Stojy watches WWE 2002

[Stojy]

WWE Vengeance
July 21st, 2002
Detroit, Michigan​

This PPV opening video package is probably one of my favourites, and I’ve written plenty of video packages in BTB land that are loosely inspired by this one. It’s based around the Pulp Fiction bible passage and it’s great. Awesome opening.

Match One
Tag Team Tables Match
Bubba Ray Dudley and Spike Dudley vs. Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero

A really good opening choice here. Four guys who throw down, working a little stiff, even Spike. They literally just beat the hell out of each other even before the tables come into play. This is also Benoit’s first PPV match back in thirteen months, and he looks AMAZING, which probably isn’t surprising based on his performances on Raw. I really enjoyed that this wasn’t just a bunch of contrived table spots and near misses. Benoit and Eddie literally beat the hell out of Bubba for a big portion of the match, not even worrying about the tables. Strategically, that makes a lot of sense, don’t play into the tables game with the experts, and just beat them up before they’re easy game to put through the table at the end. Spike has moments where he gets absolutely brutalised as well, which is basically what Spike does best. Benoit and Eddie are just so crisp here, from virtually start to finish, a really good watch. I think the way they structured the match by not spamming tables meant the crowd reaction when tables did finally get introduces was great. Once the tables did get introduces, the teases of somebody getting put through were all done well. One spot in particular that I really liked where Spike was about to get whipped into the table, but Bubba tackles Spike to prevent him going through the table. That was awesome. The only negative about the way that they structured the match is that the ending feels rushed. They go from no table action, to basically every elimination occurring within a minute or so of each other. Eddie got drive through a table on the outside with a Dudley Dog off the apron, Benoit Military Pressed Spike over the top rope and to a table on the outside, and Bubba gives Benoit the Bubba Bomb through the table to win. A good opener here. ***​

In the back, Eric Bischoff says he’s here to sign the most ruthless athlete he knows of. He finds Triple H walking towards Stephanie McMahon’s office and Bischoff tells him not to do that. Triple H says he’s going to hear both sides, and like Eric said, always negotiate. A fine segment to put over the Triple H signing as a big deal, with both GM’s jostling over him.

Match Two
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Jamie Noble (c) w/Nida vs. Billy Kidman

I’m not that big on WWE Kidman but I thought he put on a pretty good performance here. He showed a lot of good fire as the babyface trying to fight back and got the fans behind him somewhat. I love the idea of Noble consistently working on his opponents legs, but then for this match, he works on Kidman’s arm. It’s like a strategic change up, although doesn’t make a lot of sense with his submission being the Trailer Hitch. Also, probably more effective to go after Kidman’s leg so he can’t spring off it for the Shooting Star Press. Kidman does a good job of selling the arm though and takes a sick looking bump into the ring post shoulder first, which sends him falling outside of the ring. Once Kidman took over on the comeback, he expectedly turned up the pace of the match. The issue with this, and where the match probably gets hurt some, is once he’s on offense, Kidman completely forgets about his injured arm. Of course, there’s the obligatory YOU CAN’T POWERBOMB KIDMAN spot also. In the end, Kidman goes for a Shooting Star Press but Noble rolls out of the way and rolls Kidman up for a near fall. When they both get up, Noble hits him with the Tiger Driver for the win. A level below the opener but still good. **3/4​

In the back, Kurt Angle talks about how he’s going to win tonight. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman then approach him. Heyman talks up the idea of Brock vs. Angle at Summerslam and how much Brock respects him. Kurt and Brock then shake hands. Kurt then tells Heyman to save it. He’d love to face Brock at Summerslam, and if Brock messed with him the way he screwed with The Undertaker last week, Angle would take him down. It’s not the summer of Brock, it’s all year Angle. Brock then gets in Kurt’s face and wishes him luck. Similar to the ‘Taker segments on Raw, some awesome foreshadowing here. Fun to see these guys on camera together for the first time.

