WWE: Ruthless Aggression - Jericho vs Van Dam - Ladder Match

[King Of Spice]

February 1st, 2002, | Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado

Smackdown opens up with The Rock coming down to the ring, microphone in hand. He begins to speak.

"Triple H.. The Rock is going to make this short and sweet. The Rock asked you a simple question on Monday. The Rock challenged you to a match at No Way Out, February 17th, in Milwaukee. Now, The Rock wants to know one thing. Do you accept?"

Triple H's theme music hits, and he comes down to the ring.

"Rock, after thinking about your offer for the past 4 days, I have indeed come to a decision..

You're god damn right I'll face you at No Way Out."

The Rock and Triple H stare each other down in the middle of the ring, and The Rock begins to speak again.

"Triple H... The Rock knows full well, that you are headed to the main event of Wrestlemania. And, The Rock also knows full well that you beat him in the Royal Rumble. Triple H.. The Rock says, let's make this match a little more interesting. How about this.. Triple H. The Rock. The winner goes on to headline Wrestlemania X8."

"Well.. You know Rock, I'm never one to back down from challenge.. and tonight is no different. You're on. I will fight you for the right to be in the main event of Wrestlemania.

But Rock.. just remember this one thing. Right now, not just in the WWF, not just in Colorado, not just in the United States of America, but right now.. there is no man on god's green earth who wants to kick Chris Jericho's ass in the main event of Wrestlemania and win the Undisputed Championship more than me. The Game, Triple H."

Triple H leaves.

- Commercial Break -

Val Venis vs Maven vs Tajiri - #1 Contender's Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
Maven took control for most of the match, getting rid of Tajiri at the beginning and concentrating on Venis. Venis showed tenacity however when he fought back against the upstart, taking him down with a number of clotheslines and then throwing him across the ring with a fall-away slam. Tajiri then got back in the ring and took down Venis with a springboard elbow. "The Japanese Buzzsaw" went after Maven, but Venis grabbed him, slammed him down, climbed to the top rope, and put Tajiri away with The Money Shot.
Winner: Val Venis (12:13)

Vince McMahon is shown getting out of his car and walking into the arena.

Lance Storm, Christian, and Test appear at the top of the stage. They walk down the ramp, get in the ring, and Lance Storm grabs a microphone.

"As much as it pains me to have to talk in front of you misfits here in Colorado, I have something that I wanna get off of my chest. Taz, Kane, why even bother? You're outnumbered. In case you two idiots never studied mathematics, which wouldn't surprise me at all, there are 3 of us, and 2 of you. Not only are there more of us, but look at us, and then look at yourself. You have Christian - A multi-time World Tag Team champion, and former Light Heavyweight champion. You have me - a submission specialist, a Champion all around the world, who has honed his skills in England, Japan, Mexico, and the greatest country in the world, Canada. Then you have Test - a 7ft tall, 275lb stud who's accomplishments speak for themselves."

Christian grabs the mic.

"..And then you have you. Taz - a diminutive little dwarf of a man, who's only claim to fame is being a former champion in ECW, but let's face it, that place was a joke. You're what, 4'11?

And finally, Kane. A poor, misunderstood freak, who'd probably look like a mentally defective version of Shrek if you took his mask off. But hey, you still have your girlfriend Katie, right?"

By this point, it was apparent that Kane and Taz had heard enough, as they came sprinting down the ramp to fight Storm, Test and Christian. Storm and Christian got out of the ring, but Test showed no fear and face them. Taz and Kane went for Test, but Test moved and Taz and Kane missed. As they turned around, Christian came in from behind and struck both men with chairshots to the back. Test and Storm then joined in and beat down on both men, stomping on them and kicking them. Christian rolled outside, grabbed a Canadian flag, and placed it upon the lifeless bodies of Taz and Kane. Storm grabbed the microphone and proclaimed..

"We are The Un-Americans."

Storm, Christian, and Test leave.

- Commercial Break -

Chavo Guerrero vs Billy Kidman
Solid Cruiserweight action. The returning Chavo showed basically no ring-rust, pulling off an impressive array of athletic moves. Kidman also dazzled fans, utilising springboard attacks. Guerrero went for the Gory Special, however Kidman reversed it into a pinning predicament, but Guerrero kicked out at 2. Guerrero got up on his knees and turned around, but Kidman rocked him with a Shining Wizard. Billy climbed to the top and tried to put Chavo away with the Shooting Star Press, but Chavo moved, picked Kidman up, and put him away with the Gory Bomb.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero (8:16)

A promo for WWF No Way Out airs.

Vince McMahon is backstage, when his office door is opened by an angry Taz and Kane. Taz starts to talk.

"Did you see what happened out there? Once again, we got attacked from behind by those damn Canadians. We want them at No Way Out."

"You want Test, Lance Storm and Christian at No Way Out?"

"Yeah."

"You can't have Christian, Storm and Test at No Way Out, now get the hell out of my office."

Taz attempts to argue with Vince, but he's interrupted.

"If you want to keep your job, I suggest you take my advice and get the hell out of my office.

Taz and Kane leave, with Kane slamming the door.

- Commercial Break -

Booker T vs Steven Richards
Booker, still angry at Edge for causing him to enter at #1 in the Royal Rumble match, looked to take out some of that aggression on Steven Richards. Stevie however realised that when Booker gets angry, Booker gets sloppy, and he used Booker's frustration to his advantage by dodging attacks and catching Booker when he would miss shots. Stevie went for the Stevie Kick near the end, but Booker, who was now through playing around, moved and instead caught Stevie with the Scissors Kick to get the win.
Winner: Booker T (7:42)

A graphic is shown, and we are informed that it will be tonight's main event.


Jazz's Open Challenge - #1 Contender's Match for the WWF Women's Championship
After Jazz came out and announced she would become the #1 Contender to Trish Stratus' WWF Women's Championship if she won tonight, she boldly claimed that she would face any woman who accepted her challenge. Little did she expect Lita (who had taken a short hiatus for personal reasons) to come out and accept her challenge. Lita went right after Jazz, taking the Amazon off of her feet with a dropkick. As the match progressed, Jazz took control, and look to finish things with a Full-Nelson Slam, but Lita fought her way free, took Jazz down with a Hurricanrana, and pinned her after a Litasault.
Winner: Lita (9:21)

- Commercial Break -

Main Event - WWF Tag Team Champions Billy & Chuck (w/ Rico Constantino) vs Triple H & The Rock (Non Title Match)
Rock and Triple H gained the advantage at first, but Billy & Chuck showed that they are the World Tag Team Champions for a reason, cutting the ring in half, and separating Triple H from The Rock. Billy hit the Fameasser on his former D-Generation X stablemate, but only got two. Billy started to get frustrated and tagged in Chuck, but as soon as Chuck got into the ring, he was met by Triple H, who knocked him dizzy with a facebuster. "The Game" then tagged in The Rock, who cleant house. Billy and Chuck put up a decent fight, but Billy eventually fell victim to the Rock Bottom, giving Rocky and Triple H the victory.
Winners: Triple H & The Rock (13:56)

As Triple H and The Rock celebrated in the ring, the festivities were cut short by the WWF Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon, who appeared at the top of the ramp. Jericho began to speak, however, before he could, Billy and Chuck attacked Triple H and The Rock from behind, with Chuck levelling The Rock with a Pump-Handle Slam, and Billy once again planting Triple H into the mat. Billy and Chuck grabbed their titles and left, and Jericho once again began to talk.

"Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was about to make an announcement. For the better part of this evening, I've been in the back having a lengthy conversation with my good friend, and my business associate Stephanie's father, Vincent Kennedy McMahon. And, after having a long discussion with Mr McMahon, we have agreed that as of right now, the special referee for your match at No Way Out is none another than.. me!"

Jericho's music hit and him and McMahon left, as Triple H and The Rock were still laid out in the ring.

Smackdown ended.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[King Of Spice]

February 4th, 2002 | Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH

The familiar pyro and music went off, and Raw got underway immediately, with Ric Flair coming down the ramp and starting to speak.

"Now.. as many of you know, last Friday night on Smackdown, Chris Jericho was named the special guest referee for the match between The Rock and Chris Jericho at No Way Out. So, at this time, I would like Triple H and The Rock to come down to the ring."

Triple H first came down, followed by The Rock. Flair began to speak once again.

"I understand that you two are probably not happy about the decision that Mr McMahon made on Smackdown, and to be honest, neither am I."

A camera shows Vince McMahon watching the event from his Skybox.

"But I can promise you one thing. If Chris Jericho causes ANY funny business, tries to cheat, shows bias, or costs either of you the match, I will come down to that ring and strip Chris Jericho of the World Wrestling Federation Undisputed Championship, and the main event of Wrestlemania will be The Rock vs Triple H for the vacant title. And also, you will both have a chance to get your hands on Jericho tonig-"

Flair seemed like he was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by the sound of Jericho's theme. Jericho stood on the entrance stage, microphone in hand.

"Woah, woah, woah, there, old-timer. Not only will I not be competing in that ring tonight, but I won't even be setting foot in it. You see, tonight, Vince McMahon has granted me the night off, and as a result, I'm going to spend it watching Raw up there from the Skybox with my friends and business associates, Mr McMahon and his daughter Stephanie."

"First of all, shut up when I'm talking. Second of all, I couldn't give a rats ass what Vince McMahon said you can and can't do, because this is not Vince McMahon's show. This is MY show. I run this place, I'm your boss here. And I say you will be competing in the main event tonight, and if you decide that you're not gonna show up, I'll strip you of the WWF Undisputed Championship tonight."

"WHAT?! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"I can do whatever I damn well please, brother, woo! Now, I suggest you go and get ready, because tonight, you will be teaming up with Test, Lance Storm, and Christian to take on the team of Kane, Taz, Triple H, and The Rock, in a huge 8 man tag team main event."

Jericho is irate on the stage, while Triple H and The Rock are laughing in the ring.

- Commercial Break -

Rob Van Dam vs Val Venis -
After coming within an eyelash of beating Chris Jericho for the WWF Title not once but twice, RVD looked to use that momentum to defeat Val Venis, however, defeating Val Venis is no easy feat, as Van Dam would find out. After RVD gained the advantage earlier on, Venis kept him grounded and worked on Van Dam's legs. Val eventually thought he'd worn him down sufficiently enough and climbed to the top rope, signalling for The Money Shot, but Van Dam dropkicked the lower legs of Venis, sending him flying off of the top rope and allowing Van Dam to hit the 5 Star Frog Splash for the pin and the win.
Winner: Rob Van Dam (7:13)

Up by the Skyboxes, a disgruntled Chris Jericho, now in his ring gear, is shown walking towards Vince McMahon's private Skybox, where he's greeted by both Vince and Stephanie. Vince asks him to have a seat, and Jericho does so, as he starts to speak.

"Did you see what happened out there?"

"Yes, I did, and quite frankly, it pissed me off. Ric Flair has no right to over-rule one of my decisions. I'm the Chairman of the World Wrestling Federation, which means I have more power than he does."

"Exactly! You can't have me, the Undisputed Champion, the man who represents your company putting his body at risk by getting in the ring with a dangerous, hideous freak of nature like Kane just over a month before Wrestlemania. Ric Flair has been doing an atrocious job as General Manager."

"You know what, Chris? You're absolutely right. In fact, let me get the Board Of Directors on the phone, I'm gonna organise a little something for this Friday's Smackdown."

The phone rings, and Vince yells at the cameraman to get out.

