Smackdown
January 16th, 2003 (taped January 12th)
Continental Airlines Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Nova defeats Aaron Stevens.
 
1/18 Velocity taping:
 
1. Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) pins Bryan Danielson at 6:53.
2. Chuck Palumbo pins Xavier at 4:33.
3. The Jet pins Shannon Moore at 5:38.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
In Memory of Al Wilson 1941-2003
 
Dawn Marie is in the funeral home as she says that a week ago, she was the happiest woman in the world married to her sweetheart Al Wilson and they were on their honeymoon which was perfect, and she says that Al is gone and despite the jealously and interference from some of his family, they fell in love. She says that she loved Al so much and he was a good man as he loved the attention and that’s why they had their wedding and honeymoon shared with the public, and she says that tonight she will respect his wishes and present the public viewing of her husband Al Wilson.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Los Guerreros defeat John Cena and B-2 when Chavo pins B-2 at 5:03 to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our lone title match of the night. Los Guerreros have been rolling as tag champions and face a unique challenge here in Cena and B-2, who have been going at it with the Guerreros for the last two weeks and look to become champions here. Los Guerreros get a mixed reaction from the crowd while Cena and B-2 had decent heat as heels. Eddie starts off the match with Cena and they lock up with Cena going behind Eddie only for Chavo to pull him off from the apron, and Eddie hits a drop toehold on Cena and hooks a front facelock on as Cena escapes and works the arm until Eddie flips through. He hits a standing dropkick on Cena and tags Chavo as Eddie hits a snapmare and Chavo hits a low dropkick on Cena for a two count, and he hits a back suplex on Cena and tags Eddie who hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Cena and pounds on him. He hits a back suplex on Cena and stomps on him as Chavo tags in and gets a shot in before hitting a suplex on Cena, and B-2 tags in only for Chavo to hit a drop toehold and he pounds on B-2 as he ducks a shot and hits a back suplex. Eddie comes in and kicks at B-2’s leg repeatedly as he pounds on him until B-2 reverses a whip and Cena pulls the rope down with Eddie sailing over the top to the floor, and Cena slaps Eddie in the face and slams him on the floor as he throws him back into the ring and B-2 hits a suplex sitdown slam for a two count. He stomps on Eddie and tags Cena who gets a two count and he hooks a submission on Eddie until Chavo tags in, and Cena knocks him down for a two count and then he hits a suplex for a two count as he hooks the front facelock on Chavo. Chavo fights to his feet and Cena gets a shot in as he presses Chavo up only for Chavo to hit a dropkick and Eddie tags in, and he pounds on B-2 and hits a DDT for a two count as Cena breaks it up and Chavo gets a shot in before sending Cena to the outside. B-2 knocks Eddie down and charges at Chavo who backdrops him over the top to the floor and he attempts a slingshot plancha, but Cena and B-2 catch him only for Eddie to hit a slingshot plancha onto all three men on the floor. Chavo throws B-2 back into the ring only for B-2 to stomp on him coming in and Chavo catches him ducking with a kick as he hits a standing dropkick, and he goes up top and hits the Frog Splash on B-2 which gets the three and they retain the titles. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic title match. Los Guerreros were getting into a groove by this point while Cena and B-2 looked decent as a team, and they had decent chemistry though it was a bit sloppy at points and the Guerreros get the clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and did pop for Los Guerreros when they won. Los Guerreros retain the titles over Cena and B-2 as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Cena gets in the ring and yells at B-2 as he slaps him in the face and B-2 shoves him to the mat, and he stalks Cena in the corner until someone jumps out of the crowd and gets in the ring as he nails B-2 from behind. He rams his shoulder into the post and B-2 falls to the floor as Cena and the guy go outside as well, and they hoist B-2 up and ram his shoulder into the post again as the guy hooks an armbar on B-2 and heads to the back with Cena.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Continental Airlines Arena.
 
We see the buildup to the Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit match at the Royal Rumble.
 