Match Three
WWE European Championship Match
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. William Regal

I know he has his fans, but I’ve never been the biggest Jeff Hardy guy, therefore in his state in 2002, I wasn’t expecting to like this at all. They actually put together a solid match though, which really shocked me. It’s clear they’re trying to keep Hardy’s momentum going after the awesome stuff with Undertaker a week or two ago. Despite how different their styles are, one being brutal, one being sloppy, they kind of mesh together surprisingly well. Jeff had a few bumps where he definitely wasn’t bumping as good as he was for ‘Taker, but it is what it is. I think some of Jeff’s sloppiness comes across as recklessness or living for the moment, so you can pretend he’s just following his gimmick really closely. Hardy gets a fluke Roll Up to win which makes me think they might fight again sometime soon. Solid enough. **1/4​

In the back, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair both congratulate WWE European Champion Jeff Hardy and put him over. After Jeff leaves, Hogan says he might use a Swanton later. They then talk about how terrible both the new General Manager’s are. This was fine. Another big rub for Jeff. How did he not capitalise on the push they were giving him at this point? Crazy.

Match Four
Chris Jericho vs. John Cena

For a guy who has had a reputation for the prime of his career as somebody who can’t wrestle, Cena looked pretty good here, wrestling more than what he currently does. They tell a pretty simple story here of the arrogant veteran trying to take advantage of the determined rookie. More solid work from these two, although there’s a couple of times where Cena almost makes some awkward moments by missing things he wouldn’t normally. And things really heat up into a really fun finishing run. Jericho even tries to cheat and it’s not enough, and then Cena sneaks a Roll Up for the win. I’ve voiced my displeasure for multiple matches in a row finishing with the same flash pin scenario. A pet peeve of mine for sure. Match was solid again. **1/4​

In the back, Eric Bischoff and The Coach are leaning side by side against the wall waiting outside Stephanie McMahon’s office. Stephanie’s attorney attempted to enter the room. Bischoff asks the lawyer if those are contracts, and the lawyer says these are legal documents but he’s not at liberty to discuss what kind. A nice tease here that Triple H is planning to sign with Smackdown.

JR and The King now come out to take over from Michael Cole and Tazz on commentary. Cool. This half/half split is weird.

A video package airs hyping the Brock Lesnar vs. Rob Van Dam match.

Match Five
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman

Brock is already the number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship by this point, so it was unlikely they were going to give him the Intercontinental Title here. Felt like a placeholder more than anything for Lesnar here, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t deliver. This one starts off fun, the fans heavily behind RVD and he keeps Lesnar off balance with his fast-paced offense. Brock eventually took over though and when he did, things continued to be good, because RVD puts on one of his better selling performances. Brock’s displays of strength are epic also. There’s an amazing spot when Brock first takes over, where RVD attempts a Moonsault off the apron, but Brock catches him, and Powerslams him outside of the ring. From there, Brock did whatever he wanted with RVD, and it was all relatively good. Brock’s selling when RVD fights back is very good also, very realistic yet out of control at the same time. Not sure how else to put it, Brock is just a great seller. RVD’s comeback perfectly captures the fact that the damage is building on his body, but also plenty of desperation and hope for the fans. A hot finishing run with some good near falls, but that ends when RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash. RVD pins Brock, but Heyman pulls the ref out and Brock gets’ DQ’d. Disappointing ending, although I get it with future booking plans in mind, and still a good match. ***​

After the match, referee Charles Robinson is mad at Heyman and starts punching him. That’s until Brock goes after him and throws the ref off of Heyman, which allows RVD to nail Brock with a Flipping Senton. The brawl between these two continues and they end up back in the ring. RVD sets up Brock for the Van Terminator, but Heyman holds RVD’s leg. Brock pulls RVD away and nails RVD with an F5 on the steel chair. I’m still questionable on the booking here. Why book Brock to lose here? Even if it is by DQ. And then he needs Heyman’s help to beat up RVD after the match as well? Really strange you’d make him look so vulnerable considering what’s coming.

