The fallout from No Mercy is going to be interesting, unfortunately we won't get a reprieve from stupid storylines because while the Katie Vick garbage was going on during Raw, we had the annoying Al Wilson angle going on Smackdown. Still, Smackdown was the superior show and we got some big news. Brock Lesnar is still the WWE champion after beating The Undertaker, Jamie Noble is still the cruiserweight champion, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit are your new WWE Tag Team champions and Big Show just got traded. Let's see how the road to Survivor Series starts from the Smackdown side.
OCTOBER 25, 2002
THE PYRAMID
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
Commentators: Michael Cole and Tazz
After the intro, Michael Cole hypes up tonight's main event of a number 1 contender's tag match between Edge and Rey Mysterio and Los Guerreros plus an appearance by Brock Lesnar. Let's get to our first match.
Match 1
Matt Hardy vs Rikishi
This match stems from last week when Torrie Wilson faked giving Matt a stinkface much to Matt's delight, only for Rikishi to deliver one much to Matt's chagrin. Matt wears the gray cargo pants and throws his V1 tshirt at Rikishi. Rikishi wipes his ass with it and Matt attacks with forearms to the back. Matt hits a big clothesline off the top rope and covers for a deuce. Tazz says Matt needs to put this away early as Cole brings up the trade that was made between Raw and Smackdown as Hardy hits a neckbreaker. Rikishi counters with a Samoan drop and a superkick. Rikishi avalanches Matt in the corner. Matt falls down as Rikishi goes for the stinkface. Matt hits a lowblow but Rikishi elbow him. Matt goes for twist of fate but gets countered into the Rikishi Driver. Rikishi covers for 1...2....3 to end the match. Short and sweet and the crowd's happy with the result. After the match Rikishi puts on a fedora hat and dances, that was pretty funny.
Time of match: 3:37 -
Winner: Rikishi by pinfall
After the match Big Show appears out of nowhere and lays waste to Rikishi. Like I said in my Raw editorial, Big Show got a huge babyface pop for wiping out 3 Minute Warning and Rico. He was traded to Smackdown and clearly he's going to be booked as a monster heel moving forward. Show chokeslams Rikishi with relative ease and grabs a microphone. Show says "My name is the Big Show. I'm 7 foot tall, 500 pounds" like we didn't know that already? Show says he's here to make an impact and there's not one guy in the back that can measure up to him. Show says he's the biggest, baddest man in the universe and he's here to prove it. He challenges WWE champion Brock Lesnar and calls him a coward. Heel vs heel doesn't really draw so someone's turning face, but who? Let's go to commercial.
When we get back, a battered Lesnar arrives with Paul Heyman as we go back to the ring with Stephanie McMahon in the ring next to a giant trophy. She says she made the right decision to trade for the Big Show and the trophy is for the new WWE tag team champions. She brings out Kurt Angle who shakes her hand before raising the huge trophy. She brings out Chris Benoit next who stares at Kurt parading around with the trophy. Angle says she was right to force him to put aside his differences with Benoit to singlehandedly lead his team to victory at No Mercy. Angle mocks Benoit calling himself the captain and the trophy will be placed next to his accolades at home, oh its true. Benoit says to leave the ego in the back and HE was the reason they won. He says that if Stephanie didn't put the stipulation that they had to co-exist or else he would have kicked the hell out of his Olympic ass. Kurt calls him toothless aggression and he won the match. Benoit says take his hands off the trophy or he'll be eating it. They play tug of war with the trophy until they bash Stephanie with it accidentally. Kurt helps her up and says "You see what you did?" Stephanie slaps Kurt and Benoit laughs at him. Then she slaps Chris as well, who snaps his head back (he did that years earlier). Stephanie calls them children and says they're going to go one on one and the winner keeps the now broken trophy. Michael Cole on commentary says we got a number 1 contenders match for the tag belts and the tag champs will be fighting each other. Tazz laughs as Benoit and Angle walk off arguing. We come back from commercial with our next bout.