Chris Benoit says that last week, he talked about a side of himself that he usually doesn’t and he typically doesn’t feel comfortable bringing it up, and he says that his family has made sacrifices for him to be who he is today and he talked a lot about his injuries. He says that in 3 days at the Rumble, he will have the opportunity to make all the sacrifices matter and mean something to him, and he says that he will face Kurt Angle who he calls the most competitive athlete he’s ever faced in 17 years. He says that from what he understands, Angle has high expectations going into this match though after last week and after what happens tonight, he guarantees that Angle will not be 100% on Sunday and some might say that’s too ruthless but he looks at it more like toothless aggression.
 
Stephanie McMahon comes out on the stage and says that the Road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble, and she says that this Sunday will mark the return of one of the greatest Superstars in history in the Undertaker. She says that the Big Show will face Brock Lesnar with the winner earning a spot in the Royal Rumble match, and she says that they will face each other in a tag match tonight as Show will team with A-Train against Lesnar and a partner to be named.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for Nathan Jones.
 
2. Bill DeMott pinned Rikishi with a powerbomb 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 DeMott, who was gaining steam in the midcard and looks to get another win here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while DeMott had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with DeMott backing Rikishi into the corner and he hooks a headlock as he gets a shot in, but Rikishi knocks him down and they lock up again with DeMott again backing Rikishi into the corner and Rikishi gets a shot in as he ducks a shot and hits a hiptoss. He hits a slam on DeMott for a two count and works the arm as DeMott fights to his feet and pounds on Rikishi, and he whips Rikishi off and gets a shot in as he hits a jawbreaker and stomps on Rikishi repeatedly. He chokes Rikishi on the ropes and Rikishi tries to battle back though DeMott catches him ducking with a shot and he stomps on him, and he hooks a submission on the arm of Rikishi who fights to his feet and pounds on DeMott. He whips him into the corner only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post and DeMott hooks a rollup for a two count, and Rikishi catches him with a superkick for a two count and gets a shot in as DeMott reverses a whip into the corner though Rikishi catches him on a charge. He throws him into the corner and pounds on him as he whips him into the other corner only to miss a charge though they clock heads, and Rikishi goes up to the middle rope only for DeMott to grab him and hit a powerbomb 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 at his peak by this point while DeMott was getting back into a groove, and they had decent chemistry as DeMott gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and Rikishi, but are not happy when DeMott wins. DeMott gets the win over Rikishi and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Billy Kidman and Funaki talking backstage and making fun of Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore who then come up to them, and Matt says that everyone knows that he is willing to help someone like Moore and he is the definition of a role model. Funaki asks Moore why he puts up with Matt’s BS while Matt says that Funaki can barely speak English and needs an injection of Mattitude, and he gets a shot in on Funaki and the four men brawl until Matt and Moore run off.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Nunzio (w/ Jamie Noble and Nidia) pins Tajiri with a springboard armbreaker at 4:52.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Tajiri defeated Noble on Smackdown last week and now Nunzio comes here looking for revenge on Noble’s behalf. Tajiri gets a decent pop from the crowd while Nunzio had decent heat as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match as Tajiri shoves Nunzio back and blocks a kick before getting a kick in, and Nunzio catches a kick attempt and trips Tajiri up as he rides him on the mat until Tajiri escapes and he rides Nunzio on the mat. Nunzio fights to his feet and escapes with a snapmare as Tajiri blocks a hiptoss and hits a hurricanrana on Nunzio, and he hits a spin kick on Nunzio for a two count and stomps on him as he pounds on him and Nunzio ducks a shot. Tajiri catches him on a crossbody attempt only for Nunzio to take him to the mat and he hooks a submission on the arm, and Tajiri reaches the rope to force a break and Nunzio stomps on him repeatedly as he wraps the arm around the rope and pounds on it. He hits a snapmare and hooks another submission on the arm as Tajiri escapes and grabs the leg before avoiding an enzurgiri, and he kicks at Nunzio’s leg twice and whips him into the corner only for Nunzio to catch him with a knee. He goes up to the middle rope and hits a legdrop to the back of the head for a two count as he hooks a cross armbreaker on Tajiri who reaches the rope to force a break, and Nunzio stomps on Tajiri and pounds on him as he continues to work the arm until Tajiri gets a kick in. He hoists Nunzio onto his back and hooks a spinning submission on as he hits a German suplex for a two count, and he kicks at Nunzio twice and Nunzio reverses a whip as Tajiri hits the handspring elbow on Nunzio. Nunzio ducks a kick only for Tajiri to hit a superkick for a two count and he whips Nunzio into the corner as Nunzio catches him with a boot to the arm, and he hits a jumping armbreaker on Tajiri and whips him into the corner as Tajiri avoids a charge and hooks the Tarantula on. Noble gets on the apron and Tajiri kicks him to the floor as Nidia gets on the apron and teases a kiss only for Tajiri to spray the green mist in her face, and Nunzio gets a kick in and hits a springboard armbreaker 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. Tajiri was hitting his groove by this point while Nunzio was getting into a groove as well, and they still had good chemistry as Nunzio gets the win. The crowd was into the match and Tajiri, but are not happy when Nunzio wins. Nunzio gets the win over Tajiri and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see highlights from the RAW 10th Anniversary show back on Tuesday.
 
