Smackdown
December 19th, 2002 (taped December 17th)
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa Bay, Florida
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin defeat the Shane Twins.
2. Billy Fives and Scoot Andrews defeat Sly and Blake Gale.
 
12/21 Velocity taping:
 
1. Jamie Noble pins Funaki.
2. Chavo Guerrero defeats Shannon Moore.
3. Rikishi pins Andy Anderson.
4. Bill DeMott pins Michael Shane.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and says that he’s been a tag team champion, IC Champion, King of the Ring, NCAA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and now once again the WWE Champion, and he says that he’s out here to get something off his chest and he’s earned every title on his own though this one is different. He says that he doesn’t think he could’ve beat Big Show on his own and one man kept his promise by doing the right thing when it counted, and Brock Lesnar comes down to the ring and Angle says that he can beat anyone on this planet though he couldn’t have beat Show with Heyman in his corner without Lesnar. He says that he knows what Lesnar wants which is something that everyone wants to see and that’s a WWE Title match between them, and he says that he’s a man of his word and he said Lesnar would get the first title shot as he can have it anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Lesnar says that he’s glad Angle feels that way because he wants the match tonight and Angle says that sounds incredible, but it’s not going to happen because he’s a little banged up and is already scheduled to face Chris Benoit tonight. He says that his hands are tied on this and no one in this company can understand the sacrifice it takes to be the best in the world, and Lesnar will get his title shot next week on Smackdown and offers a handshake which Lesnar accepts.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Big Show flipping out backstage and confronting Paul Heyman.
 
1. Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chavo Guerrero) pins Billy Kidman with a sitdown crucifix powerbomb at 2:59.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty big matchup. Kidman has been having issues with Los Guerreros for the last few weeks and faces off with Eddie here. Kidman gets a good pop from the crowd while Eddie was pretty hot as a heel. Eddie wastes no time and kicks at Kidman’s knee to start the match as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, and he charges only for Kidman to launch him into the corner and he hits a monkey flip though Eddie recovers first and gets a kick in. He pounds on Kidman and hits a back suplex on as he stomps on him and continues to pound on him, and he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Kidman and goes up top though Kidman avoids the Frog Splash and Eddie rolls through. Kidman ducks a shot and Eddie catches a kick attempt as Kidman hits an enzurgiri and ducks two shots before pounding on Eddie, and he hits a backdrop on Eddie and then he hits a sitdown spinebuster for a two count as Eddie reverses a whip into the corner. Kidman catches him with a boot to the face and Chavo gets on the apron only for Kidman to knock him to the floor, and Chavo gets back on the apron as Eddie ducks a shot and Kidman kicks Chavo to the mat while hitting a tornado bulldog on Eddie. Kidman goes up top and hits the Shooting Star Press on Eddie for a two count as Chavo pulls him off the pin from the floor, and Kidman pulls Chavo onto the apron and pounds on him as he knocks him to the floor only for Eddie to get a kick in and he hits a sitdown crucifix powerbomb which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Kidman got a few shots in, but he puts Eddie over strong in 3 minutes. The crowd was into the match and Kidman, but are not happy when Eddie wins. Eddie gets the win over Kidman and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Chavo gets in the ring and stomps on Kidman repeatedly until Eddie holds him back and they head to the back.
 
We see Matt Hardy go into Stephanie McMahon’s office as she notices he has a black eye and she says that looks horrible, and Matt says that he was mugged by a group of his fans which caused him to get that black eye and she says that she should find a replacement for him in his match with Brock Lesnar. Matt says that he hasn’t forgotten what Lesnar did to him a few weeks ago and even with one eye, he is still better than Lesnar.
 