- Commercial Break -

Booker T vs Maven
Booker T, who quite obviously didn't take Maven nearly as seriously as he should have, and got surprised when Maven put up a good fight and sent the former 5x, 5x, 5x, 5x, 5x WCW Champion reeling with an amazing standing dropkick. Booker however, being the wily veteran, managed to poke Maven in the eye whilst the referee's back was turned. It looked like Booker was going to go for the Scissors Kick, but as he went for it, Maven moved, and this caused Booker to boot referee Jack Doan right in the face. With the referee out, Booker tried to cheat, but Edge came running down the ramp and speared Booker in half, allowing Maven to capitalise and get the pinfall victory.
Winner: Maven (8:45)

After the match, a visibly angry Booker stared down Edge, who pointed and laughed at him from the entrance ramp.

Ric Flair is in his office, when his phone rings. He answers it and leaves down the hallway.

William Regal vs Stevie Richards
In what can only be described as utter domination on the part of Regal, Richards didn't even have a chance to get out of the box. Regal looked to make himself come across as dominant headed into his match with Diamond Dallas Page at No Way Out, and he did just that. Throwing Richards around like a ragdoll, Regal eventually ended things with the Regal stretch, forcing Stevie to tap out.
Winner: William Regal (3:56)

- Commercial Break -

A graphic is shown as we return from our commercial break.



It tells us that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will be returning for the first time since he was taken out during the Royal Rumble by the Undertaker next week on Raw.

The APA vs The Dudley Boyz - #1 Contender's Match for the WWF Tag Team Championships
The Dudleyz, who were narrowly defeated by Billy and Chuck at the Royal Rumble, looked to prove that they were worthy of another shot at No Way Out, and the APA aimed to get their first title opportunity of 2002. Both powerhouse teams brutalised each other from the opening bell to the end, with Bradshaw even taking out both D-Von and Bubba with a clothesline from hell. Towards the end of a very exciting match, Billy and Chuck, the WWF Tag Team Champions, along with Rico, would come down the ramp and interrupt the match, but they were interrupted by Jeff and Matt Hardy who pulled them off of the apron. The action between The Dudleyz and The APA spilled to the outside, and all 4 teams began brawling, giving referee Nick Patrick no choice but to call the match a no-contest. After every team brawled for a while, security came down and seperated the teams. Ric Flair also came down, and made the announcement that all 4 teams would compete for the Tag Team Championship's in a Tag Team Turmoil match at No Way Out. Flair left as we faded to a commercial break.

- Commercial Break -

As we returned, JR and The King notified us that the Tag Team Turmoil match was official.

The camera switched to Chris Jericho, who was told that it was time for his match up in the skybox. Vince shook his hand and wished him good luck, as Stephanie did the same.

Main Event - 8 Man Tag Team Match - Taz, Kane, Triple H, and The Rock vs Lance Storm, Christian, Test, and Chris Jericho.
Jericho tried his best to stay away from the action, making sure that he wasn't tagged in by any of his partners, however, luckily for him, his team had the advantage for the best part of the match. Jericho tagged himself in once after Test levelled Triple H with a powerslam, only to stomp away at Triple H for a few seconds and tag Christian back in. The action was mainly mat based for the central part of it, up until only Chris Jericho, Triple H, and The Rock were left standing. Rock and Triple H teamed up on Jericho, with both men hitting their finishing moves on the champion. Triple H tagged in Taz and Taz tried for something, but Test tagged himself in and absolutely took Taz's head off with a big boot. Lance Storm and Christian knocked Triple H and The Rock off of the apron, allowing Test to pin Taz and get the win for his team.
Winners: Test, Christian, Lance Storm, and Christian (13:45)

The winning team celebrated on the stage, as their opponents were spread around the ringside area, all laid out.

Raw ended.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[King Of Spice]

February 8th, 2002 | Fenway Park, Boston, MA.

Smackdown opened immediately with Vince and Stephanie McMahon coming down to the ring, with Vince holding a microphone.

"As many of you may have saw on Monday night, I have organised a little something for my co-worker, and the General Manager of Raw. So, at this time, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ric Flair."

Ric Flair's theme started playing and he walked down to the ring.

"Now, Mr Flair.. certain decisions that you've made in recent weeks have lead to not only myself, but the Board Of Directors having to question if you're worthy of being Raw General Manager, and as a result of that, next Monday night on Raw, you will be having a full job performance evaluation. The men who will evaluate you are Mr John Laurinaitis and Jim Cornette, senior members of the WWF Board Of Directors.

Flair stands and shakes his head, and then grabs a microphone.

"Hold on a second, Vince. I'm doing a bad job? With all due respect, you are the man that's showing favouritism to Chris Jerich-"

"Now you just wait a minute, Flair. I wouldn't run your mouth like you have for the past 30 years tonight. I suggest you prepare for your evaluation and do whatever it is you do over there on that hellhole of a brand, if you want to keep your job."

Flair drops his mic, shakes his head, and leaves.

"Now that that's out of the way, I have one more thing to tell you, and that is what tonight's main event is going to be. As a man who believes in giving the younger, newer guys on the roster a chance, tonight, in our main event, it's going to be the 5x, 5x, 5x, 5x, 5x, WCW Champion, Booker T, taking on Edge."

Michael Cole points out that this may well be the first time the fans have cheered for Vince McMahon in his life.

McMahon leaves.

Maven vs Chavo Guerrero
In an exciting contest, Maven looked to prove that despite the fact he was only a rookie, he was just as good as somewhat of a veteran, Chavo Guerrero. Guerrero, however, was having none of it, and took the young upstart for a pushover, which, as he would go on to find out, Maven is not. After Guerrero had control for the better part of the match, the tenacious Maven started to mount some offence, taking Guerrero down with multiple clotheslines and then a springboard dropkick. Chavo eventually gained control again, but Maven was able to roll him up with the small package for the win.
Winner: Maven (8:32)

- Commercial Break -

Kane vs Test
The two big men faced off, just after we found out that Test and Lance Storm would be teaming up to take on Taz and Kane at No Way Out. To the surprise of some, Test retained control for the better part of the match, focusing his offend on the legs of Kane to keep him grounded. Test however lost control after a mistake on his part, where he swung wildly with a punch, causing Kane to capitalise and rock Test with a big boot. Kane whipped Test into the ropes and took him down with a clothesline, and then signalled for the chokeslam, however, Lance Storm and Christian would run down to the ring and interfere, causing the match to end on a disqualification.
No Contest: (6:24)

Kane took exception to Christian and Storm, grabbing both men by the throat, but Test caught him with a shot to the back, and then all three men laid into Kane, until Taz came down, chair in hand, to clean house. The Un-Americans were forced to flee the ring at the hands of Taz and Kane once again, as both men stood tall in the middle of the ring.

Backstage, Vince McMahon is sat in his office, when Chris Jericho walks in.

"Ah, Chris! Have a seat."

"Thank you."

"Now, after Ric Flair went against my word on Monday night, he's going to be undergoing a job performance review on Monday, and after looking over tonight's card, I've decided that you indeed have the night off."

"Finally! Thanks, Mr-"

"Woah, woah, please, call me Vince."

"Thanks, Vince."

The camera fades to black.

- Commercial Break -

A graphic is shown advertising the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to Raw next Monday.



Vince McMahon comes out to the ring, and announces that there will be a tournament to crown the inaugural WWF Cruiserweight Champion, with the finalists meeting at Wrestlemania X8 to determine the first ever Cruiserweight Champion, and that the first match in that tournament is now.

We're shown a graphic that reveals the participants. (Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Tajiri, The Hurricane, Justin Credible, Spike Dudley, Billy Kidman, and Chavo Guerrero.)

The Hurricane vs Tajiri
The Hurricane looked to get a win at Tajiri's expense, and Tajiri did the same, leading to a great back-and-forth contest. Tajiri hung The Hurricane up in the tarantula, but of course he was forced to break it. Tajiri then once again went on the offensive, hitting a springboard elbow and going for the Buzzsaw Kick, but The Hurricane was able to duck the move and hit the Hurrichokeslam for the victory and the right to advance to the next round in the Crusierweight Championship tournament.
Winner: The Hurricane (7:53)

Chris Jericho's theme begins to play and he gets into the ring, microphone in hand, and starts to talk.

"Much to the dismay of Jerichoholics everywhere, I unfortunately have been granted the night off tonight."

The crowd boos loudly.

"I know, I know, it's sad. But, I mean, let's be honest, it's not like I didn't earn it. I beat Triple H. I beat Rob Van Dam. I beat Kane. I beat The Undertaker. I beat Kurt Angle. Hell, I beat Steve Austin and The Rock in the same damn night to win the Undisputed Championship and become the first ever Undisputed Champion. And I think, that after all everything I've been through these past few mon-"

Jericho was interrupted by the sound of Triple H's theme, and HHH got into the ring.

"You wanna talk about.. you, of all people, you, deserving a day off? You wanna talk about you being the best in the world at what you do? Give me a brea-"

"Wait just a second, Hunter. I will not stand back and have you spoil my night off. I've earned this, and I'm damn well going to enj-"

Triple H struck Jericho with a kick to the gut, hooked him up, and dropped him right on his face with a Pedigree to extremely loud cheers. Triple H posed on the top rope as his theme played and we cut to a commercial break.

- Commercial Break -

Lita vs Mighty Molly
Lita, who recently returned, took on Mighty Molly, who looked to bounce back from her loss to Trish Stratus at the Royal Rumble. Molly controlled Lita for the better part of the match, and wore her down with mainly submission based offence. Lita continued to fight, however, got out of an attempted armbar, and hit Lita right in the face with a dropkick. Lita picked her up, but this time, Molly fought back, and went for the Molly-Go-Round off the top rope, but Lita moved, allowing her to capitalise and perform the Litasault for the win.
Winner: Lita (9:14)

Edge and Booker T are shown in a split screen making their way to the entrance area for their main event match.

Main Event - Edge vs Booker T
With huge animosity between these two, fans expected a great, emotional contest, and they were not disappointed. With tremendous back and forth action throughout, and even a spear straight into the steel steps, this match most certainly delivered. Towards the end, Booker T had the match in his favour, and looked to be setting up for the Scissors Kick, but when he went for it, Edge moved and went for a clothesline, but Booker ducked that and instead planted Edge with the Book-End and went for the cover, but he only got two. Booker seemed to be getting frustrated, and attempted to rip the top turnbuckle off, however the referee was able to stop him. Booker turned around, but he was almost ripped directly in half with a spear. Edge went for the pin, and he got the 3, to a huge ovation from the fans.
Winner: Edge (14:53)

Smackdown ended.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[Wicked]

Good stuff as always.

[King Of Spice]

WWF.com Exclusive:

As of Tuesday, February 5th, 2002, the World Wrestling Federation have come to terms on the release of Michael Lockwood and Accie Connor, better known as Crash Holly and D'Lo Brown. We wish both men the best in their future endeavours.

[Wicked]

May 31, 2015 5:04:21 GMT -5 King Of Spice said:

WWF.com Exclusive:

As of Tuesday, February 5th, 2002, the World Wrestling Federation have come to terms on the release of Michael Lockwood and Accie Connor, better known as Crash Holly and D'Lo Brown. We wish both men the best in their future endeavours.

I am going to boycott now.. 

[King Of Spice]

February 11, 2002 | Nassau Coliseum,

Raw opened up with the familiar sound of the breaking glass and raucous cheers, as Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on WWF programming for the first time since the Royal Rumble, where he was Tombstoned onto steel steps.