Josh Matthews interviews John Cena, who cuts a freestyle rap on what happened to B-2 while also introducing his new partner as Redd Dogg who says that’s what went down.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette hyping the return of the Undertaker at the Royal Rumble.
 
We see Dawn Marie at the funeral parlor as she walks up to the officiant and says everything is beautiful, and she starts crying hysterically as he asks if he needs to tell Al’s family and friends anything and she says she wants a few minutes alone with her husband. He leaves as she opens up the casket and we see Al Wilson inside as she says that he doesn’t look so good, and she says he looks too pale and he looked better when they carried him out of the hotel as she starts crying again and asks why he left her. She says that he would take care of her forever and she loves him as she loved everything about him, and she says that he will carry on the name with pride.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office on the phone with someone asking about Eric Bischoff and if he will get fired after the 30 days as it is revealed to be Shane McMahon, but then Brock Lesnar comes in and says that he doesn’t need any partner tonight as Big Show and A-Train will go down with him. She says that she needs to protect him as her investment and she wants him to win the Rumble and compete at WM, and she says that she won’t put him in that position and he says that he’ll see his partner in the ring.
 
We see the Big Show, A-Train, and Paul Heyman walking down the hallway.
 
We see a shot outside the World.
 
4. Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio defeat the Big Show (w/ Paul Heyman) and A-Train when Mysterio pins A-Train at :37.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. Lesnar and Show were set to face off in three days and face each other here in a tag match with A-Train teaming with Show and Lesnar getting a mystery partner. Show and A-Train had solid heat as heels while Lesnar gets a good pop from the crowd, and the mystery partner is revealed to be a returning Mysterio who gets a big pop from the crowd. Lesnar wastes no time and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Show to start the match as Mysterio spins onto A-Train’s shoulders, and A-Train throws him off and gets a kick in as Lesnar gets a kick in and hoists A-Train onto his shoulders. He hits the F-5 on A-Train as Show grabs Lesnar by the throat though Lesnar escapes the Chokeslam and clotheslines Show over the top to the floor, and Mysterio hits the 619 on A-Train and then he hits a slingshot splash which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Lesnar and Mysterio get the win in 37 seconds. The crowd was into the match and popped for Lesnar and Mysterio when they won. Lesnar and Mysterio get the win over Show and A-Train as both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
Commercial break
 
We go back to the funeral home where Dawn Marie is meeting with family and friends until Torrie Wilson arrives and gets in Marie’s face.
 