In the back, Stephanie McMahon walks out of her office looking sad. Eric Bischoff is happy and asks Stephanie, he didn’t, right? She thinks about it, says Triple H signed and then walks off. Triple H walks out of the office and Bischoff yells at him about signing, but Triple H says those were divorce papers. Triple H says as far as business goes; he hasn’t made up his mind. Another good segment to hype the decision. LOVE the divorce papers playing into this the way it did, a really fun detail. Continuity for the win.

Match Six
No Count Out, No Disqualifications
Booker T vs. The Big Show

They go through the motions a little bit here. It’s okay, but nothing special, as they basically just killed time until they got to the two big spots of the match. Kind of sad that this is the last taste of the New World Order story that we will get. As expected, Booker gets thrown around like a rag doll by the bigger man for most the match. Booker runs off the announce table to Scissor Kick Show through the Spanish announce table. It’s a cool spot and when they are back in the ring, Booker hits a Houston Hangover (think Harlem Hangover) off the top for the win. Another solid match but probably the least of all the matches so far. At least Booker got the win, based on his crowd reactions, this man needs to be pushed. **​

Next up is in ring promo time from Triple H as he comes out to decide which show he was going to be on, either Raw or Smackdown. Eric Bischoff comes out and offers to introduce Hunter to his friends in Hollywood. Stephanie McMahon then comes out to do her pitch as well, and just as it looks like Triple H will stay with Smackdown, Shawn Michaels comes out. He convinces Triple H to come hang out at Raw with his friend, so Triple H apologises to Steph and signs with Raw. Solid stuff, nothing crazy, but cool to see Shawn/Trips potentially realigning.

Backstage, Rikishi says he’s disappointed in Triple H for not signing with Smackdown because it really hurts the young guys on Smackdown. Like the idea of them trying to make this a big deal like this. This one feels way more forced than the free agency Stone Cold one earlier in the year though, which hurts it. However, I’m taking Rikishi talking about Triple H as epic continuity, because they are so close after they worked together to run down Austin…

In the back, Booker T and Goldust are asked about Triple H. They both say they don’t care about Triple H coming to Raw. Goldust says he’s the game, but they have the biggest joysticks. Lol, good one liner they’re from Goldust, and again, a good segment at making Triple H signing feel like a big deal. However, this kind of ruins my theory for why they asked Rikishi.

We get a video package hyping the upcoming WWE Tag Team Championship match.

Match Seven
WWE Tag Team Championship
Edge and Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Christian and Lance Storm

This was pretty solid, with three good wrestlers being able to carry Hogan to a somewhat respectable match. Which is kind of funny, because the other three handled the work rate, and Hogan probably handled having the crowd invested in the match, as he got a nice ovation throughout. His ovations have been so up and down this year but feel like the taped Smackdowns are probably always playing tricks on me. Edge starts off like a house on fire in typical fiery babyface fashion, as he continued to show how far he has come as a wrestler in the last six months. Hogan unfortunately looks even more slower and beat down than usual, and he botches heaps of stuff. Genuinely doesn’t look good and doesn’t sell either. The other three tried to work around him until Tests interference is thwarted by Rikishi. Chris Jericho then runs in from the crowd and hits Edge with one of the tag belts. Jericho runs off through the crowd and Storm gets the pin. New champs. I’m glad they are putting the straps on the anti-American group because they are an enjoyable act, and their promo work, especially Storm, has been really good recently. I can deal with the interference from Jericho as well, since he’s got his pending showdown with Edge on Smackdown. Solid match, no thanks to Hogan. **1/4​

Kurt Angle is walking through the backstage area when Eric Bischoff stops him. Bischoff tries to get him to sign to Raw. Kurt tells Eric that he has a title to go win. Nice little segment to show off focused Kurt, but also love the GM’s trying to poach each other’s talent.