Austin grabbed a microphone.

"You see, in the last 3 weeks, Ol' Stone Cold has had a lot of time to himself, and a lot of time to think. So when I sat down on my porch at the Broken Skull Ranch and I had me a nice cold beer, I started to think, and the only thing that I could think about..

..was how badly I wanted to kick somebody's ass. So what I'm gonna do, is Ol' Stone Cold is gonna lay out an open challenge to any single one of the boys in the ba-"

"WOOO!" could be heard blasting through the arena, as Raw GM Ric Flair's theme hit and he appeared on the stage.

"Austin, I understand that you wanna kick somebody's ass, and I'm by no means going to stop you from doing that, but I have a little idea. You see, Austin, as of right now, I have no main event for this evening. So, what do yiu say, you wait a couple of hours, and in tonight's main event, we have "Stone Cold Steve Austin's open challenge?"

"Well.. if you wanna see Stone Cold Steve Austin kick somebody's ass in the main event of Raw, give me a hell yeah!"

"HELL YEAH!"

"OH HELL YEAH!"

Stone Cold's theme started to play and he left the ring.

The APA vs The Dudley Boyz
In somewhat of a preview of No Way Out, The Dudley Boyz met with the APA. The match was largely controlled by Bradshaw and Faarooq, who kept D-Von on their side of the ring. D-Von eventually fought back and dived across the ring to tag Bubba, and Bubba came in like a house on fire, dropping Bradshaw with a Bubba Bomb and Faarooq with a clothesline. Bubba grabbed Faarooq and put him in position, setting up for the 3D, but as D-Von lifted him up, Bradshaw pushed Bubba out of the way, blocking the move. Bradshaw got up and dropped D-Von with a clothesline from hell, allowing him to get the pin and the win for the APA, giving them huge amounts of momentum headed into No Way Out.
Winners: The APA (8:13)

As the match ended, Billy and Chuck, alongside Rico Constantino, walked down to ringside and attempted to talk trash to the APA, but the Hardy Boyz came running down the ramp and faced off with Billy and Chuck. Chuck started to get in the face of Matt, which caused Jeff to get in the face of Billy, which caused the whole thing to erupt into a full on brawl, with not only The Hardy Boyz, but The Dudleyz and The APA attacking Billy and Chuck. All 3 teams pushed Billy, Chuck, and Rico away, and then stared them down.

"Is this the end of Billy and Chuck's 5 month title reign?" remarked Jerry Lawler.

"I don't know King, but it sure seems like all 6 of their opponents sure have a strong disdain for Billy and Chuck." replied JR.

- Commercial Break -

Chris Jericho's theme begins to play, as he walks down the ramp and gets in the ring.

"I'm not here for fun and games tonight, no, I'm here to address something, or rather, someone.

Triple H.. nobody embarrasses Chris Jericho on his day off, or ever. I'm the WWF Undisputed Champion, for gods sakes. I've beaten everybody, and I deserve to hold this strap. I represent this company, and when you disrespect me and embarrass me, you make the company look ba-"

"IF YA SMELLLLL... WHAT THE ROCK... IS COOKIN'?!" blasts throughout the arena, as The Rock makes his way to the ring and grabs a microphone.

"Chris Jericho.. you see, The Rock understands that you might have beaten everybody there is to beat, and The Rock also understands that you might have beaten both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to win that championship, but that doesn't change the facts.

You are the single most pathetic excuse for a champion that The Rock has ever seen! And you see, Chris Jericho, The Rock, The People's Champion, will take great pleasure in taking that belt from you in the main event of Wrestlemania. The Rock might respect Triple H, but if there is one thing that means more than respect, it's winning that World Wrestling Federation Championship. And when The Rock pins Triple H at No Way Out, 1, 2, 3, and you count the pinfall, and you raise his hand in the air, The Rock will look you in the eye, and The Rock will see just one thing.

A man scared out of his mind, because he knows that he's going to get his candy ass beaten all over Toronto at Wrestlemania by none other than the jabroni beatin', llallalaow!, pie eatin, take your foot off the break and put your foot on the gas, the man who's gonna whip Chris Jericho's ass, People's Champ, The Rock!"

"Woah, woah, woah, Rock, okay, you can use all of your stupid catchphrases, and your stale one liners that would have been funny in 1998, but I got a newsflash for you, junior. It's 2002. You're standing across the ring from a man who has dominated the World Wrestling federation for 7 long months. Time and time again, I-"

Triple H's theme song hits, and he makes his way to the ring.

Listening in the back, I couldn't help but think that you're both forgetting about something..

Me.

Rock, you may be the single most accomplished athlete in all of the World Wrestling Federation, but I'm on a whole different level. I practically snapped my leg in two last year, to the point where I was being told I would never wrestle again, but look at me no-"

"Oh my god, yeah, you came back from injury, blah, blah, blah, save it. We've all heard it before, but the fact of the matter is, right now, I'm the best. Right now, I'm the World Wrestling Federation. Right no-"

Triple H hits Jericho with a kick to the gut, drops him on his face with the Pedigree, and then leaves the ring.

However, The Rock, never one to be upstaged, hit the People's Elbow on Jericho, and then shared a stare down with Triple H.

- Commercial Break -

A graphic is shown, and JR informs us that in a match just announced for WWF No Way Out, Edge will be taking on Booker T.

Trish Stratus vs Lita
After declaring that she wanted to be a "fighting champion, Stratus challenged Lita here on Raw, in preparation for her match against the physically imposing Jazz at No Way Out. Stratus maintained control for the better part of the match, until Lita fought back and spiked Stratus on her head with a tornado DDT. Lita went for the pin, but Trish kicked out at 2. Lita picked her up again, however, Stratus was able to push her away and hit her with the Chick Kick. Stratus fell back into the ropes, and just as she was about to go for the pin, Jazz came sprinting down the ramp, grabbed the champion by the hair, and planted her with a tree trunk slam.
Winner: Trish Stratus (Via Disqualification (6:34)

Jazz then kicked Lita out of the ring, grabbed the WWF Women's Championship, and stood dominant over her opponent this Sunday.

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Taz and Kane. Kelly asks Taz for his thoughts on their match with The Un-Americans at No Way Out, and his singles match with Lance Storm later in the evening. Taz grabbed the mic from Kelly and began to talk.

"You know, at the Royal Rumble, you guys made us mad. When you attacked us from behind, you made us angry, and when you took the easy way out and beat us in the main event last week, you pissed us off. Lance Storm, I beat your ass all around ECW more than once, and you can bet your ass I'll do it again. And come No Way Out, you three are in our sights. We hope you know, this means war."

Taz and Kane leave.

- Commercial Break -

William Regal vs Val Venis
The challenger for the WWF Intercontinental Championship at No Way Out, William Regal, met Val Venis, but to the surprise of most, Regal dominated the 265lb "Big Valbowski" without cheating. Towards the end, Regal sent Val into the ropes, but Venis ran back at Regal and dropped him with a clothesline. Val picked him back up, but Regal, no stranger to dirty tactics, pushed Venis into the referee, knocking him into the corner, and allowing him to hit a low blow on Venis. Regal stood in the corner, reached into his trunks, pulled out some brass knuckles, but he took too long, as Val Venis was able to roll him up with a schoolboy for the 3 count.
Winner: Val Venis (8:56)

Regal sat in the ring looking incensed, as JR asked if this could possibly be a sign of things to come on Sunday.

Backstage, Ric Flair is in his office, when Vince McMahon walks in.

"Ric?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, myself and the board of directors will be looking over your performance review this week, and we will determine if you are fit to keep your job next Monday night on Raw."

"Is that a fact? Vince, I couldn't care less what you think abo-"

"Ah, ah, ah! I'd watch what you say. You wouldn't want to do anything that could affect the Board Of Directors' decision, would you?"

Vince leaves, as Ric stares him down.

- Commercial Break -

A camera shows numerous superstars in the locker rooms, trying to determine who will answer Steve Austin's open challenge.

Taz vs Lance Storm - The Un-American's and Kane banned from ringside
Two men who have faced off before in Taz and Lance Storm met once again, in a fantastic mat-based contest. After the center portion of the match was dominated by Lance Storm, Taz wisely low-bridged the ropes when Storm was running at him, sending Lance over the top rope and to the floor. Taz climbed out of the ring, lifted Storm up by his hair, and sent him careening into the steel steps. Taz rolled Storm back into the ring and walked over to Lance's prone body, but just as it looked like he was going for something, Storm rolled him up with a victory roll and successfully got the pin.
Winner: Lance Storm (9:12)

As Storm rolled out of the ring and onto the ramp to celebrate, he was greeted with the explosion of Kane's pyro and theme song. As Storm sat on the ground looking like he'd seen a ghost, Kane walked over to Storm. Lance tried to run away, but Taz blocked him from jumping the barricades. "Where the hell are Test and Christian?" exclaimed Lawler, as Taz and Kane stood over Storm in the ring as he begged for mercy. Christian came running down the ramp, as JR said "Well, there's Christian, but still no sign of Test". Taz got out of the ring and met Christian, but Christian wanted no part of Taz, and backed away. On the titantron, a camera was shown in the locker room backstage, and there, laid out on the floor was Test. A look of shock appeared on Christian's face, as he realised both him and Storm were trapped. The camera picked up Taz saying "Go ahead. I dare you." Christian appeared to be too afraid to move towards Kane and Taz, and as a result, Storm was chokeslammed "straight to hell", as JR put it, by Kane. Christian looked on in horror, as Taz and Kane stood in the ring with their arms raised.

- Commercial Break -

Main Event - Stone Cold Steve Austin's Open Challenge
Austin first made his way to the ring, and had something to say before the match.

"So in case you didn't hear me earlier tonight, I issued an open challenge to any single person in the back, who thinks they have the guts to step in the ring with Stone Cold Steve Austin. So I waited, and I waited, and I waited, and now, it looks like I've finally got an opponent. So whoever you are, get your ass out here, so I can stomp a mudhole in ya, and walk it dry."

To the surprise of the crowd, none other than Kurt Angle answered the challenge, and the match got underway.

Angle, the technician, showed great wrestling smarts by working over the ankle and lower legs of Austin to soften them up for the ankle lock. He did a good job of keeping Austin grounded for the better part of the match, wearing his legs down and keeping him on the mat. Angle got complacent after a while, giving Austin an opening and allowing him to jump on top of Angle with a Lou Thesz Press and rain down the punches. Austin went for a stunner, but Angle then came back with offence of his own, hitting Stone Cold with the Angle slam and then locking in the ankle lock from seemingly out of nowhere. Austin scratched and clawed and tried his hardest, but eventually he was forced to tap out to the dismay of the fans.
Winner: Kurt Angle (12:56)

In what some would consider an upset victory, Kurt Angle defeated Steve Austin to close Raw.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[King Of Spice]

[King Of Spice]

February 14th, 2002 | Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

Smackdown started with Stone Cold Steve Austin making his way to the ring with a microphone and talking.

"Now, I don't know if you saw Raw on Monday, but if you did, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Just in case you didn't, in the main event, I issued an open challenge to anybody in the back. I asked if anybody thought they could kick Stone Cold's ass.


..and that's exactly what Kurt Angle did. Kurt, ya beat me. You made me tap out, fair and square. Now, all I'm gonna ask of ya is just one thing. Come out here, and agree to face me again at No Way Out."

Kurt Angle's theme began to play, and he got into the ring and asked for a microphone.