Commercial break
 
2. John Cena (w/ B-2) pins Chuck Palumbo with a rollup and using the tights at 3:45.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Cena has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Palumbo, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get back on track here. Palumbo gets a tepid reaction from the crowd while Cena had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Cena hooking a headlock and Palumbo whips him off as Cena blocks a hiptoss and Palumbo hits a back suplex, and Palumbo hits a back elbow and shoves Cena back as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count and B-2 gets on the apron. Palumbo scares him to the floor and Cena clotheslines Palumbo over the top to the floor as B-2 hits a clothesline to the back of the head and throws Palumbo back into the ring, and Cena gets a two count and rams Palumbo into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him hard into the other corner. He hits a back elbow on Palumbo for a two count and hooks a full nelson on as Palumbo who fights to his feet and escapes with a back suplex, and he fires up on Cena and hits a clothesline as he hits a backdrop and Cena reverses a whip into the corner. Palumbo catches him with a back elbow and hits a spinning belly-to-belly suplex as he pounds on Cena and knocks him down, and B-2 gets on the apron and Palumbo knocks him to the floor as he goes up top and hits a crossbody though Cena rolls through and grabs the tights which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic matchup. Cena was slowly getting into a groove while Palumbo was still serviceable and they had good chemistry as Cena steals the win. The crowd was into the match and are not happy when Cena wins. Cena gets the win over Palumbo and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Palumbo knocks Cena down and argues with the ref as B-2 gets in the ring with the steel chain and hits Palumbo with it, but then Rikishi runs down to ringside and pounds on both men as he rams B-2 into the steps and pulls a chair out. He swings it at Cena who barely avoids it and rolls back into the ring as Rikishi follows him in and pounds on him in the corner, and he whips Cena into the other corner and splashes him as he hits a superkick and goes up to the middle rope only for B-2 to pull Cena out of the ring.
 
We see highlights from Armageddon.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the St. Pete Times Forum.
 
We see the history between Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie.
 
We see highlights from Armageddon.
 
Cole and Tazz interview Torrie Wilson from her mother’s home in Boise as she says that she’s not humiliated and is more proud in that she loves her father so much that she will do anything for him, and she says that he’s been blindsided by Marie though she is not ashamed of herself and she is ashamed of her father. She says that she thought he could never break her heart and he has which hurts though if this is how he wants to live his life, that’s his choice and she will be the first to admit she is a very sexual person though Marie will find out what kind of predator she can be. Just then, Dawn Marie and Al Wilson come down to the ring as Marie says that Torrie is not just a sexual predator, but a jealous nymphomaniac and she cherishes the relationship she has with Al. She says that their relationship is truly sacred and they never lie to each other as they respect each other, and she says that they have honest conversations and they can talk for hours as they never run out of things to say. She says that they love each other and she knows that he’s never seen a more beautiful woman than her, and she says Al knows she’s never seen a more handsome man than him and she wants to invite Torrie and everyone to their wedding in 2 weeks. She says that they will engage in the holy sacrament of marriage and Torrie says that they deserve each other as she storms off.
 
We see Matt Hardy preparing for his match.
 
We see Brock Lesnar preparing for his match.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Brock Lesnar pins Shannon Moore (w/ Matt Hardy) with the F-5 at :47.
 
Substitution: Moore is replacing Matt Hardy
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. After getting his suspension lifted last week, Lesnar is back in action as he faces off with Matt who he attacked a few weeks ago and Matt looks to get revenge. Lesnar gets a good pop from the crowd while Matt was pretty hot as a heel, but then Matt pulls a swerve and says that he has no vision so Moore will take his spot as he throws him into the ring. Lesnar wastes no time and grabs Moore by the throat to start the match as he throws him to the mat and he challenges Matt to come in, and Moore dropkicks Lesnar in the back and pounds on him until Lesnar hits a belly-to-belly suplex that sends Moore over the top to the floor. Matt grabs Moore and throws him back into the ring as Lesnar hoists him onto his shoulders and hits a spinning F-5 which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Moore puts Lesnar over strong in 47 seconds. The crowd was into the match and popped for Lesnar when he won. Lesnar gets the easy win over Moore and both men move on. Grade: DUD
 
After the match, Lesnar heads to the back as Matt gets in the ring and berates Moore only for Lesnar to run back down to the ring, and he hoists Matt onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 before heading to the back.
 
We see Kurt Angle watching on the monitor until Stephanie McMahon walks up to him and Angle says he’s looking forward to facing Lesnar next week as she tells him to cut the crap, and she says that he needs to set the record straight and what he’s doing is wrong so he has to clear things up or she will and he says he’ll do it now.
 