Match 2
Tajiri vs Jamie Noble (with Nidia) for the WWE Crusierweight Championship
Noble comes out dressed like Elvis and Tazz makes a Stacker 2 reference. Cole hypes up the bikini contest this Saturday between Torrie Wilson and Nidia on Velocity which was now on TNN. Jamie grabs a mic and says he's gonna give the greatest Elvis impersonation ever and says "Thank you, thank you very much" but Tajiri comes out to interrupt the nonsense. Tazz asks if Tajiri has any clue who Elvis is as Yoshihiro hits the ring. Tajiri ducks under a clothesline before the bell even rings and hits a springboard elbow to knock Noble's wig off. Tajiri kicks Noble all over and puts the sunglasses on before he dances like Elvis. Tajiri ditches the sunglasses and continues to kick Noble. Tajiri eats a boot but counters by putting Jamie into the tree of woe. He baseball slides Noble but Jamie gets up and gets a thumb to the eye. Tajiri goes for the tarantula but Noble blocks it and pushes Yoshihiro on the apron. Nidia grabs his leg so Tajiri drops down to confront her. Tajiri goes for a roundhouse kick but she ducks and he kicks the pole. Tajiri hobbles into the ring and Noble does the smart thing and go after the left leg. Noble finally sheds the Elvis jacket and does a one legged atomic drop but Tajiri counters into a sunset flip for 1...2...no. Cole on commentary asks who Stephanie traded to Raw for Big Show as Jamie mocks Tajiri only to get a roundhouse kick to the dome. Tajiri face plants Noble but both men can't get up. Noble recovers and goes for his tiger bomb but Tajiri counters. Nidia hops up on the apron to distract Tajiri but he moves out of the way causing Noble to nearly knock her off. Tajiri ends up kicking Noble who crashes into Nidia. Tajiri goes for the rolling prawn for 1....2...nope. Noble goes for the rolling prawn and bridges Bob Backlund style with Nidia holding on for leverage 1...2....3, Noble wins it. Noble falls outside and Cole says Nidia was the deciding factor.
Time of match: 3:50
Winner: Noble by pinfall (still Cruiserweight champion)
We go to Cole and Tazz at ringside and Tazz has the Elvis wig on with Cole looking totally disgusted. They hype up tonight's main event with Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Los Guerreros with the winners getting a tag title shot at Angle & Benoit. Speaking of which, they battle each other. Before we go to commercial we got Dawn Marie with her cleavage hanging out looking for Torrie Wilson. She asks Jan the makeup lady where she is....I know where this is going and its not good. When we're back from commercial Dawn says Torrie was the better woman at No Mercy and apologizes for hurting her family. She says she's going to break things off the next time she sees Al Wilson. Torrie says "sure" and walks off with Dawn looking devious. Meanwhile Los Guerreros catch up with Kurt Angle who's brandishing a chair. Eddie stirs the pot by saying Benoit is going to break Angle's neck and Angle is mad. We show Eddie and Rey heading to the ring as we go to commercial again. When we get back, its match time.
Match 3
Edge & Rey Mysterio Jr vs Los Guerreros (Eddie & Chavo)
Eddie and Chavo aren't billed as Los Guerreros yet and they come out to Eddie's Latino Heat theme. The bells gone and Edge starts with Chavo. Edge shoulderblocks Chavo and covers for 1 before taking him down with an armdrag. Chavo counters with shots to Edge but eats an armdrag. Chavo kicks out at 1 but Edge snapmares Chavo. Another cover goes nowhere but Chavo goes on the offensive only to ne hit with a spinning wheel kick. Rey tags in who lunches Edge into Chavo before dropping Eddie off the apron with a forearm. Edge throws Rey into a bronco buster on Chavo but Guerrero counters a springboard moonsault with knees to the ribs. Eddie tags in and Rey head scissors Chavo with Edge hitting one on Chavo to knock them outside. Rey planchas ontop of both men but they catch him and use his legs as momentum after avoiding a baseball slide to knock Edge down outside. Back inside Eddie drops Rey and puts the boots to him in the corner. Chavo tags in and they doubleteam Rey in the corner. Eddie chokes Rey with the tag rope before the ref catches him. Chavo hits a lariat and covers for 1...2..nope. Eddie tags in and Chavo holds him for a springboard but Eddie just gets in the ring. Eddie delivers a big backbreaker and covers for a deuce. Eddie puts the boots to Rey but Rey counters with a back bodydrop. Eddie goes to drop Edge but Edge clotheslines him from the apron. The distraction still works as Eddie isolates Rey and delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before Chavo tags in. Chavo whips Rey sternum first into the corner but Mysterio rolls Chavo and dropkicks him in the back. Eddie tags in to stop Rey but eats a kick to the face. Edge gets the hot tag and cleans house of both Guerreros. An Edge-o-matic on Chavo gets a 2 count but Rey backdrops Eddie out of the ring. Chavo misses a tackle and lands on the ropes. Rey goes for the 619 but Eddie catches him outside and throws him to the ground. Back inside Edge hits the spear on Chavo and covers for 1...2...nope, Eddie breaks up the count. Rey finally scissors Eddie out of the rings and hits the 619 on Chavo. Edge holds Chavo up and a they hit a doubleteam move on him. Edge covers but Eddie springboard sommersaults on top of the Edge to break up the count. Chavo covers but Rey springboard legdrops him, moving Edge on top of Chavo. Eddie outside gloats but doesn't see who's on top for 1....2.....3 to win it. Eddie turns around and freaks out laughably. Mysterio & Edge are the number one contenders for Angle & Benoit's tag titles.