"Austin, why the hell would I agree to face you again at No Way Out when I already made you tap out on Raw Monday? My answ-"

"Woah, woah, hold on a second Kurt, you see this is exactly what the type of thing that you would do. You know how I know?"

"Because you're a little chicken sh** son of a bitch."

The crowd, stunned at Austin's words, collectively yells "OHHHHHH!".

"HOLD ON A SECOND! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE AUSTIN?! YOU WANT ME TO ACCEPT?! YOU GOT IT!"

"Who do I think I am? I think I'm a man that's gonna beat your Olympic punk-ass all around Wisconsin this Sunday, and that's the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so!"

"STUNNER!" exclaimed Michael Cole, as Austin kicked Angle in the gut and hit him with a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin stood on the top rope doing his trademark pose before we cut to a commercial break.

- Commercial Break -

Billy Kidman vs Chavo Guerrero
In another first round match in the Cruiserweight Championship tournament, Billy Kidman went one on one with Chavo Guerrero, who had only returned a couple of weeks prior. Guerrero relied on mat wrestling to get him through the early stages, but Kidman eventually got himself free, sent Guerrero out of the ring, and came flying over the top with a Tope Con Hiro. Kidman then rolled him into the ring and went for the cover, but Hardy kicked out. Towards the end, Guerrero had regained the advantage and went for the Gory Special, but Billy managed to get out of it, and instead hit Guerrero with a bulldog and then a Shooting Star Press for the pinfall victory, allowing himself to advance to the next round.
Winner: Billy Kidman (9:14)

We are showed the updated Bracket, which shows us that both Billy Kidman and The Hurricane have both advanced to the next round.

Michael Cole informs us that our main event for the evening is The Rock vs Kurt Angle.

Vince McMahon is backstage in a hallway, and his cellphone can be heard ringing. He answers it, but all that can be picked up by the cameraman is "Hello?" as he walked away down the hallway.

- Commercial Break -

Hardcore Holly vs Maven
Hardcore Holly, who we hadn't seen since the Royal Rumble, went one on one with Maven and showed his experience edge throughout, constantly causing Maven to make rookie mistakes. Maven however would go on to prevail, as Holly went for a clothesline, but Maven was able to move, jump onto the top rope, fly off, and connect with the Halo DDT for the win.
Winner: Maven (6:25)

A promo for WWF No Way Out is aired.

Mighty Molly vs Lita
The two other top contender's for the WWF Women's Championship, Mighty Molly and Lita, looked to both prove that they were deserving of the next opportunity by getting a victory over one another. Lita showed no fear when she came flying over the top rope with a suicide dive, sending both Molly and herself crashing into the security wall. As the match went further, Molly had the upper hand, and set Lita into position for the Molly-Go-Round, but Lita got out of the way and instead dropped Molly on her head, and then went to the top rope and executed the Litasault for the pinfall victory.
Winner: Lita (7:36)

The Rock is backstage getting ready for his match, when Triple H walks in and they begin to talk.

"Hey."

"Oh, hey, what's up?"

"Alright, look, we may respect each other, hell, we could even consider each other friends, but I gotta tell you. This Sunday means more than anything to me. This Sunday will be the culmination of a years fighting and clawing to get back to the top. This Sunday will be the final hurdle in my road to Wrestlemania. And yeah, we might have fought beside each other these past few weeks, but this Sunday, I'm not taking any chances. Rock, I'm not holding back this Sunday."

"The Rock wouldn't expect any less from you Triple H, but The Rock just wants you to remember one thing. Nothing.. AND THE ROCK MEANS.. nothing.. is going to stand in the way of The Rock finally getting his hands on the Undisputed Championship."

The two stare each other down as the screen fades to black.

- Commercial Break -

The Un-American's walk down to the ring, and Lance Storm has a microphone. Michael Cole touches on the fact that Test has tape around his ribs, possibly caused by the attack from Kane and Taz on Monday. Storm begins to talk.

"What happened to us on Monday, quite frankly, was wrong. Test was attacked for no reason, so much so that he now has to have his ribs taped due to the injuries he suffered. Those two barbarians Kane and Taz symbolise everything wrong with the world today. Hell, they're both just like you people here in Idaho, and all over this stinkhole of a country called America for that matter.

They're typical, lazy, ugly, god-damn fat American freaks!"

The crowd boos loudly, and Christian grabs the mic.

"But you can all rest assured that that won't happen this Sunday at No Way Out. You see, Lance and Test are gonna take care of Taz and Kane, and they're gonna make sure that we never see them again. And just so those they don't try anything, I will be at ringside, not only for moral support, but to keep a watch out for any shenanigans they might try and pull."

Christian stops talking, and Test grabs the microphone.

"Now, if you'll all please stand, we are going to sing the Canadian national anthem. Join in if you know the words."

"O' CANADA! OUR HOME AND NATIVE LAND! TRUE PATRIOT LOVE IN ALL THY SONS COMMAND! THE TRUE NORTH STRONG A-"

The heartbeat of Taz's theme begins to play, and him and Kane run straight down the ramp and clear the ring. The Un-Americans, as we're used to seeing lately, get straight out and scamper up the ramp. They all got away unscathed, but Storm dropped his Canadian flag in the ring. Taz picked it up and threw it down on the arena floor below, as him and Kane stared down their opponents on Sunday.

A promo for WWF Wrestlemania X8 is shown.

Chris Hero vs William Regal
Local competitor Chris Hero looked to prove that he was worthy of a contract in his Smackdown tryout match, but he picked the wrong night to come for it, as William Regal was in an even fouler mood than usual after being dealt a loss by Val Venis on Monday. Almost immediately after the bell rung, Regal went after Hero and began raining down the shots. As Hero was down, Regal pulled some brass knuckles out of his shorts, but the referee saw it and stopped him. However, as the referee was getting rid of the first pair, Regal pulled a second pair of knucks from his tights and knocked Hero out for the pinfall.
Winner: William Regal (1:21)

- Commercial Break -

Main Event - The Rock vs Kurt Angle
With big challenges ahead of both men at No Way Out, The Rock and Kurt Angle faced off, with both Triple H and Chris Jericho on commentary. Angle looked strong throughout the center of the match, using his mat based technique to keep The Rock at bay, but as Angle would find out, it takes a lot to keep The Rock down, as Rocky came at the only Olympic gold medallist in professional wrestling history with strikes and a spinebuster. Rock got him into position, came off the ropes, and hit Angle with The People's Elbow. Angle got up and Rock went for The Rock bottom, but Kurt hit him with elbows to the side of the head and fought his way out of it. Angle went for the Angle Slam, but Rock landed on his feet and went for the Rock Bottom again, but once again, Angle fought his way out, and once again, Angle went for the Angle Slam, but this time he was able to connect and slam Rock right down on his back. Angle went for the cover, however, The Rock had his foot on the bottom rope, but Chris Jericho left his position at commentary and pushed Rock's foot off of the bottom rope, allowing Angle to secure a huge win over The Rock, be it marred by controversy or not.
Winner: Kurt Angle (15:39)

Triple H got up out of his commentary chair and went for Chris Jericho, but Jericho ran up the ramp and stood at the top of the stage, holding both of his title belts next to Kurt Angle and looking on at Triple H and The Rock. Jericho turned around, but as he did, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared behind him, kicked him in the gut, and hit him with a Stone Cold Stunner. Angle went for a shot at Austin, but Stone Cold ducked it and hit Angle with a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin got into the ring, and Smackdown closed with Austin, Rock, and Triple H each sharing a "cold one" in the middle of the ring.

[King Of Spice]

February 17th, 2002 | Bradley Center, Millwaukee, WI

JR and The King welcomed us to WWF No Way Out, and ran down our card for the evening, as our first match got underway.

William Regal vs Diamond Dallas Page - WWF Intercontinental Championship
Regal first made his way to the ring, to resounding boos from the Milwaukee crowd. Page then came to the ring, to a loud ovation from the fans. JR noted on the fact that it seems like losing to Page at the Royal Rumble has caused Regal to fall off of his game in recent weeks, but The King points out that his dominant performance on Smackdown two nights ago begs to differ. Regal gained the upper hand at first, going to work on the arm of Page, possibly to soften him up for the Regal Stretch. Page started to mount some offence, striking Regal in the face and putting him in a side headlock, but Regal transitioned into a hammerlock. Page tried to bring him over with a snapmare, but Regal used Page's leverage against him and pushed him shoulder first into the top turnbuckle. Regal stomped on the arm of DDP as Page rolled to the outside. Regal went straight back in the offensive, clubbing DDP in the back and bouncing his head off of the announce table. Regal then rolled Page back into the ring and got in himself. Regal once again bought the stomps to Page, and then waved to the crowd, to loud boos. Regal then attempted to lock in the arm-bar, but Page almost immediately got to the bottom rope, causing the hold to be broken, but despite that, Regal still wrenched on the arm of DDP for the full count of 5, until the referee pulled him off. Regal then continued to keep Page on the mat, still working on the arm, until Regal whipped Page into the ropes and went for a clothesline, but DDP ducked the shot, bounced off the ropes again, and came back at Regal with a clothesline of his own. Regal got up and ran after Page again, but once again, DDP was one step ahead and hit Regal with the Atomic Drop. Regal, now groggy, walked towards Page, allowing DDP to lift him up and drop him right on his back with a sitout powerbomb. DDP had the cover, but he only got two, as Regal was able to kick out. Page got to his feet and called for Regal to get up, presumably to go for the Diamond Cutter. Regal slowly got back to a vertical base, and Page whipped him into the ropes, but Regal was sent colliding straight into the referee, knocking him down in the process. With no referee, Page looked around confused, and gestured to the crowd for the Diamond Cutter. DDP turned around, but for seemingly no reason, Test of all people was in the ring, and he nearly kicked Page's head off with a big boot. Test pulled Regal over to Page to make the cover, and slowly, referee Charles Robinson counted to 3, allowing Regal to gain the pinfall victory and regain his Intercontinental Championship.
Winner: Diamond Dallas Page (11:23)

Regal and Test stood on the ramp, with a grounded Page looking on in dismay, realising that he's just lost the Intercontinental Championship. Test raised the arm of Regal in the air, as JR asked "What does this mean? Has William Regal just joined the Un-Americans?"

Our camera cuts to the backstage area, where The Rock is with Jonathan Coachman.

"Rock, tonight, in our main event, you're facing Triple H to determine the new #1 contender for the WWF Undisputed Championship. What are your thoughts headed into this ma-"

The Rock raises his hand and puts it in Coachman's face, signalising that he wants him to stop talking.

"You see, Coach, The Rock and Triple H both respect each other, The Rock and Triple H might like each other, hell, The Rock and Triple H may well consider each other friends, but, Coach, that doesn't change the fact. And the fact of the matter is, there is a hell of a lot on the line here tonight. The Rock knows how much is at stake. The Rock understands what's on the line here tonight, and I'm sure Triple H understands too, but there's one difference between The Rock and Tripl-"

"Well, Ro-"

The Rock put his hand in Coachman's face once again.

"Don't you ever.. AND THE ROCK MEANS.. ever.. interrupt The Rock again.

Now give The Rock the god damn microphone and get your monkey ass out of The Rock's shot you little whisker biscuit son of a bitch."

Rock pushes Coachman out of the camera's view as the fans cheer.