Commercial break
 
Kurt Angle is in the ring and he says that he wants to level with everyone as since he came to WWE, he’s been a man of the three “I’s” with one of them being integrity and if it were up to him, he’d face Benoit and Lesnar on the same night. He says that as a WWE Superstar and Olympic Gold Medalist, he has a lot on his plate and one who represents himself is a fool which is why a week before Armageddon, he hired a management team to look out for his best interests and be in charge of his contract negotiations. He says that he wants to bring out the head of that team which is Paul Heyman who comes down to the ring and they embrace, and Heyman says that no one should be surprised by this and he would never let Brock Lesnar get close to the WWE Title again. He says that everyone should realize that since the week before Armageddon when they came up with this plan that they were in it all along, and he says that it started when Angle asked Lesnar to be in his corner and he got Stephanie so riled up that she lifted Lesnar’s suspension. He says that he was happy to screw Lesnar all over again and then at Armageddon which was all Angle’s doing, and he played the tape of Survivor Series to Lesnar and Angle manipulated Lesnar like a violin. He says that as his first act as Angle’s new agent, he wants to declare that the match between Angle and Lesnar is postponed indefinitely as Angle would like to pursue other challengers except Lesnar and they want to tell Lesnar they got him again. Just then, the Big Show comes down to the ring and backs Heyman into a corner as he says that Heyman represented him and Angle at the same time, and he asks what is wrong with him and Heyman says that he had a plan as he dumped Lesnar for him. He says that Show is still his favorite client and Angle knows that as they now have all the leverage in the world, and he says that Show put the Undertaker on the injured list and handed Lesnar his first loss as Angle is now champion and they have all the power. He says that with them as a united front, he has so much leverage that he will walk to Stephanie McMahon’s office and demand that since Angle won’t face Lesnar next week, Angle will instead face Show because as long as one of them is champion, they are the ones in power as long as the title never belongs to Lesnar and the three men embrace.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Bill DeMott and Crash Holly defeat Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) and Nunzio when DeMott pins Noble at 2:13.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. Crash defeated Noble last week only to be attacked by Nunzio and now Crash teams with DeMott to face Noble and Nunzio. Crash and DeMott get a tepid reaction from the crowd while Noble and Nunzio had decent heat as heels. DeMott starts off the match with Nunzio and they lock up with DeMott taking Nunzio to the mat and he pounds on him, and Nunzio begs off and DeMott knocks him down as he stomps on him and rams him into the corner. Noble tags in and DeMott slings him into the ring as he presses him up and hotshots him on the top buckle, and he hits a German suplex on Noble and forces him to tag Nunzio as DeMott pulls him into the ring and Nunzio tries to battle back. DeMott gets a shot in and hits a kneelift on Nunzio as he whips him into the corner and splashes him while Noble tags in, and he pounds on DeMott who gets a kick in and he whips Noble into Nunzio in the corner as he hits a pop-up powerbomb and goes up top before hitting a moonsault which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as DeMott works the whole match and destroys Noble and Nunzio in just over 2 minutes. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and could care less. DeMott and Crash get the easy win over Noble and Nunzio as both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Crash gets in the ring and taunts Nunzio and Noble as he offers a fist bump to DeMott who gives it back, but then he hits a clothesline on Crash and goes up top as he hits a moonsault on Crash.
 
Ernest Miller interviews Edge, who says that he’s going to kick A-Train’s ass and finish what he started at Armageddon as A-Train put his friend Rey Mysterio on the shelf and he’s going to collect on that debt.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Edge pins A-Train with the spear at 5:31.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a rematch from Armageddon. These two fought at the PPV with Edge winning by DQ after A-Train used a chair and now they face off here again to finally settle their issues. Edge gets a big pop from the crowd while A-Train had decent heat as a heel. A-Train gets a kick in and pounds on Edge to start the match as he kicks at the knee and knocks him down, but he misses a big splash and Edge drops an elbow on him as he pounds on him and A-Train reverses a whip before pressing Edge up. Edge escapes though he hurts his knee and A-Train hits a chop block as he drops the elbow on the knee twice and drops a knee on it, and he hooks a submission on the knee and he slams down on it as he hooks another submission on the knee. Edge fights out of the hold and pounds on A-Train who catches him in a sidewalk slam for a two count and he hooks a half Boston crab on, and Edge reaches the rope to force a break and A-Train rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly. Edge catches him with a boot to the face twice and A-Train catches a third attempt only for Edge to hit an enzurgiri, and he ducks a shot and hits a flying forearm on A-Train as he ducks another shot and hits the modified facebuster. He goes up top only for A-Train to get a shot in and he goes up himself as Edge pounds on him and shoves him to the mat, and he sets himself on the top rope and hits a missile dropkick on A-Train for a two count as he gets a kick in. A-Train escapes the Edgecution and Edge ducks a shot as he hits the Edge-o-Matic for a two count and looks for the spear, but A-Train catches him with a kick and he hits the pump kick for a two count as he hooks the half Boston crab back on. Edge again reaches the rope to force a break and A-Train pounds on him as Edge hits a series of back elbows until A-Train ducks a shot, and he grabs Edge by the throat only for Edge to counter the Baldo Bomb with a dropkick as he ducks a shot and hits the spear which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Edge was hitting his stride by this point while A-Train was getting back into a groove, and they still had decent chemistry as Edge gets the clean win to finally end this feud. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge when he won. Edge gets the win over A-Train and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Josh Matthews is outside Brock Lesnar’s dressing room as he says he hopes to get an interview with Lesnar.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Chris Benoit warming up for his match.
 