5. Matt Hardy (w/ Shannon Moore) pins Funaki (w/ Billy Kidman) with the Twist of Fate at 4:24.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. These four men brawled earlier in the night and now Funaki faces Matt to get some revenge. Funaki gets a good pop from the crowd while Matt had solid heat as a heel. Matt wastes no time and attacks Funaki to start the match as Funaki battles back and Matt reverses a whip, and Funaki blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits a clothesline as he pounds on Matt on the mat and rams him into the buckle. He stomps on Matt repeatedly in the corner and reverses a whip back into the corner as he catches a kick attempt, but Matt ducks a shot and hits the Side Effect for a two count as he hits a slam on Funaki and drops an elbow on him for a two count. He chokes Funaki in the ropes and Moore does the same from the outside as Matt slams down on Funaki’s back and stomps on him, and he hits a sleeper slam on Funaki for a two count and Funaki catches him ducking with a sunset flip for a two count. He fires up on Matt who reverses a whip into the corner and Matt catches him on a leap attempt as he hotshots him on the top rope, and he hits a modified back suplex on Funaki for a two count and hooks a submission on who breaks the hold only for Matt to counter a whip. He gets a kick in though Funaki blocks the Twist of Fate by ramming Matt into the corner and he stomps on him repeatedly, and Matt reverses a whip into the other corner only to miss a charge and Funaki hits a running bulldog on Matt. He hits a baseball slide on Matt for a two count and both men duck a shot as Matt catches a kick attempt and Funaki hits an enzurgiri, and he rams Matt into the buckle and goes up to the middle rope as he hits an inverted tornado DDT for a two count. Matt catches Funaki ducking with a kick and Funaki hits a drop toehold that sends Matt into the ropes as Matt rolls outside to regroup, and Funaki hits a slingshot plancha onto Matt on the floor and throws him back into the ring as he goes up top. Moore gets on the apron and grabs Funaki’s leg as Kidman gets on the apron and they trade blows while Funaki hits a crossbody on Matt, but the ref is distracted by Kidman and Moore and Matt ducks a shot as he sends him into Moore who gets knocked to the floor. Matt gets a kick in and hits the Twist of Fate on Funaki 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. Matt was hitting his groove by this point while Funaki was still serviceable in the ring, and they had good chemistry as Matt uses Moore to get the win. The crowd was into the match and Funaki, but are not happy when Matt wins. Matt gets the win over Funaki and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Kidman checks on Funaki as Matt and Moore head up the ramp with Moore celebrating until Matt slaps him in the face and clarifies that he won the match.
 
Commercial break
 
We go back to the funeral home where Torrie Wilson is looking at her father while crying until Dawn Marie says that she’s giving a very touching performance, and she says that the longer she acts like this, the more people will see through her and she thinks she can make people believe she loved her father. Marie says that Torrie didn’t give a damn about her father and didn’t care about his happiness as all she cared about was herself, and she says that many on her side believe that Al died of a broken heart and Torrie was the one that broke it as she killed her father. She slaps Torrie in the face and Torrie returns the favor with Marie knocking the casket over and Torrie throws Marie to the floor, and she yells that she hates Marie and apologizes to her father as Marie grabs a lamp and breaks it over Torrie’s back until the crowd forces her out.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for Nathan Jones.
 