"Now, before The Rock was interrupted, The Rock was about to say that the one big difference between Triple H and The Rock is the fact that The Rock has been here night in and night out for the past year. The Rock has had no rest. The Rock has fought and clawed and scratched to get to this point and The Rock understands what Chris Jericho is capable of, but even though Chris Jericho is an incredible athlete.. Chris Jericho couldn't shine The Rock's boots! And tonight, after The Rock whoops Triple H's candy ass all over Wisconsin, The Rock will go on to Wrestlemania 18, where he will lay the Smack down on Chris Jericho's candy ass, IF YA SMELLLLALALALALALALALAOW! WHAT THE ROCK! IS! COOKIN!"

The Rock drops the mic and leaves.

We're shown a recap from Sunday Night Heat, where The APA, The Dudley Boyz, and The Hardy Boyz are all backstage arguing and pushing each other, when D-Von yells for them to stop and starts talking.

"Guys! Guys! Stop!

We all might hate each other, but in spite of that, we all have one thing in common. We all hate Billy and Chuck more than we could ever hate each other. No matter how many bad things we've done to each other in the past, we need to focus on the common goal tonight.

Bradshaw, Faarooq. Are you sick of Billy and Chuck running roughshod over the tag team division, acting like they own the place?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Jeff, Matt. Are you sick of Billy and Chuck?"

"Hell yeah."

"Absolutely."

"Well, I know for sure me and Bubba are sick to our stomachs of 'em, so, what I say is, we all focus on one thing. Get rid of Billy and Chuck as soon as the match starts, that way, they can't retain the titles, and then? May the best team win. What do you say?"

Everybody in the room agrees as the camera goes back to our arena.

The Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Kiebler) vs The APA vs The Hardy Boyz vs Billy & Chuck (w/ Rico Constantino) - Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match for the World Tag Team Championships
The 3 challenging teams made their way to the ring, and waited for Billy and Chuck, but as Billy and Chuck walked down the ramp, all 6 of their opponents came after them and a mass brawl erupted, with everybody trying to get their hands on Billy and Chuck. Eventually, the referee managed to get some order, and the match began with Billy and Faarooq. Faarooq rained down the shots in the corner, and for a while, everybody tagged in frequently and beat down on Billy and Chuck. Chuck tagged in Matt Hardy, and to the relief of Billy and Chuck, they were able to rest for a while. Matt and D-Von Dudley exchanged shots for a while, until D-Von sent Matt over the top, causing the match to implode once again, with everybody brawling. Jeff Hardy was sent careening in to the barricade by Bradshaw, and Bubba Dudley had his head bounced off of the announce table by Chuck. Even Rico Constantino got caught up in the brawl, with Faarooq pushing him to the floor. The referee was eventually able to regain some control over the match with Matt and D-Von going after each other in the ring once again. After a short while, Matt tagged in Bradshaw, who immediately came in and hit D-Von with clubbing shots to the back, and whipped him spine first into the corner. As D-Von rebounded off of the corner, Bradshaw almost decapitated him with a brutal clothesline from hell. Bradshaw went for the pin, but it was broken up by Jeff Hardy. D-Von crawled away from the pin and tagged in Bubba Ray, and Bradshaw tagged in Faarooq. Faarooq came running in and went for a shot the face of Bubba, but Bubba wisely ducked it, and hooked Faarooq's arms for the Bubba Bomb. As Bubba Ray was getting back to his feet, Jeff Hardy blind tagged Faarooq and came flying off the top with a dropkick to Bubba. Jeff then grabbed him by the legs, and came crashing down with the trademark double boots to the gut. As Bubba Ray used the ropes to help get himself up, D-Von tagged himself in. Jeff tried to grab Bubba by the face, but Hardy was pushed away into the ropes, and when he bounced off, Bubba bought him up, and D-Von bought him down with the 3D! Matt Hardy almost immediately ran into the ring and broke up the pinfall, and even managed to clothesline Bubba Ray over the top rope. D-Von got up, but he was met with Faarooq, who planted him in the mat with a spinebuster. Faarooq then turned his attention to a weakened Jeff Hardy, however, it appeared that Hardy was playing possum, as he was able to kick Faarooq in the gut and hit him with the Twist Of Fate. Seeing that Faarooq, D-Von, and Bradshaw were all down, and Matt was brawling with Bubba, keeping him at bay, Jeff Hardy looked to seize the opportunity. He climbed to the top rope and called for the Swanton Bomb, but from seemingly out of nowhere, Rico Constantino pushed Hardy off of the top rope, distracting him, and allowing Billy to capitalise and hit the Fameasser to retain the Tag Team Championships.
Winners: Billy & Chuck (14:36)

Billy, Chuck, and Rico stood and looked on from the top of the ramp as the 3 opposing teams seemed disappointed that once again, Billy and Chuck had stolen a win from all of them.

A promo for Wrestlemania X8 is shown.

Edge vs Booker T - 2 Out Of 3 Falls
Booker T came out to an unfavourable reaction from the fans, as usual. However, Edge came out to raucous cheers, and, as JR put it, "The Edgeheads were out and in full effect!". The match began with Booker going for a double leg, with Edge avoiding it, and Booker falling over, causing the crowd to laugh. Edge chuckled, and the two locked up. Booker transitioned into a headlock, but Edge turned around into a waistlock. Edge bought Booker down to the mat stomach-first, and moved around into a front chancery. Edge, still with the chancery locked in, bought Booker to his feet, but Book used his leg to trip Edge backwards and fall to the mat. Booker then went down, and locked Edge in a headlock. Booker wrenched on it, but Edge wrapped his legs around Booker's head and locked him in the leg scissors. Booker used his legs to kick out of the scissors, and made it back to his feet. The crowd applauded a tremendous show of wrestling, and both men then went into a Greco-Roman Knuckle-lock. Booker gained the upper hand, twisting Edge's hands, but Edge showed great strength and pushed Booker down, with Booker's back arched over Edge's knee. Booker however was able to pull himself back up, and took a cheap shot by kicking Edge in the gut. With Edge winded, Booker seized the opportunity, and bought Edge down on his spine with a back suplex. Book went for the pinfall, but Edge kicked out. After he made it back to a vertical base, Edge moved towards Booker, but Book grabbed him by the arm, turned it around, and wrenched on it with the standing armbar. Edge was able to free his arm from Booker's grip, but Booker once again kicked Edge in the gut. This time however, Booker performed his signature kick to the head and went for the cover, but Edge once again powered out at two. Booker kept Edge on the mat for a while, transitioning between holds. After a while, Booker bought Edge back to his feet, but Edge struck Booker in the face, and went for a clothesline, but Booker was able to pull off a great counter, by ducking the clothesline attempt and instead hitting Edge with the Book-End! Booker immediately hooked the leg, and was able to get the 3 count and the first fall.
First Fall: Booker T (8:16)

"So far, this match has been pretty much all Booker T.", noted The King. Booker began to show off, and even pulled off a spin-a-roonie in the middle of the ring. "Wasting your time like this isn't wise when you're in there with somebody like Edge, who is ever the opportunist.", exclaimed JR. After Booker finished celebrating, he walked over to Edge, but he wasted too much time, as Edge was able to roll him up in the small package for the pinfall!
First Fall: Edge (9:06)

Seemingly infuriated that things were even again, Booker appeared to lose his cool, and began viciously stomping away on Booker in the corner. Booker lifted Edge back up to a vertical base, and rocked him with a stiff uppercut. Booker then pulled Edge out of the corner, maintained his grip, and hit him with a stiff clothesline. Booker went for the cover, but Edge just barely kicked out at 2. Booker got up on his knees, put his hands on his head, and pounded the mat. He grabbed Edge and went for another Book-End, but this time, Edge had the wherewithal to elbow Booker in the side of the head, and bought him down on his face with the Edge-U-Cution! Both men lied down motionless on the mat, as referee Nick Patrick began the 10 count. Patrick got all the way to 9, as both men were able to get to their feet just before he reached 10. Booker and Edge met each other in the center of the ring, and began exchanging blows. The crowd could be heard exclaiming "YAY!" at every Edge shot, and "BOO!" at every Booker T shot. After a short exchange, Edge gained the advantage, until for a 3rd time, Booker caught him in the gut with a kick. This time, however, Booker backed off into the ropes, and came down on Edge's head and neck with the Scissors Kick. It took him a while, but Booker eventually crawled to the cover, only to get 2, as Edge had his foot under the bottom rope. By this point, Booker was clearly frustrated. He pounded the mat in anger, then got to his feet, and called for Edge to get up, too. Edge slowly did, and for the second time in the match, Edge set him up for the Scissors Kick, but this time, as Booker came off the ropes, Edge bounced off the other set, and went right through Booker with a vicious spear! Edge immediately hooked the leg, and got the final pinfall and the victory!
2nd Fall: Edge (14:37)

Edge, visibly drained after such a gruelling battle, got up to his feet, and had his hand raised by the referee. Over in the corner, Booker was using the top turnbuckle to prop himself up. Booker slowly walked into the middle of the ring, and he was met with Edge, who extended his hand for a handshake, which JR described as "A great show of sportsmanship and class from this young man Edge". Booker shook the hand of Edge, only to pull him in, and drop him on his back with the Book-End. JR then said "I spoke too soon. What a blatant display of jealousy by Booker T". Booker left, as the crowd booed him.

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Kurt Angle, and Kelly asks Angle what his thoughts are headed into his match with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and how he feels after getting hit with the Stone Cold Stunner not once, but twice in the same night this past Friday night on Smackdown, to which Angle replies..

"What the hell are you talking about? Stone Cold Steve Austin took the easy way out, and cheapshotted me twice in the same night, because that's exactly what Steve Austin is. A coward. And tonight, after I beat him for the second time in a week, Steve Austin is gonna know never to pick a fight with Kurt Angle again. Oh, it's true. It's damn true."

Angle leaves.

WWF Women's Championship - Jazz vs Trish Stratus
Jazz made her way to the ring to boos from the fans, but the ever popular Stratus came out to loud cheers. The poor reaction from the crowd seemed to only infuriate Jazz, as almost as soon as the bell rang, she ran right through Trish with a clothesline. Jazz treated the champion like a rag doll for most of the early stages of the matches, throwing her around, punching and kicking her. The King asked "Could this be the end of Stratus' title run?", to which JR replied "It could well be King, but you can never count Stratus out, she is loaded with heart and intestinal fortitude". Jazz could be heard yelling "Come on, Trish? What you got? What you got? You ain't nothin'". Halfway through the match, Jazz looked like she was about to put Stratus away after a brutal tree trunk slam, but the champion was just barely able to get her shoulder up before 3. Jazz picked the champ up again and flexed her arms, but she would soon go on to regret it, as Trish took advantage and kicked her in the gut. Stratus then used the ropes for assistance, and came flying off of them with a tornado DDT to Jazz. Trish then looked to keep the offence going, running towards Jazz in the corner and connecting with a Stratus Splash. With Jazz on the defensive, Trish called for her to get up for the Chick Kick, and when Jazz finally got up, Trish went for the kick, but Jazz was able to duck it. Jazz then grabbed Stratus and placed her arm over her shoulders, possibly looking for a back suplex, but Trish pulled off a great counter, by running into the ropes, still holding onto Jazz, and hitting the Stratusfaction for the 3 count to retain her title.
Winner: Trish Stratus

