pop for Lesnar when he won. Lesnar gets the win over Eddie and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Lesnar heads to the back and celebrates on the stage with the title until the Big Show attacks him from behind, and he presses Lesnar up and tosses him off the stage to the floor as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a really solid episode with one great match and continuing developments heading into Survivor Series. There is no question that Smackdown was easily superior in terms of in-ring and that shows here as we get one of the best TV matches of the year and it wasn’t even close. We did have a title match as Edge and Mysterio now rule the tag division while Kidman, Wilson, Rikishi, Show, and Lesnar get big wins, and in terms of the matches the tag title match was easily the best while the other big thing was Show continuing to torment and attack Lesnar. 2002 has been a great year to this point with Smackdown clearly proving they were better in-ring than RAW, and we will see how both brands do at Survivor Series. As for this show, it is a pretty good show with a great match and continuing build to Survivor Series. Final Grade: B