In the back, Stephanie McMahon watched that conversation on a monitor when Marc Lloyd appears. He asks her about Bischoff’s signings and potential signings. She says that’s alright that Kurt Angle talks to Bischoff because she’s in direct contact with everyone on Raw, and when the time is right, she’ll rip the heart out of Raw. Nice to get Steph’s reaction, this was fine. I find the whole wrestlers watching other backstage segments from backstage on a monitor, only to then seemingly not realise they are on the big screen to be interesting. Oh well, decent promo from Steph.

Hype video for the main event airs, and “Downfall” by Trust Company works so well for package.

Match Eight
WWE Undisputed Championship Match
Triple Threat
The Undertaker (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock

An awesome main event by three top level, main event experienced guys who know how to tell a story and engage a crowd. ‘Taker’s been showing some face tendencies over the last few weeks, and it’s clear his heel run is ending, as his pop here matches the pop of The Rock. Admittedly Rock’s popularity has been starting to dwindle all year, but he’s still a top three guy for sure. Angle is annoyed early on because he can’t get the attention of the other two, who have plenty of personal animosity towards each other. When Angle finally gets their attention, he regrets it. Triple Threats usually don’t have much psychology but ‘Taker constantly throwing Angle out of the ring in the early stages, because he wants to inflict punishment on The Rock was great. Match is off to a hot start and never really dips, with a nice section where Angle goes nuts with Suplexes on Rock. They do go a bit finisher happy in the second half of this, which could be seen as a fault, but it’s a minor one considering how good everything else is. Not sure stealing each other’s finishers is needed for a thrown together match like this. That should only really be dusted out in matches where there’s a big, personal feud, in my opinion. Angle and Rock settle in to doing a fair bit of the in-ring stuff, and ‘Taker kind of just brawls with whoever ends up out of the ring. ‘Taker and Angle recycle the Triangle Choke spot from their match a few weeks ago on Smackdown, which is a fine way to play off that drama. ‘Taker’s arm isn’t hooked in the hold though so it looks awful, as if he could just slide his head out whenever he felt like it. JR is amazing on commentary in the finishing stretch, as finally Rock hits his own finisher, the Rock Bottom on Angle to score the win. Incredible, loved this, not perfect, but very entertaining. ****
​

Holy shit. I didn’t realise how awesome Vengeance was. This was a great PPV, hoping they can continue the momentum into Summerslam.

 

[Stojy]

WWE Raw
July 22nd, 2002
Grand Rapids, Michigan​

We kick off the night with an in ring promo time from Eric Bischoff, and the first thing to note is that the Raw commentary team has been moved from ringside to by the stage, similar to the commentary position on WCW Nitro. Bischoff gets plenty of heat from the crowd. When he talks, he promises the WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock will be here later. He then introduces the man who is going to be the cornerstone of Raw, Triple H. Triple H then comes out and he introduces his best friend, Shawn Michaels, who is wearing a horrendous purple t-shirt. Bischoff reveals he’s going to make Michaels the manager for Triple H. He says anytime you see Triple H, Shawn Michaels will not be far behind. Shawn says he doesn’t have an issue, but he has an issue with Bischoff TELLING him that. Bischoff says he’s telling Michaels because he’s Eric Bischoff. HBK doesn’t have the stroke he once had in the WWE. He has no choice. The fans start an asshole chant directed at Bischoff. Shawn says whenever he has to do something someone else’s way or the highway, he always chooses the highway and with that Shawn leaves. Bischoff says Shawn’s not welcome back and Triple H is not pleased. Bischoff tells Triple H to talk some sense into Michaels. Triple H leaves to go after Michaels. Bischoff then announces there will be a unification match for the Intercontinental and European Championship, and it will be a ladder match. A pretty good opening here. We get the first glimpse of a talent (Michaels) disagreeing with Bischoff and the way he reacts so that was good. Triple H just kind of standing around like an extra was a bit awkward but it served its purpose. I have mixed feelings on the booking of RVD/Jeff, but I’ll touch on that during the match.