Lance Storm and Test vs Tazz and Kane
Waving their giant Canadian flag, Storm and Test first made their way to the ring, accompanied by Christian, of course. As they stood in the ring waiting for their opponents, Taz's theme song hit, but he was nowhere to be seen. The lights in the arena flickered off for a second, and unbeknownst to the Un-American's, Kane and Taz were standing right behind them. Kane raised his arms and set off his signature pyro, causing Storm, Test, and Christian to turn around, and giving Taz and Kane the opportunity to go after them. Taz came down on top of Storm with the Lou Thesz Press, and Kane rocked Test with Uppercuts in the corner. Before the bell had even rang, the action spilled over to the outside, with Taz and Storm brawling by the ramp and Test and Kane going at it by the announce tables. Taz launced Storm into the steel steps, causing him to go crashing into them shoulder first, while Kane whipped Test into the announce table and hit him with a shoulder block to the gut. Christian, the third member of the Un-Americans, grabbed the 2X4 that their Canadian flag was attached to, and hit Kane in the back with it, but it did practically nothing to "The Big Red Machine". Kane turned around and met Christian, and all "Captain Charisma" could do was run away, but before Kane had a chance to chase him, Test hit him with a shot from behind, and sent him headfirst into the ring post. As Christian was still backing away, he walked right into Taz, who began hitting Christain with rights and lefts, until Lance Storm came from behind, and smashed Taz in the back of the head with a steel chair. Test threw Kane into the ring, Storm and Christian threw Taz into the ring, and the assault began, with Taz and Kane being dominated by the trio. After a while, William Regal came down the ramp, which solidified any rumours that he'd joined the Un-Americans, but he was stopped halfway down the ramp by Diamond Dallas Page, who span him around and struck Regal right in the head. Page then grabbed the chair that Christian used to attack Taz, got in the ring, and stopped Test, Christian, and Storm from continuing their attack on Kane and Taz. The Un-American's moved up the ramp, as DDP, and a wounded Taz and Kane looked on.
Winners: No contest (00:00)

Backstage, Chris Jericho can be seen getting ready to referee the main event, when he's interrupted by Vince McMahon.

"Chris?"

"Yeah? Oh, hey, Vince."

"Could I have a word with you in private?"

"Yeah.. sure."

Jericho leaves.

Kurt Angle vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
"YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!" can be heard throughout the arena, as Kurt Angle makes his way to the ring. Angle waits for Austin, and as the glass shatters, the sound of cheers from the Millwaukee crowd was deafening. Austin and Angle went after each other immediately, with both men going for the lock up, and Angle gaining the upper hand by transitioning from the front grapple into a headlock, then into a snapmare, and then into a rear chinlock. Angle maintained the upper hand on the ground for a while, keeping Austin on the mat and making sure he didn't get an opening to attack. Angle went for the Ankle Lock after he felt he'd softened up the lower body of Stone Cold enough, but Austin wisely crawled to the bottom rope before Angle had the chance to fully lock in the hold. After Austin crawled the bottom rope, Angle began to stomp on the ankle of Austin, and then wrapped his leg around the ropes, twisting his leg into an unnatural position at the knee. Angle was eventually forced to break the hold after the referee's count of 5, but that didn't stop Angle from picking Austin up and launching him across the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex. Angle then grabbed Austin once more, and threw him across the ring with another belly-to-belly. Angle picked him up and went for a third belly-to-belly, but this time, Austin was able to get out of it, push Kurt away, and hit him with a clothesline. As Angle sat up, Austin came up behind him and locked in a sleeper. Angle reached and tried to get to the ropes, but Austin maintained the hold. Angle was forced to drop to one knee, however, after reaching as far as he could, Angle made it to the ropes. Angle slowly got up to his feet, as did Stone Cold. Austin walked over to Angle, and hit him with a number of strikes, but Angle was able to poke Austin in the eye and push him away. After regaining his composure, Angle moved towards Stone Cold, but Austin was one step ahead, jumped on top of Austin, and rained down the punches with the Lou Thesz Press. Austin stood up and called for Angle to get up too. Angle crawled over and used Austin's legs to help get himself up, but it was a trick, as Angle tripped Austin by the leg and trapped him in the Ankle Lock. Angle pulled and wrenched on Austin's ankle in the middle of the ring, and eventually grape-vined it. The King noted that "If Austin is forced to tap out to Kurt Angle for the second time in a week here, that could be huge for Angle!". Austin, lying on his front and grimacing in pain, used every ounce of strength in his body to roll over onto his back in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure from the Ankle Lock. Austin stretched his arm as far as it could go, and just barely got his fingers to the bottom rope. "Austin made it to the bottom rope, but that had to take a hell of a lot out of him", exclaimed JR. Stone Cold, now practically on one leg, barely made it to a vertical base. He took a wild swing at Angle, but Kurt easily ducked it. Austin went for another shot, but Angle ducked that one too. Austin went for a third shot, but this time, not only did Angle duck it, he took the arm of Austin over his head, bought him up, and dropped him down with the Angle Slam. Kurt slowly crawled to the cover, but only got 2, as Austin was barely able to get the shoulder up before 3. Angle put his hands on his head, stood up, and pulled the straps of his singlet down, signalling for another Angle Slam. Austin, using the corner to assist him, slowly got to his feet. Angle tried to grab Austin and throw him with the Angle Slam once again, but Austin connected with a punch to the gut, pushed Kurt away, and dropped him on his head with a DDT. Austin, once again forced to use the ropes to get to his feet, got up slowly, as did Angle. Angle struck Austin in the face a number of times and whipped him into the opposing corner. Angle ran over to Stone Cold, but Austin had the wherewithal to kick Angle in the gut and hit him with the Stunner from out of nowhere. Austin cautiously crawled over to Angle, and draped his arm over Angle's chest for the cover. Referee Earl Hebner began the count, but Austin got 2.9, with Angle draping his foot over the bottom rope. Austin rolled over onto his gut, and Angle got up. The camera showed a close up on Angle's face, where his eyes appeared to widen, and he gritted his teeth. The King noted that "It appears Angle is tapping into a second wind". Angle got up, grabbed Austin by the head, and struck him a number of times with punches and elbows. Angle turned around and backed off into the ropes, but as he came back, Austin flipped him the bird and hit a second Stone Cold Stunner for the pin and the win!
Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (17:12)

Austin got up, and limped over to the ropes. He climbed to the top ropes, and raised his arms in his trademark pose, but, from behind, Kurt Angle ripped him off to top rope, took him down by the legs, and locked him in the Ankle Lock, pulling and twisting as hard as he could. Hebner tried to pull him off, as did Mike Chioda, Charles Robinson, and Nick Patrick, but they all failed to pull him away. However, to the surprise of everybody in the arena, we heard Chris Benoit's theme for the first time in almost a year after he'd been sidelined with a neck injury. "Kurt Angle looks like he's seen a ghost!" exclaimed JR. Angle frantically ran and tried to escape through the middle ropes, but BENOIT grabbed him by the singlet, pulled him in, and threw him across the ring with a German Suplex. Angle rolled to the outside, as Benoit looked on, and Jerry said "Chris Benoit is back and back with a vengeance!".

We're shown shots of Triple H, The Rock, and Chris Jericho backstage, as we get ready for our main event of the evening. A promo hyping the match is shown, and we get things underway.

#1 Contender's Match for the WWF Undisputed Championship - Triple H vs The Rock (w/ Special Guest Referee Chris Jericho)
Jericho first made his way to the ring, in full referee gear. The Rock then made his way to the ring, followed by Triple H. Both men got good reactions, and the match began with Triple H and The Rock feeling each other out, each trying to goad their opponent into making a mistake. After locking up and switching between holds whilst stood and on the mat for a while, both men broke their holds, and faced off with each other. They locked up once again, this time with Triple H backing The Rock into the corner, with Jericho breaking it up. Triple H got in Jericho's face, to which Jericho responded by pulling on his referee's shirt, almost to tell Triple H "you can't touch me". Triple H then lit up Rocky's chest with a series of Knife Edge Chops, then rolled him away from the corner with a snapmare, and came flying down on Rocky's face with a knee drop. Hunter went for a cover, but The Rock kicked out at 2. Triple H then lifted Rock back up to his feet, whipped him into the ropes and went for a high knee, but Rocky was able to dodge it, and as Triple H turned around, Rock met him in the face with his signature strikes, and went for the big shot, but Triple H was able to duck the shot this time, and Triple H this time hit The Rock in the face with strikes. Triple H stepped back for a second, which would prove costly, as Rock would be able to kick him in the gut and hit him with a Reverse Swinging Neckbreaker. Triple H sat up, and Rock bought him to his feet, and bounced his head off of the top turnbuckle. Rock then held onto the head of Triple H, and bounced his head off the opposing turnbuckle. Rock turned Triple H around, and hit him with a number of punches to the face, but Triple H was able to push him away and connect with a vicious clothesline, taking Rocky right to the mat. Triple H went for the cover, but The Rock was able to kick out. Triple H then bought the action to the mat for the next portion of the match, working The Rock over and wearing him down. After a decent amount of time spent mat wrestling, Triple H got up to his feet and bought The Rock with him. Triple H pushed Rock into the ropes and appeared to be going for a back body drop, but he telegraphed it, and that allowed The Rock to connect with a kick to the face of Triple H and plant him with a spinebuster. Rocky got back up, and called for the People's Elbow. Rock removed the elbow pad and ran into the ropes, but as he came back, Triple H was able to hit him with a Facebuster, push Rock into the ropes, and hit him with a spinebuster of his own. Triple H got up, and signalled that he was ready to end things with the Pedigree. Rocky got back to a vertical base, and Triple H went for the kick to the gut to set him up for the Pedigree, but The Rock caught the boot, used it to pull Triple H closer to him, and hit him with the Rock Bottom. Slowly, The Rock called to the cover, but Triple H just barely kicked out at 2. The Rock got back up and in referee Chris Jericho's face, accusing him of a slow count, and Jericho got right back in The Rock's face, once again pulling the shirt, signifying that he was in charge. The Rock and Chris Jericho continued to argue with each other, until Jericho pushed Rock away. Rock attempted to push Jericho again, but just stopped himself before he caused a disqualification on his part. After wasting some time arguing with Jericho, Rock turned his attention back to Triple H, but it appeared he took too long in doing so, as Triple H was able to capitalise on the tike he had and use it recover. Triple H kicked Rock in the gut, and connected with the Pedigree. With The Rock lying down on his back and a worn out Triple H on his knees, from seemingly out of nowhere, referee Chris Jericho cracked Triple H in the skull with a sickening shot with the WWF Championship. Jericho then threw the titles out of the ring, and began to count, at a somewhat questionably fast speed. Jericho made it to 10, and the match ended in a no-contest.
Winner: No Contest (18:56)

Jericho stood in the ring, ripped off his referee's shirt, grabbed his Undisputed Championship belts, raised them in the air, and stood above his fallen enemies as the camera faded to black and our show finished.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[King Of Spice]

WWF.COM EXCLUSIVE -

The World Wrestling Federation is proud to announce that this coming August, the WWF will be bringing the Global Warning Tour to Melbourne, for an exclusive PPV to Australian fans!

[King Of Spice]

WWF.COM EXCLUSIVE -

Ahead of Monday Night Raw this evening from Boston, Massachusetts, WWF Superstars Edge and Triple H appeared on WCVB Channel 5's Good Day! Morning News, with host Chet Curtis even challenging Edge to a match at Wrestlemania, which Edge respectfully declined.

[King Of Spice]

February 18th, 2002 | FleetCenter, Boston, MA.

JR and The King welcomed us to WWF Raw, as we got things underway immediately with Raw General Manager Ric Flair coming down to the ring.