Time of match: 7:11
Winners: Mysterio & Edge by pinfall
After the match we see The Undertaker hobbling around who tells some staff member he wants Brock Lesnar in the ring. After the commercial we see a highlight package of No Mercy with Paul Heyman narrating an evil promo saying Taker is the old phenom and Lesnar is the new phenom after Hell In A Cell. Taker hobbles to the ring with a cast on his arm and calls out Lesnar to face him like a man. Paul Heyman walks out instead saying Lesnar beat The Rock and retired Hulk Hogan before beating Taker in his own game. Heyman says Lesnar won't be coming out but right on cue Brock comes out, pushes Heyman aside, rips his shirt off, then hits the ring. Taker says people told him if his hand wasn't broke he would have beaten Brock and its been on his mind. Taker says that's no excuse and Lesnar beat him fair and square. He says five years earlier things would have been different and he would have won anyway. Taker says on Sunday it did matter and there's no excuse, then says Lesnar will face criticism for bringing his personal life into it. Taker then says that's been his M.O. for 12 years so he respects Brock for that. He says he's faced and beat the best and Brock was the best on Sunday. Taker goes to leave and Brock stops him, asking for the mic. Brock says "About Sara, it was supposed to be about business. I needed an edge" and he leaves. That's basically Brock saying sorry without actually saying so. Heyman gives him the business up the ramp as Cole and Tazz discuss Taker and Lesnar put their careers on the line. Taker says cut the music and says there's one last thing that's been on his mind. He says "after 12 years".....but is cut off by Big Show who storms to the ring. Show runs him down for saying Lesnar had his number and saying he's responsible for Hell in A Cell. Cole asks what he's talking about and Show takes credit for turning Taker into a broken down hasbeen. Taker says if that's true he'd rather be a broken down hasbeen then a giant that never was. Taker leaves but Show teases attacking him. Taker keeps turning around and Show insists he's just leaving. Taker backs Show down and Show leaves first. Taker raises his fist and salutes the crowd. Show finally ambushes Taker and press slams him off the ramp through a table below. Great booking to establish Big Show as top heel on Smackdown after rotting on Raw for the last year. Taker is stretchered off with Arn Anderson, Sgt Slaughter, Johnny Ace, Dean Malenko and Stephanie McMahon directing traffic. When we get back from commercial Edge & Rey Mysterio come out to check on him too. Stephanie yells at the EMT's to be careful with him but Taker rips the neckbrace off and rolls off the stretcher. Taker wants to walk out on his own power despite Arn Anderson protests. Taker just puts his arms around some referees and walks out as we go to commercial again. Back from commercial, Dawn runs into Funaki and tells Al Wilson to go see Torrie down the hall. Al walks down the hall and Dawn catches him first. Dawn says its best to just say goodbye and she kisses his cheek. Dawn then says out of the very few men she's been with which gets a sarcastic jeer from the crowd, he's been the best. Al grabs her and they make out passionately. Oh that would bring a tear to a glass eye as we get to out next match.
Match 4
Billy Kidman vs John Cena
This match stems from last week where the now heel Cena cheated to beat Kidman. Cole says Survivor Series tickets have gone on sale as Cena comes out with the Prototype trunks. The match starts with Cena extending a handshake that Kidman refuses. Kidman ducks under a clothesline and rolls him up for a deuce. Kidman hits an enziguri then bails to the outside. Cena catches Kidman mid-air and slams him against the post. Cena throws him back inside and covers for 1...2...nope. Cena sends Kidman back first into the corner then lands a right hand. Kidman rallies with right hands of his own but eats a spinebuster out of the corner. Cena covers for 1....2...no. Cole hypes up Tough Enough 3 premiering after the show as Kidman hits a headscissors. Cena charges in the corner but eats boot. Kidman hits a top rope back elbow smash and covers for 1...2...nope. Cena catches Kidman who spins around into a hurracarana. Kidman rolls Cena and holds the rope for 1....2....3 to win the match, turnabout is fair play. Cena whines to referee Jimmy Korderas and when Kidman taps his shoulder, Cena snaps and attacks Kidman. He throws him to the outside and sends him into the ring steps. Cole calls him a baby as Cena smiles at his work.