Backstage, Shawn Michaels tells Triple H that he has earned the right to do whatever he wants to do. Triple H says Shawn is the one who brought him to Raw and now he’s just going to leave? He tells Shawn not to walk out and asks if managing him would be THAT bad, since Shawn’s back is shot. Shawn says he has a back injury, but he still has his pride. Triple H says he’s not asking him to be his lackey. It wasn’t Triple H’s ideas but he’s asking Shawn to not take his ball and go home like Stone Cold did. He wants to make the ride together. He says he has some ideas, and Shawn says it better be damn good. This was more interesting with these two delving a little deeper here into Shawn’s motivations and H’s response. Love that when babyface Triple H threw out the pot shot at Austin, he got booed. This segment makes us wonder what the idea is.

Match One
WWE Intercontinental and WWE European Championship Unification Match
Ladder Match
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Rob Van Dam (c)

They had some good ideas as the match progressed, but it took them a bit to get going. The first minute or so just wasn’t good, as Jeff was overly sloppy, and it seemed like a lot of the stuff he was trying were contrived spots that made everything look fake and to organised. After the first minute or so though, they settled into a nice groove, with both men hitting some nice spots to keep the fans invested. It’s Jeff’s second ladder match in three weeks but wouldn’t surprise me if Jeff is out of it here. With that being said, he did do a good job of selling general soreness, based on the other big matches he has had recently (think ladder match with ‘Taker). Despite being two guys known to lean on spots, it was nice to see them not just break out into an immediate spot fest. They both do a good job of making the other persons offense look super cool. In the end RVD knocks Hardy off a ladder, then hits the Five Star Frog Splash from the top of the ladder, and then climbs up to retrieve the titles. RVD wins. Now it wasn’t perfect, but the match was still good. Booking is a little all over the place though. Two ladder matches in like three weeks. No thanks. Also, Jeff’s been getting this SUPER push lately, and then he loses to RVD, who is an upper midcarder at best. Way to kill his momentum. Not only that, RVD is probably one of only a few guys on the roster with the same or more popularity than Jeff, so it kind of got the fans cheering for Jeff less. Especially in Michigan. Still, I don’t want to just talk negatively of this, because it was really good. ***​

Christopher Nowinski is out next for some in ring promo time. He thanks Eric Bischoff for giving him the time to speak his mind because he has something to get off his chest. He then basically insults the people and the city that they are in, but The Undertaker comes out and beats the shit out of him. This was fine. Nowinski plays the arrogant heel role well, and this completes ‘Taker’s face turn which has been inevitable for the past month.

Backstage, Eric Bischoff is talking to Rhyno trying to recruit him too Raw. Rhyno thanks Bischoff for the opportunity and says that when he’s healthy he will be back better than ever. He thanks Bischoff for the first class travel as well and will keep in touch with Bischoff when he’s ready to return. As Rhyno leaves, D’Lo Brown and Shawn Stasiak approach Bischoff about getting some time on Raw. Bischoff finally gives in. He says he as a three minute hole in the show and wants them to entertain him in the three minutes. He says if they don’t entertain him, they’ll never be on Raw again. I guess a fine way to remind us that Rhyno exists, and again, the GM’s trying to recruit and steal talent is just so much fine right now. Hate to see D’Lo being treated like such a jobber, but this does lead to something cool. A good segment overall.

Match Two
Bubba Ray Dudley and Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly and William Regal

Eh, I don’t have a lot to say about this one. Not putrid but not very good either. The big stipulation here is that the opposite sex don’t have to tag out and can wrestle each other. That smartly plays into the finish, as Regal makes Trish tap out to the Regal Stretch. Nice way to make Regal look like a scumbag, but not a good match. *3/4
​

Backstage, Eric Bischoff is talking to someone and tells them that they know what to do. He then bumps into Chris Benoit and congratulates him on a great match last night. As a taste of what he’s bringing to Raw, Bischoff books Benoit vs. Booker T tonight in what was one of WCW’s greatest rivalries. The winner of the match will get a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Another solid segment here. Benoit not looking overly impressed because of their history, despite being a heel, is something I liked.