Commercial breaks
 
6. Team Angle defeat Chris Benoit and Edge in a handicap match by disqualification at 15:01.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Benoit and Angle were set to face off in 3 days and they meet here in this handicap match with Benoit teaming with Edge while Team Angle is in full force. Benoit and Edge get big pops from the crowd while Team Angle were red hot as heels. Benoit starts off the match with Haas and they lock up as they trade momentum until Benoit hits a back suplex on Haas, and he throws Haas to the outside and demands Angle come in as Haas returns to the ring and Benoit gets a kick in. He pounds on Haas and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and rams his shoulder into the post, and he taunts Angle and continues to pound on Haas as he hits a backdrop and a snap suplex before hitting a back elbow. Benjamin distracts Benoit as Angle gets in the ring and hits a low blow on Benoit with Haas getting a two count, and he stomps on Benoit repeatedly and hooks a submission on the arm until Benoit escapes with a rollup for a two count. Benoit gets a kick in and hits a snap suplex on Haas as Edge tags in and hits a clothesline on Haas before hitting a backdrop, and he pounds on Haas who reverses a whip and Benjamin trips Edge up from the floor as Haas hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Edge. Angle tags in and pounds on Edge as he stomps on him repeatedly and chokes him on the ropes before pounding on him in the corner, and Edge ducks a shot and hits a flying forearm on Angle as he hits a clothesline and ducks a shot before hitting the modified facebuster. Benoit tags in and Angle rolls outside to regroup as Benoit goes outside and chases Angle back into the ring, and Benjamin gets in the ring and hits a clothesline on Benoit as he stomps on him with Angle doing the same. He pounds on Benoit on the mat and hits a short clothesline for a two count as he stomps on him and hits a German suplex, and he knocks Edge to the floor and hooks the Ankle Lock on Benoit who kicks him off the hold and Benjamin tags in. Benoit gets a series of knees in and whips Benjamin into the corner as he hits a clothesline to the back of the head, and Edge tags in and goes up top as he hits a flying clothesline on Benjamin for a two count and pounds on him. He stomps on Benjamin in the corner and chokes him with his boot as he whips him into the other corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs, and Haas comes in and nails Edge from behind as he throws him to the outside and Angle hits a short clothesline on Edge. Benjamin goes outside and rams Edge’s back into the apron twice as he throws him back into the ring and hits a slam, and he hits a legdrop on Edge for a two count and Haas tags in as they hit a double team on Edge and Haas stomps on him repeatedly. He chokes Edge on the mat for a two count and stomps on him as he rams him into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner, and Edge reverses a whip into the other corner and Haas catches him with a boot to the face as he hits a running bulldog for a two count. He chokes Edge on the ropes and Angle gets a shot in from the floor as Benjamin tags in and stomps on Edge repeatedly, and he hits a clothesline on Edge for a two count and hooks a submission on as Edge fights to his feet and breaks the hold. He ducks a shot and hits the Edge-o-Matic as Haas tags in and drops an elbow on Edge before hitting a suplex for a two count, and he rams Edge into his corner and chokes him as Angle and Benjamin do the same from the apron and Haas pounds on him. Benjamin tags in and they hit a double back elbow on Edge as Angle tags in and he stomps on Edge repeatedly, and Edge battles back as he pounds on Angle in the corner and 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 for a two count and Haas tags in, and he stomps on Edge and hooks another submission on until Edge escapes the hold with a kick to the head. Haas recovers first and stomps on Edge as Angle tags in and he stomps on Edge repeatedly until Edge reverses a whip and hits a clothesline, and Edge reaches for the tag only for Angle to grab him and hits a pair of German suplexes as he knocks Benoit off the apron. Edge catches Angle in a belly-to-belly suplex and Benjamin tags in as he grabs at Edge’s foot only for Edge to kick him away, and Benoit gets the hot tag and he fires up on Team Angle as he knocks them down repeatedly and hits a German suplex on Benjamin. He hits a pair of German suplexes on Haas and rams him into Benjamin before hitting a third one on Haas, and Benjamin gets a shot in and attempts to hoist him onto his shoulders only for Benoit to take him to the mat and he hooks the Crossface on. Angle brings the belt into the ring as Benoit releases the hold and he takes Angle to the mat before hooking the Crossface on him, and Edge gets in the ring and hits the spear on Haas as Benoit releases the hold and kicks at Benjamin before tossing him to the outside. He hooks the Crossface back on Angle as Edge hits a baseball slide on Benjamin and the ref calls for the bell as Benoit is DQ’ed and Team Angle win the match. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid handicap match. Benoit and Edge looked good as a team while Team Angle were gelling well as a unit, and they had good chemistry as Benoit gets himself disqualified to hurt Angle going into their match. The crowd was into the match and Benoit and Edge, but are not happy with the ending. Team Angle gets the win over Benoit and Edge by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Benoit releases the hold and kicks at Haas as he throws him onto Benjamin on the floor and he hooks the Crossface back on Angle who taps out, and Edge goes up top and hits a crossbody onto Team Angle on the floor as officials come out and force Benoit off of Angle. Benoit goes outside and brings Angle’s crutch into the ring as he hits Angle with the crutch repeatedly until Team Angle pulls him outside, and they head to the back as Edge puts the Title on Benoit’s shoulder and Benoit holds it as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, the last Smackdown before the Rumble was a solid show that served as a good final build to the PPV. Coming off of what was a red hot 2002 for Smackdown, this was their chance to continue that momentum and prove that they were the superior brand to RAW and their matches on the show looked like it would. We did have a title match as Los Guerreros still rule the tag division while DeMott, Nunzio, Lesnar, Mysterio, Matt, and Team Angle get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best though much of the focus was on the Rumble match with several participants talking about what it means to win. 2002 was a great year for Smackdown and as 2003 gets started, it looks like that momentum will continue and we will see how both brands deliver at the Rumble. As for this show, it is a solid show to serve as the final push to the Royal Rumble. Final Grade: B-