Hartwall Arena
Helsinki, Finland
October 24, 2002
With the WWE just two days away from Rebellion, the stars of Smackdown ventured to Helsinki, Finland for a special house show. We got a stacked card with a main event of WWE Champion Brock Lesnar taking on Booker T on loan from Raw. We also got the WWE Tag Team Championship on the line as Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle take on Edge and Rey Mysterio Jr and Cruiserweight champion Jamie Noble puts the strap on the line against Tajiri. Los Guerreros are scheduled to take on Billy and Chuck and we have other prelim matches. Let's get to the action.
Match 1
John Cena vs Billy Kidman
Here's a paradox......Smackdown was airing in the United States on this night although it was taped on Tuesday. Cena faced Kidman on that night and he faces him here as well. Apparently Kidman took it with the shooting star press. Tune in to Smackdown to see how things played out in the United States.
Winner: Kidman by pinfall
Match 2
Funaki and Shannon Moore vs Albert and Crash Holly
Talk about a motley mix of guys. Shannon Moore was finally getting his due on Smackdown and he and Funaki make a good high flying team. Funaki got the win for his team with an inside cradle on Crash.
Winners: Funaki and Moore by pinfall
Match 3
Reverend D'Von (with Ron Simmons) vs Bill Demott
D'Von had been slowly going away from the evil preacher gimmick and had been teaming with Ron recently. Taking on the grumpy Demott does sound like an interesting matchup. D'Von got the win in this one.
Winner: Dudley by pinfall
Match 4
Tajiri vs Jamie Noble for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Noble puts the title on the line against Tajiri and pins him to retain the title.
Winner: Noble by pinfall (still Cruiserweight Champion)
Match 5
Booker T vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship
Originally this was going to be The Undertaker taking on Lesnar in a rematch from No Mercy but Taker had been written off TV after an attack from Big Show. Taking his place was the electrifying Booker T from Raw. Ironically this Saturday it was supposed to be Taker vs Lesnar in London but Taker would have to be replaced then as well. Lesnar got the win to keep the title.
Winner: Lesnar by pinfall (still WWE Champion)
Match 6
Los Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo) vs Chuck Palumbo and Val Venis
If you're wondering why the hell Palumbo would team with Val, this was advertised as Billy & Chuck but Billy Gunn hurt his shoulder and would be out a while. They stuck Val in this as a replacement and he submitted to The Lasso From El Paso to give the victory to the Guerreros.
Winners: Eddie and Chavo by submission
Match 7
Matt Hardy vs Rikishi in a Kiss My Ass match
For some reason, they decided to have a Kiss My Ass match in Finland which I doubt was a common occurrence over there. Naturally Rikishi won and hit Hardy with the stinkface after.
Winner: Rikishi by pinfall
Match 8
Dawn Marie vs Torrie Wilson in a Bra & Panties match
These two had been feuding over the ridiculous Al Wilson storyline and because of their lack of wrestling ability, they're going to try to strip each other in this match. Naturally Torrie Wilson wins it.
Winner: Torrie Wilson
Match 9
Edge and Rey Mysterio Jr vs Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Our main event is pretty much a rematch from No Mercy which nobody is going to complain about because that was one of the best matches of the year. At the end of the match, Angle waffled Mysterio Jr with one of the title belts allowing Benoit to pick up the pin. Angle and Benoit hate each other but they're still a devastating tag team when they're on the same page. Edge and Mysterio chase off the champs to send the fans home happy at least.
Winners: Angle and Benoit by pinfall (still Tag Team Champions)
That was a star studded show for sure to show the fans in Finland. A lot of the feuds on Smackdown were front and center although not having Taker on the card was a bit of a let down. Still, Booker T vs Brock would have been fun to watch. Smackdown couldn't miss at this time and it sounds like a good show from top to bottom....sans the Torrie/Dawn match. Next up on the timeline is tonight's Smackdown even though it was taped. I'll see you there.
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