In the back, The Rock has arrived with the WWE Undisputed Championship. Yay.

Now it’s in ring promo time from the new WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock. He starts by putting over the match he had with Kurt Angle and The Undertaker last night. But that was last night, tonight he is here just like he told Eric Jerkoff, Eric Jackoff, he is here as the Undisputed Champion. Before he can say much else, Eddie interrupts and remains on the stage, asking Rock who he thinks he is. Guerrero has a problem with The Rock. He has two little girls at home, and they worship the ground their father walks on. He saw a poster of The Rock next to a picture of himself in his daughter’s room, and he had to teach them discipline. He tore the poster up and burned it, and they cried, and he blames The Rock. Rock calls Eddie a psycho freak. He says he isn’t a movie star, but Eddie is. They go back and forth a bit until Eddie calls his hair The People’s Mullet. Rock tells Eddie that he looks like Billy Ray Cyrus had sex with a Blue hyena. Eddie says he will teach Rock a lesson on how to respect him and it will start tonight in the ring. Eddie makes the challenge and The Rock accepts. This was awesome. Completely out of nowhere, but awesome. One of the highlights of having one champion across two brands, was the champ would do really random stuff on the show his number one contender usually wasn’t a part of, and it would create some hidden gems. This felt similar to that, even though it’s slightly different because Rock’s next challenger is on Raw. Eddie here especially was amazing on the mic, great work.

After Eddie has left, The Rock heads up the aisle, and Brock Lesnar makes his entrance, walking right past The Rock and not even acknowledging him. Loved this, thought the mind games are a terrific strategy. Got Heyman written all over it.

Match Three
Singapore Cane Match
Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. Tommy Dreamer

A really great squash here as Brock looks like a million bucks in beating the hell out of Dreamer. Highly entertaining for a squash. This is exactly what it should have been. The match ends when Dreamer hits Lesnar with a DDT which gets a two count. Brock then bounces back into the action and hits Tommy with an F5 for the win. I loved the fact that Brock didn’t actually use a Singapore Cane during the match, because he simply didn’t need to. Solid work here. **1/2​

After the match, The Undertaker attacks Lesnar, using a Singapore Cane to send Brock out to the floor. Nice continuity here. Even though ‘Taker is no longer champ and on a collision course with Brock, but he still needed to get one back on Lesnar for the attack last week. I like it.

Backstage, The Big Show and Shawn Michaels meet up. Show says that Michaels gave him tough love with that Superkick. Right now, he doesn’t see Kevin Nash, or the rest of the New World Order and Shawn doesn’t look so tough. Shawn says he doesn’t know how tough he is and asks how bad Show wants to find out. Show laughs and says maybe he will find out and walks away. Again, I really like the continuity here. Fine enough segment.

Back from the break, D’Lo Brown and Shawn Stasiak are fighting in the ring as Eric Bischoff sits on the stage and yells at them to do better. Bischoff cuts their guy to one minute as two men enter tine ring and attack them. It’s Jamal and Rosey, better known as 3 Minute Warning. I mentioned earlier I hate to see D’Lo used in this generic role, but I’m pumped for 3 Minute Warning which should make things okay.

Backstage, Triple H hands Shawn Michaels a t-shirt and says he’s dead serious. Shawn laughs. An anticipation building segment which does it’s job, even though you know exactly what they’re building towards.

In the back, Goldust decrees Booker T king of the giant killers. They talk some more, and Booker says Goldust wants him to look like a fool by wearing a crown. Goldust says no, but he has something better. Goldust has a wig because he couldn’t find a crown. Booker puts it on and cuts an awesome Don King style promo. Ends it with ONLY IN AMERICA. ONLY IN AMERICA. NOW CAN YOU DIG THAT? The comedy wasn’t amazing here tonight, but Booker still delivered a terrific promo.