Josh Matthews interviews Brock Lesnar, who simply says that his state of mind is a good question.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Chris Benoit defeats Kurt Angle (w/ Paul Heyman) by disqualification at 9:47.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Angle pulled the wool over Lesnar and everyone’s eyes earlier tonight and now looks to get a win here over Benoit, who got a big win at Armageddon and looks to get a win over the WWE Champion. Benoit gets a good pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Benoit going behind Angle who turns it around and he takes Benoit to the mat, and he hooks a front facelock on as Benoit escapes and works on the arm before hooking a headlock and he knocks Angle down. He blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits a pair of armdrags on Angle as Benoit stomps on him in the corner repeatedly and pounds on him, and Angle rolls outside to regroup and Benoit goes after him as he pounds on Angle and both men roll back into the ring. Benoit knocks Angle down and pounds on him in the corner as Angle reverses a whip into the other corner and Benoit catches him with a back elbow, and he hits a clothesline on Angle and gets a kick in as he hits a snap suplex for a two count and pounds on him. Angle reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Benoit as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly, and he chokes him with his boot and throws him to the outside as Heyman hits Benoit in the head with the belt. Angle goes outside and throws Benoit back into the ring for a two count as he stomps on him and hits a snap suplex for a two count, and Benoit tries to battle back only for Angle to rake the eyes and he pounds on Benoit in the corner as he hits a snapmare and kicks Benoit in the head. He hooks a submission on Benoit who fights to his feet and breaks the hold by pounding on Angle who reverses a whip and catches him with a knee to the ribs for a two count, and he pounds on Benoit who battles back until Angle ducks a shot and hits a German suplex as he gets a kick in. Benoit escapes the Angle Slam with an armdrag and both men clothesline each other as Benoit fires up on Angle and hits a pair of clotheslines, and he hits a backdrop on Angle and ducks a shot as he hits a pair of German suplexes though Angle blocks a third one and trips Benoit up. He hooks the Ankle Lock on Benoit who escapes by sending Angle into the corner and he hits four straight German suplexes on Angle, and Angle rolls outside to regroup and Benoit goes after him as he pounds on him and throws him back into the ring. Benoit ducks a shot and hits a trio of German suplexes on Angle as he goes up top and hits the diving headbutt, and he hooks the Crossface on as the Big Show runs down to the ring and grabs Benoit by the throat before hitting the Chokeslam which draws the DQ and Benoit 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 still had good chemistry, but this was more to put over Heyman’s new alliance with Show getting involved. The crowd was into the match and Benoit, but are not happy with the ending. Benoit gets the win over Angle by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Brock Lesnar runs down to the ring and ducks a shot as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Show and then he hits one on Angle, and Heyman gets on the apron and Lesar slings him into the ring as he hoists Heyman onto his shoulders only for Angle to hit a chop block. He pounds on Lesnar on the mat and gets a kick in as he hits the Angle Slam on Lesnar and then Show grabs Lesnar by the throat, and he hits the Chokeslam on Lesnar and the two men stand tall with Heyman as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty decent episode coming off the last PPV of the year. Smackdown had a really strong year in 2002 with a lot of great in-ring action carried by a select group of stars, and it looked like they were going to carry the brand into 2003 and keep it strong. We had no title matches as Eddie, Cena, Lesnar, DeMott, Crash, Edge, and Benoit get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best though the big story was Angle joining Heyman and screwing Lesnar. As mentioned, 2002 has been a great year for Smackdown as they were clearly superior in-ring and they look to keep that momentum going into 2003. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show to close out what was a pretty hot 2002. Final Grade: C+