Time of match: 2:44
Winner: Kidman by pinfall
After the match Dorkus Malorkus catches up with Brock Lesnar and asks him about Big Show's challenge. Lesnar asks if Funaki has the night off and jokes that he and Funaki go way back. Lesnar says if Big Show wants a title shot, he can ask him face to face. We go to commercial and when we get back we get highlights of Benoit and Angle celebrating their win at No Mercy. Los Guerreros come up to Benoit and Guerrero is sporting a black eye, guess Rey or Edge got him good. Eddie wants to be friends with Benoit again and Chris sees right through him and asks what he really wants. Eddie says just his friendship and Benoit says he knows what they said to Kurt about Chris beating the daylights out of Kurt......and says he could be right about it. Cut to Big Show walking down the hall as Cole goes "Hasn't he caused enough problems tonight?" Show storms into Brock's locker room and confronts Paul Heyman also sporting injuries sustained from Hell in A Cell. Heyman cuts a promo begging Show not to confront Lesnar when Brock shoves Heyman out of the way and tells Big Show he's got his title shot. Guess we're getting Show vs Lesnar eventually. On to the main event.
Match 5
Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle
The bad blood from the past month boils over as we go to a highlight of Stephanie slapping Chris & Kurt to set up the match. Kurt carries the trophy to the ring that's just missing a single bar. Cole asks if Stephanie made the right decision to have this match. Cole says Benoit owns a victory over Kurt at Unforgiven as Kurt starts with a takedown and they exchange a series of sit outs, rides and go-behinds. Kurt picks the ankle and they continue to amateur wrestle with Kurt getting the upper hand. Chris counters with an elbow to the head and stomps Kurt in the corner. Benoit drops Angle with a double elbow smash before ramming him into the buckle. Benoit chops Angle in the corner a few times but Kurt counters with a left arm clothesline. Kurt stomps Benoit and hits a snap suplex but the cover only gets a two. Kurt eats another chop but counters with right hands and stomps. Kurt stands on Benoit in the corner then delivers a back suplex. A cover only gets two as Cole calls Kurt a surgeon in the ring. Kurt chops Benoit in the corner then whips him into the corner. A charge eats boot and but Angle backdrops Benoit. Chris returns the favor with his own back drop then Chris does his Hat Trick German Suplex combo but Angle counters the third one to deliver three of his own. Kurt covers for 1....2...nope. Kurt jumps up and down demanding Chris get up and Angle goes for the Angle Slam but Chris counters with an overhead German suplex. Benoit gives the signal for the flying headbutt and goes upstairs. Tazz says Kurt's on the wrong side of the ring and Benoit still lands it anyway. Benoit stacks up Kurt but Kurt kicks out at two only for Chris to roll into the Crippler Crossface. Kurt makes it to the rope but Chris pulls him back and rolls into another crossface. Angle then reverses into the Angle Lock but Chris kicks him off. Kurt runs into an inside cradle for a two count but Chris walks into the Angle Slam. Kurt covers for 1...2.....nooooo! Kurt locks in the Angle Lock again but Chris reverses it into another crossface. Angle rolls out of it but runs into a left arm clothesline. Benoit goes upstairs for another headbutt but Angle runs up the ropes and hits a top rope belly to belly suplex. He covers for 1...2...noooooo! Kurt pulls the strap off his singlet when Eddie Guerrero hits the ring to distract the ref allowing Chavo to come in and waffle Kurt with the belt. Chavo puts Benoit on top and bails as the ref turns around for 1....2.....3 and Benoit wins it. Chavo and Eddie celebrate outside and hope the guardrail for a hasty retreat. Benoit looks confused but Angle sneaks up and Angle Slams him. Kurt grabs the trophy and smashes it as Tazz says if he can't have it, no one can. Kurt grabs some of the broken pieces and leaves as Cole asks how they're going to co-exist moving forward. Damn good match that ended with interference, setting up yet another Guerreros/Benoit & Angle showdown in the future.
Time of match: 8:15
Winner: Benoit by pinfall
Pretty good show and it got a lot done. Big Show established himself as instant top heel with Lesnar moving into a tweener role. Big Show throwing Taker off the stage writes him off TV so he can be with his newborn. Benoit & Angle can't get along to save their lives and they have a rematch with Rey Mysterio and Edge in the future with the Guerreros lurking in the shadows. Unfortunately we still have the Dawn Marie & The Wilsons angle but Tajiri is in hot pursuit of the Cruiserweight strap. All in all Smackdown looks to be in pretty good hands moving forward as we head toward Survivor Series. Tomorrow night we got a house show in Topeka, Kansas. I'll see you there.
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