Match Five
Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

One thing that was disappointing for this one, so I’ll get the negative out of the way is the crowd reaction. Booker is over as hell right now, and so is Benoit, but the reaction just isn’t very loud, almost as if they are uninterested. As for the action itself, it went for about six minutes, and it was really damn good. Benoit’s beat down on Booker’s back and ribs was typical Benoit being brutal which was enjoyable. Benoit spent a good chunk of the match hitting plenty of tight looking Suplexes and strikes. Booker’s comeback is filled with great hope spots and near falls, but Benoit gets the Crossface and Booker has tap out. Not on the level of some of their WCW matches, but still good in its own right. ***​

Eric Bischoff comes down to sit at commentary for the next match. He says nice things about Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross saying he’s glad where he’s at right now with the best announcers. Cool way to put over Bischoff as a fake douche for what he’s doing to Spike Dudley here.

Match Six
Spike Dudley vs. The Big Show

Another squash, this one nowhere near as entertaining as the Brock one earlier in the night. Bischoff’s opportunity giving is just a way for Spike to get destroyed, and Show eventually finishes him off with a Chokeslam. Meh. ½*​

After the match, Bischoff directs Show from the announcers table to use a table. Show gets a table and brings it into the ring but before he can use it, Bubba Ray Dudley runs down and low blows Show. Show takes over thought and ends up Chokeslamming Bubba onto Spike and through the table. Whoa, Show being booked like a monster again. That’s a shock. Solid enough if it leads somewhere.

It’s in ring promo time for Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and they come out to the D Generation X music, wearing their trusty DX t-shirts. Triple H does his usual Michael Buffer schtick with his version of the DX intro but right before he finishes with the SUCK IIIIIIITTTT part, he turns on Shawn and nails him with Pedigree. I’m happy this his because it gets Triple H to play as his natural heel self. Plus Shawn wrestling will be good for PPV’s whenever it happens.

Backstage, Triple H gets in a limo and drives off. Another limo then pulls up and the window rolls down. It’s Stephanie McMahon. She tells security that she wants Bischoff to know that his competition has arrived. Awesome. Steph here to cause shenanigans sounds fun.

Match Seven
Eddie Guerrero vs. The Rock

This was a good match, although they probably could have done better with the right circumstances. This honestly just makes me sad though, two of my all time favourites and we never got a proper feud out of them. Not only that, but this went about six minutes, and they never got a rematch. So much potential missed. They both bump really well and the reversals they do to each other throughout are just so smooth. When Eddie is in control, as he beats down The Rock, he seems super intense and angry which is great. Eventually, The Rock fights back and hits The People’s Elbow for the win. A good match, but there were better matches on the show if I’m honest. **3/4​

After the match, Brock Lesnar runs down and takes the belt from the referee. Lesnar stares at The Rock, who climbs down the middle rope, and he stares just as much as he realises. Brock then puts the title out for Rock to grab it, but Rock doesn’t reach for it. Lesnar aggressively throws the belt to the ground and leaves, whilst Rock watches him all the way. LOVING the way this is starting. Great mind games so far from Lesnar, hope he’s okay too.

In the parking lot, Eric Bischoff argues with Stephanie McMahon, and she says she’ll kick him in the testicles. Steph gets out of the limo and Bischoff does some karate taunts. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman then show up and stand between the two of them. Bischoff hides behind Brock and mocks Stephanie. Steph then opens the limo door to allow Lesnar and Heyman to enter the limo. Bischoff is upset and Steph asks how it feels to be kicked in the testicles. AMAZINGLY good ending to the show. Steph hits back with a HUGE signing which is great. Also Heyman takes his client, Lesnar, away from arguably one of his biggest enemies in the business in Bischoff. This works on every level.

Raw is honestly cooking since we said it would start to suck. Another good show here, some good wrestling littered throughout, the GM competition stuff still feels really fresh, and can’t complain with Trips/Shawn at this point.