"Now, as a lot of you may have saw, last night, at the end of the match between Triple H and The Rock, the referee, Chris Jericho, hit Triple H in the head with a title belt, causing the match to end in a double count out. So, Chris Jericho, you better get your ass out here brother, because you got some explaining to do."

Chris Jericho's theme hits and he gets into the ring.

"What the hell do yo-"

"You shut up when I'm talking. You know damn well what you did last night and I know exactly why you did it. You caused that match to end in a double count out so you didn't have to face anybody at Wrestlemania, didn't you?"

"No."

"Oh yeah you did, but you didn't think that one through all the way, did you? Since there was no clear winner last night, at Wrestlemania, it's gonna be Chris Jericho.. vs-"

"Now, ho-"

"Son, did you not hear me? I told you to shut the hell up, and by god, you will shut the hell up. The bottom line of this situation is that you cost both men that match to try and get out of a match at Wrestlemania.


So, since you didn't wanna do things the easy way, you're gonna do them the hard way."

Jericho stands there looking confused.

"Rock, Hunter, if you'd come down to the ring, please."

The Rock and Triple H both make their respective ways to the ring, and Flair begins to speak again.

"Now. I called both of you men out here, since this decision involves the two of you. As there was no clear winner last night, I have decided that at Wrestlemania, the main event is gonna be you, Chris Jericho.. vs you, The Rock.. vs you.. Triple H.. in a Triple Threat Match for the WWF Undisputed Championship."

Rock and Triple H smile as Jericho goes completely ballistic, throwing his arms in the air and screaming. Jericho tries to get out of the ring, but Flair stops him.

"Woah, woah, woah, Chris, I'm not done with you yet, you're not going anywhere kid. Since you did break the rules last night and you did abuse your position of power, I have to punish you. And I've decided on what that punishment is. In tonight's Raw main event, we're gonna have ourselves a WWF Undisputed Championship match. It's gonna be, you, "The Best In The World", "The Ayatollah Of Rock N' Rolla", Chris Jericho, taking on none other.. than "The Big Red Machine, Kane!"

The crowd erupts in cheers, as Jericho begins to yell and puts his hands on his head once again.

Flair leaves, as Jericho stands in the ring, looking distressed. Rock and Triple H laugh at Jericho as we cut to a commercial break.

- Commercial Break -

A graphic is shown, advertising our main event of the evening, Chris Jericho vs Kane for the WWF Undisputed Championship.



Val Venis makes his entrance to the ring, and grabs a microphone.

"Hello, ladies!

You see, we're on the road to Wrestlemania.. and it's almost time to arrive.. but The Big Valbowski is gonna make one more stop before the end, for one lucky lady, right here in Boston. ..heheheheheh.

And tonight, after I've beaten Bob Holly, and I've come from above with The Money Shot.. I'm gonna go and find that girl, and.. come from above once again with The Money Shot! Hahaha."

Val Venis vs Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly, clearly unimpressed with Venis' antics, came down to the ring and the match began. Holly kept the match in his favour for much of the early goings and the middle portion of the match, keeping Venis down on the mat. Val fought his way back, however, and even launched Holly off the top with a Superplex. After a while, Bob had control again, and walked towards Venis, but Val planted him with a Spinebuster, then "came from above" with The Money Shot to secure the victory.
Winner: Val Venis (8:14)

Vince McMahon is backstage in his office talking to Chris Jericho.

"What the hell are we gonna do?!"

"Hold on.. I think I've got a plan."

Vince notices the cameraman.

"What are you doing? Get the hell out of here!"

The camera cuts back to the arena.

Kurt Angle's theme hits and he comes to the ring, and begins to speak.

"Last night, I was about to snap Stone Cold Steve Austin's ankle in two, until.. Chris Benoit comes down to the ring like a knight in shining armour and stops me? Why did you do it Chris? Is it because of the fact that you know I'm better than you eats away inside of you? Is it because your jealous? Is that why you had to drag your broken ass out of bed and pick a fight with me? Huh? Well if it's a fight you want..

you're not gonna get one from me. I've beaten your ass before, hell, I was the one who broke your neck and took a year off of your career. So, no, I'm not gonna face yo-"

Angle is interrupted by Chris Benoit's theme song. Benoit appears at the top of the stage, and walks down to the ring.

"Kurt, the reason I stopped you is simple. I want my rematch from last years Wrestlemania. I kicked your ass all around the Astrodome, until, like always, you had to cheat to beat me. You may well be a former WWF Champion, but that doesn't make you better than me, and you know it doesn't Kurt."

"Oh, you think you're better than me? Huh? Remind me, Chris, when was the last time you were WWF Champion? Huh? When was the last time you beat Stone Cold Steve Austin? Huh? When was the last time you beat 5 of the greatest WWF Superstars of all time in an Armageddon Hell In A Cell match? Huh? When was the last time you won an Olympic Gold Medal with-"

""A broken freakin' neck" blah, blah, blah, Kurt, we get it, your accolades speak for themselves, but in all of those accomplishments, there is one thing that you've never done, Kurt, and that's beaten me clean, or made me tap out. I'm challenging you to this match at Wrestlemania, not only so I can finally beat you and embarrass you in my own country, but so I can show you exactly why they call me "The Canadian Crippler". There are two ways we can do this. Number one, you agree to the match, and snap your arm in two at Wrestlemania, or, number 2. You don't agree to this match, I snap your arm in two, force you to agree to the match, and snap your other arm in two at Wrestlemania. What's it gonna be, Kurt?"

"What's it gonna be? Benoit, I'd like to see you try and snap my arm."

Angle laughs, drops his microphone, and tries to leave through the ropes, but Benoit grabs him by the arm, pulls him in the middle of the ring, and traps him in the Crippler Crossface. He pulls and pulls, and asks Angle..

"What do you say, Kurt? Do you agree to the match?"

"Hell no."

Angle yells in pain, as Benoit wrenches on the hold even more.

"OK! I AGREE! YOU'VE GOT YOUR MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA!"

Benoit released the hold and rolled out of the ring as his theme song played. Angle clutched his arm, as Benoit looked on and laughed.

- Commercial Break -

Lita vs Jazz
After unsuccessfully challenging the Women's Champion at No Way Out, who happened to be sat on commentary, Jazz looked to bounce back by defeating Lita. Jazz displayed her impressive power from start to finish, but the scrappy Lita kept fighting back and just wouldn't stay down. Further into the match, Jazz got distracted and started to argue with Stratus, who was on commentary, and it would cost her, as Lita was able to roll her up and score a pinfall victory.
Winner: Lita (7:35)

Jonathan Coachman is backstage, and informs us that "in a match just announced for Wrestlemania, DDP, Taz, and Kane will meet Lance Storm, Christian, and Test. And that joining me at this time, are those three men, Storm, Christian, and Test, along with William Regal. Gu-"

Regal takes the microphone.

"Give us the mic, you filthy American. You'll speak when you're spoken too. You see, last night at No Way Out, we had the upper hand on Taz and Kane, until that reptile of a human being DDP had to come down and stick his ugly nose where it doesn't belong. And now, Page, you're about to regret it. Because if it's a fight you wanted, then it's a fight you'll get. It's going to be Test, Christian, and Storm, embarassing you, Taz, and Kane, in their home country. The true land of the free. A place we can all appreciate. A nation to be proud of. Canada."

The Un-Americans leave.

- Commercial Break -

Booker T, microphone in hand, comes down to the ring.

"Last night at No Way Out, I was robbed, man. I had Edge beat in the middle of the ring, 1, 2, 3, I was about to get the final fall, but from out of nowhere, he blindsided me. Hell, it wasn't my fault! I went into that match with a fractured toe. I was not at 100%, and Edge took advantage of that. So, I think that I deserve my rematch."

JR remarks that what Booker is saying is "pathetic" and "the result of his own jealousy towards Edge".

King replies "Come on, JR! The man was injured".

Edge's theme hits and he gets into the ring.

"Book.. come on. You know exactly what happened last night. Hell, I would have said that you earned my respect last night. You took me to the limit, and at the end of it, I was willing to shake your hand.. but every single ounce of respect that I had for you went right out of the window when you cheapshotted me and hit me with the Book-End. Booker, I honestly don't know why you keep trying. I embarrassed you in the Battle Royal in January. I embarrassed you in the Royal Rumble. Every time you and I have come face to face since then, I've embarrassed you, and last night, I embarrassed you again. Book, if you want this match, you got it, but I hope you're ready to be embarrassed once again."

Edge's theme hits and he leaves.

Rob Van Dam vs Maven
Maven took RVD to the absolute limit and gave him everything he had. The action spilled to the outside, and when Van Dam went for a split-legged moonsault, Maven caught him, and slammed him into the barricade spine first. Maven then hung him in the tree of woe, and caught him right in the head with a hesitation dropkick on the outside. As the match progressed, Maven retained control, and went for the Halo DDT after a while, but Van Dam was able to get out of it and catch Maven in the side of the head with a spin kick. RVD then climbed to the top and hit the 5 Star Frog Splash for the pin and the win.
Winner: Rob Van Dam (7:16)

Van Dam raised Maven's hand after the match finished.

- Commercial Break -

A promo for Wrestlemania X8 is shown.

Bradshaw (w/ Faarooq) vs Kanyon
Kanyon made his returned and got right in the face of Bradshaw, and even had the advantage for a while, striking and kicking Bradshaw into the corner, but made the mistake of turning his back, as Bradshaw almost decapitated him with the Clothesline From Hell for the victory, which had to put the rest of the tag team division on notice.
Winner: Bradshaw (00:45)

In the locker room, Kane is sat down, adjusting his elbow pads and preparing himself for his Undisputed Title match against Jericho, when Taz and DDP walk in.

"Hey, Kane?"

"Look, man. We know how much this means to you. Hell, the reason we're all in this business is to be World Champion, and tonight, you have the chance to become World Champion. So, we just wanna let you know, we're gonna be out there tonight. If Regal, Taz, Storm, and Test try anything, we'll be there to stop 'em."

"We got your back, man. Go and get 'em."

Kane nods, gets up, and leaves.

Kane vs Chris Jericho (c) - WWF Undisputed Championship
Triple H and The Rock first made their respective ways to the ring, with both men taking seats at the announce table with JR and The King.
The usually cocky and full of himself Jericho made his way to the ring first, knowing full well that he was the underdog going into this match. Kane then came out to the ring, and JR noted that "Kane is an unstoppable machine when he has it in him. When Kane is at 100%, I truly believe there is no man better than him. And Chris Jericho knows that, and Kane knows that Chris Jericho knows that. This is the biggest match of Kane's career, and I guarantee you folks that he will not let this opportunity go to waste." Taz and DDP followed behind, and stood beside the ring, in support of Kane. The match began with Jericho going right after Kane, wildly swinging with rights and lefts to the chest and gut of Kane, all of which had no effect. Jericho then backed himself into the ropes and went for another shot, but once again, "The Big Red Machine" simply brushed it off. Jericho looked at Kane for a second, but was sent flying to the mat after an uppercut. Kane then bought Jericho to the outside, bounced him head first off of the announce table, and sent the Champion into the barricade. Kane then rained down rights and lefts, and attempted to throw Jericho head first into the ring post, but "Y2J" had other plans, and instead it was him who knocked Kane into the ring post. Jericho then wasted no time in going back on the offensive, frantically punching and kicking Kane, and then slamming him into the steel steps shoulder first. The Champion then grabbed the challenger and bought him back into the ring, to which JR remarked "Well, I don't know how smart that is". Jericho then stomped away at Kane, and used the bottom and middle ropes to choke "The Big Red Machine" and gain an unfair advantage. Jericho, to the surprise of many, did a relatively good job of keeping Kane on the mat for a good chunk of the match. That was, until, Kane pushed Jericho off of him, and rocked him with the big boot. Kane then climbed to the top rope and came flying off of it with a clothesline. Kane then called for the Chokeslam, and had Jericho goozled, but the Champion wisely connected with a kick to the knee. Jericho then ran back into the ropes and launched himself at Kane with a cross-body attempt, but Kane just caught him, and countered the move into a tombstone! Kane looked like he was about to put Jericho away, but the Un-Americans came running down the ramp, not only gaining the attention of Taz and DDP, but Kane himself, too. Taz brawled with Christian as Storm brawled with DDP. Test and Regal went to the other side of the ring, but Triple H and The Rock would stop them. Triple H went after Test, and The Rock went after Regal. As they were brawling, Ric Flair came running down the ramp to try and stop things. Flair bought security with him, but even though security did their best to seperate everybody, they couldn't keep everybody from brawling with one another. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Mr McMahon came through the crowd, and passed something through the ropes to Jericho. It was unclear what the item was, but it became apparent that it was a led pipe when Jericho struck Kane across the back of the head with it. Jericho called the referee over, which allowed him to get the 3 count and retain his title, once again.
Winner: Chris Jericho (14:57)

Taz and DDP checked on Kane, as Triple H and The Rock stared down Jericho. The Un-Americans backed up the stage, and Jericho fell to his knees on the ramp, holding both championships. Mr McMahon walked over to Jericho and patted him on the shoulder. Jericho then got up, and McMahon raised his arm in the air. Ric Flair looked on, and the show closed.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[King Of Spice]

February 22, 2002, Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado.

Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way to the ring to open Smackdown, mic in hand.

Now, in case you didn't notice, I was unfortunately absent from Raw this past Monday night, the reason being that Kurt Angle almost snapped my damn leg in two. Now, I would have loved to have been there to kick Kurt Angle's ass once again, but it seems that Chris Benoit is gonna take care of that. So, sittin' at home, Ol' Stone Cold thought to himself, "Hey, I got some unfinished business to attend to". So tonight, I'm gonna call out the man who almost damn near broke my neck again, The Undertak-"

Vince McMahon's theme hits, and he gets into the ring.

"Austin, as much as you want to fight The Undertaker, you won't be able to while he's suspended from his WWF Contract, like he has been since the Royal Rumble. However.. I'm willing to break that suspension.. on one condition.


You beat me in tonight's main event, and I will re-instate The Undertaker."

"Has Mr. McMahon gone nuts?!" exclaimed Michael Cole.

"Vince, I don't know if I've hit ya one too many times, so if you can't remember, I beat your ass close to 10,000 times in 1998 alone. So, if you wanna fight me in tonight's main event? You got it."

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on a second Austin. There will be an added stipulation to the match. You'll have to beat me with not one, but both arms handcuffed behind your back."

"I could kick your punk ass if I had no arms and no legs, so if you wanna see Stone Cold kick Vince McMahon's ass once again, with both arms handcuffed behind his back, gimme a "hell yeah"!"

"HELL YEAH!"

JR then declared "It's gonna be Stone Cold vs Mr. McMahon! If Austin wins, Undertaker is re-instated, but he has to face McMahon with both arms handcuffed behind his back!" before we cut to a commercial break.

- Commercial Break -

A graphic hyping our main event is shown.


Cruiserweight Title Tournament - Justin Credible vs Matt Hardy
Credible, who hadn't been seen a while due to an ankle injury, made his return to action in the Cruiserweight Title Tournament, going one on one with Matt Hardy. Credible took control of Matt in the early goings, but Hardy was able to shift things back in his favour after a DDT. Matt maintained control through the middle and later stages of the match, but he made one slip up by calling for the Side Effect, because he took too long, which allowed Justin to roll him up in a small package and advance to the second round.
Winner: Justin Credible (6:36)

Backstage, Vince McMahon is in his office, on the phone.

"Uh, yes, yes. Could you tell Mr. Flair that he needs to be here tonight? Yes? Ok, thank you."

A knock is heard at the door.

"Vince?"

"Ah, Chris! Come in! Have a seat."

"Thanks."

"So, what did I tell you? Monday worked like a charm. Was I right?"

"Yeah, you were right, but, the reason I came in here was because I'm worried."

"Why?"

"Well, you challenged Stone Cold Steve Austin to a match tonight, and to be quite honest, with all due respect, I don't know what the hell you're thinking."

"Haha, Chris. Trust me - there is absolutely no reason to be worried. I have this all figured out."

"Are you sure?"

"Ha, 100 percent."

"Alright, but if you need me, I'll be right there."

"I appreciate the offer, but, trust me, I won't be needing you."

"Ok."

- Commercial Break -

Val Venis vs Tajiri
Tajiri, who was recently eliminated from the Cruiserweight Title Tournament by The Hurricane, looked to get back up the ladder and into contention for the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Val Venis, a man who has been on a roll as of late, earning victories over Bob Holly and former Intercontinental Champion William Regal. Tajiri had most of the offence for the better part of the match, weakening the midsection of Val with stiff kicks, and even tying him up in the Tarantula submission manoeuvre in the corner, but Venis wasn't going to down without a fight, and rocked "The Japanese Buzzsaw" with shots to the head. After Tajiri once again gained the advantage and ran into the ropes, Venis was able to finish him off after a Spinebuster followed by The Money Shot.
Winner: Val Venis (7:19)

Backstage, a limousine arrives in the parking lot. A pair of shoes and slacks can be seen stepping out. The camera pans up, and the man is revealed to be Ric Flair.

Vince McMahon's theme begins to play, and he makes his way to the ring.

"Now, at this time, I'm not going to beat around the bush, Ric Flair, I'd like you to come down to the ring, please."

Ric Flair's theme hits, and he comes out to loud cheers from the Colorado fans. Flair walks up the steps and gets into the ring.

"Ric, there is a reason that I asked you to come to the arena tonight. After carefully looking over the reports and analysing your job evaluation these past two weeks, I've come to a decision. It's taken me a long time to figure this out, and I'm sure I've made the right decision.

Ric Flair... YOU'RE! FIIIIIIIIIRRRRREEEEEEEDDDDDD!"

Flair's face dropped, as McMahon stood there laughing at him. The crowd began to boo, as McMahon started to speak again.

"Now get the hell out of my ring, out of this arena, and out of this town, before I have security pull you out."

Flair climbed out of the ropes, and slowly walked to the top of the ramp.
Flair turned around and waved to the crowd, as they cheered him. Michael Cole and JR stood up and applauded him, as did most of the fans in the arena. Vince laughed as we cut to a commercial break.

- Commercial Break -

Bubba Dudley vs Chuck
After a dominating performance by Bradshaw against Kanyon put the whole tag team division on notice on Raw, Bubba Ray and Chuck attempted to do the same here. To the surprise of some, Chuck dominated Bubba in the early stages. JR noted that "Chuck is deceptively big and powerful. Not many people realise it, but Chuck weighs over 270lbs". Chuck went for a pump-handle slam halfway through, but Bubba Ray was just too big, and rocked Chuck right in the face with a stiff shot. Chuck went for a punch of his own, but it allowed Bubba to counter into the Bubba Bomb. Bubba Ray went for the cover, but Rico placed Chuck's foot on the bottom rope, allowing the match to continue, but, unfortunately for Rico, Bubba saw it, climbed out of the ring, and chased after Rico, but Billy came crashing into him with a clothesline, causing the match to end by disqualification.
Winner: No Contest (4:13)

D-Von turned Billy around, and that's when the whole match descended into chaos. The APA came running down to ringside, and joined D-Von in attacking Billy. The Hardyz then came down, and it wasn't long until all teams were fighting each other, and in almost a mirror image of a couple of weeks ago, all four teams had to be separated by security.

Backstage, Vince McMahon is walking down a hallway, when he's stopped by Jonathan Coachman. The Coach asks..

"Sir, we just saw out there in the ring, you publicly fired Ric Flair out there!"

"Haha, yeah, I know, wasn't it great?"

"Uh, I just have one question. Where does this leave Raw? Who's gonna be the General Manager?"

"Oh, you'll see exactly where this leaves Raw this coming Monday. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a match to prepare for."

Vince McMahon leaves, as The Coach looks on, confused.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament - Jeff Hardy vs Spike Dudley
Spike, another superstar who returned for the Cruiserweight Title Tournament, met one half of the Hardy Boyz, Jeff Hardy. Spike came in guns a blazing, coming off the top rope onto Jeff with a flying clothesline. Spike maintained control for a good chunk of time, that was, however, until Hardy came flying off the top rope with the Whisper In The Wind. It wasn't long until Jeff hit the Twist Of Fate and the Swanton Bomb for the pin and the win.
Winner: Jeff Hardy (6:56)

Stone Cold Steve Austin is shown backstage, getting off of a bench in the locker room and leaving through the door, making his way to the ring. Mr. McMahon was then shown in his ring gear, flexing in the mirror, and leaving through the door to his office.

- Commercial Break -

Vince McMahon vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Vince first made his way to the ring, to loud boos from the fans. Stone Cold then made his way to the ring, to the usual raucous cheers. The referee handcuffed Austin, and the match got underway. Vince went after Austin while the referee's back was turned, but Stone Cold got one over on him, by kicking him with a low blow while he had the chance. With McMahon down on his knees, Austin kicked him in the head, and repeatedly stomped mudholes in the corner and walked them dry. As Austin turned around and faced the fans, it gave Vince just enough time to roll out of the ring and run up the entrance ramp. McMahon "fell down on his ass" as JR put it, and the referee counted to 10, resulting in a count out win for Austin.
Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (1:16)

McMahon called for a microphone. Breathing heavily, he began to form a sentence.

"Alright.. Austin.. you win. You beat me.. so.. therefore.. The Undertaker is.. re-instated."

Austin rolled out of the ring and chased after McMahon, The Undertaker's theme began to play for the first time since the Royal Rumble. Undertaker appeared at the top of the stage, but, as Michael Cole pointed out, "Austin can't go anywhere! He's still handcuffed!" Undertaker walked towards Austin, and began to rain down rights and lefts on his head. Undertaker bounced Stone Cold's head off of the barricade, and then just threw Austin against the ground to the ringside area. JR exclaimed "Somebody get some help out here god damn it! Austin's defenceless! He's handcuffed! The Undertaker'll kill him!" Undertaker then stomped away on Austin, and bounced his head off the ring apron. Undertaker bought him into the ring, and dropped Austin head first with the Tombstone Piledriver.

"What a sickening attack. My god, in all my broadcasting career, I don't think I've ever seen anything more disgusting. Yeah, Undertaker's a real tough guy, beating down a man with his hands cuffed."

Smackdown ended.

© 2002, World Wrestling Federation.

[King Of Spice]

Match	Result
Val Venis vs Goldust	Val Venis wins after The Money Shot (5:16)
Tajiri vs Spike Dudley	Tajiri wins after rolling up Spike (4:36)
Mighty Molly vs Jazz	Mighty Molly wins after the Molly-Go-Round (4:45)
The Hardy Boyz vs The APA	The Hardy Boyz win after a Swanton from Jeff (8:13)