THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #33
APRIL 8, 2002
Lost In The Business Decline: WWF Classics In 2001
Lots of noteworthy stories unfolded within the World Wrestling Federation in 2001, two of the biggest of which were the buyout of WCW and the botched �invasion� angle, and the significant business decline as the year progressed. These and other stories overshadowed the fact that 2001 saw an unprecedented amount of great matches and general in-ring content in the WWF, making it the best year in WWF history from a match quality standpoint. Admittedly I haven�t seen too many of the great matches from the second half of the year, although the first half was generally regarded as stronger. This article takes a look at five of the most memorable matches from the first half of 2001 (and five of which I have seen in their entirety or their complete airing in the case of Benoit vs Austin).
Tables-Ladders-Chairs II, WWF Tag Team Title: Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von) (c) vs Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff) vs Edge & Christian 4/1/01 Wrestlemania XVII
All three teams fought from the bell. The Dudleys flapjacked Christian. The Hardys whipped Buh Buh Ray into D-Von in the corner and Jeff launched off Matt with poetry in motion on D-Von. Edge & Christian clotheslined the Hardys and then the Dudleys with a ladder. Christian hung Matt upside down in the corner and he & Edge stood on Matt�s crotch. Edge & Christian then gave Jeff a drop toehold onto an unfolded chair. The Dudleys attacked Christian outside the ring as Edge made the first attempt to climb the ladder and get the belts. Matt climbed the ladder but Edge knocked him to the mat with a clothesline. Edge climbed the ladder but Jeff knocked him off it with a dropkick. The Dudleys grabbed a ladder at ringside but the Hardys knocked the ladder into them with stereo baseball slide kicks. Matt and Jeff set up ladders in opposite corners and Matt slammed Christian. Jeff then hit a splash from one ladder and Matt hit a legdrop off the other ladder. The Dudleys cleared the ring and gave Edge the wazzup headbutt. Both Dudleys brought tabled into the ring and placed Edge on one table. Buh Buh Ray caught Jeff and powerbombed him onto Edge and through the table in the first of many insane spots. The Dudleys set up four tables at ringside, with two stacks of two tables side by side. Matt brought a third ladder into the ring and threw Christian out of the ring. Buh Buh Ray hit Matt with one ladder and all three ladders were set up in a row in the center of the ring. All six then climbed the combined six sides of the ladders and fought. One ladder tipped over, with Matt taking a bump onto the top rope and Christian taking a nasty spill clear out of the ring. Another ladder tipped over and both D-Von and Jeff crashed hard into the ropes. Edge and Buh Buh Ray then knocked each other off the remaining ladder. Spike Dudley ran into the ring and attacked Edge, giving him a Dudley dog off a ladder. He then gave Christian, who was on the apron, a Dudley dog over the top rope and through a table at ringside. Rhyno then attacked Jeff and knocked him off a ladder with an armringer. Rhyno hit D-Von with a ladder and gored Buh Buh Ray. Rhyno then gored Matt through a table in the corner. Edge started to climb a ladder in the ring when Lita ran to the ring, pulled Edge down and rammed him into the ladder. Rhyno went to press slam Lita but Spike gave him a low blow. Lita then hit a top rope spinning huracanrana on Rhyno. Edge climbed the ladder and nearly grabbed the belts but Spike hit Rhyno with a chair, and Rhyno fell into the ladder knocking Edge crotch first onto the top rope. Rhyno went after D-Von but Buh Buh Ray intercepted and lifted Rhyno on his shoulders. D-Von then gave Rhyno the old doomsday device. Lita hit Spike with a chair but the Dudleys then gave her 3-D. Edge hit D-Von with a chair, tossed the chair to Buh Buh Ray, and Christian knocked the chair into his face with a chairshot of his own. Jeff set up a 12 foot ladder at ringside and placed Spike and Rhyno on tables at ringside. Matt hit Edge with a chair in the ring. Jeff then hit a swanton off the top of the huge ladder onto Spike and Rhyno through one table, although Rhyno�s table didn�t break. Edge brought the big ladder into the ring and placed it with the other three ladders in a row. Christian and D-Von climbed the two sides of the big ladder and grabbed onto the rung with the belts. Matt removed the ladder from under them and they hung from the rungs high above the ring. Christian somehow knocked D-Von to the mat, but then himself fell to the mat as well. Jeff tried to walk from one ladder to another to grab the belts but slipped and fell. He grabbed the belts but the ladder tipped from under him and Jeff then hung high above the ring. Jeff�s feet got entangled in one ladder and Buh Buh Ray held that ladder and Jeff in place. Edge then leaped off the tall ladder and speared Jeff to the mat in yet another breathtaking spot. Buh Buh Ray and Matt fought atop a ladder in the ring, but Rhyno tipped the ladder and both men crashed out of the ring and through the two stacks of tables at ringside. Rhyno then climbed the ladder in the ring carrying Christian on his back. Christian grabbed the belts and he & Edge won the titles at 15:44. From most accounts this was better than TLC 1. Lots of crazy and creative spots, most of them hitting perfectly, and reasonably sound pacing and psychology given the heavy emphasis on the big spots. Not quite an epic in terms of quality, but definitely a classic match, and one that will probably survive the decade as one of its top 100 matches (unless something amazing happens). Amazingly, this should not go down as the greatest TLC match. ****1/2
WWF Title, No DQ: Rock (c) vs Steve Austin 4/1/01 Wrestlemania XVII
Austin attacked Rock before the bell but Rock fought back. Austin scored with a Thesz press and a couple elbow drops. Rock gave Austin a neckbreaker and attempted a Rock bottom but Austin countered. Austin attempted a stunner but Rock threw him into the ropes, went for a stunner himself, Austin countered and threw Rock over the top rope to the floor. Austin fought with Rock into the crowd, where Rock fought back. Rock rammed Austin into the announcers� table. He went to whip Austin into the barricade but Austin countered and clotheslined him. Back in the ring Austin continued to dominate Rock and gained an early near fall. Austin superplexed Rock for a near fall and then removed a turnbuckle pad from a corner. Rock fought back and clotheslined Austin. He belly to belly suplexed Austin for a near fall and clotheslined him out of the ring. Rock rammed Austin into the announcers� table and then into the ring bell. Rock hit the ref when he tried to intervene but Austin then hit Rock with the bell. Austin rammed Rock into the ring steps and repeatedly into the announcers� table. Austin dominated Rock as they returned to the ring. A bloodied Rock fought back but Austin gave him a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Austin continued to attack Rock in heelish fashion. Rock fought back with a pair of clotheslines but Austin gave him a kneelift. Rock won a slugfest and rammed Austin�s head into the exposed turnbuckle bolt. He hit Austin with the bell and gained a near fall. Rock repeatedly bounced Austin off the ropes with his punches. Rock placed Austin�s neck over the apron and elbowed him. Austin got the better of Rock at ringside and dropped him head first on the barricade. Austin then catapulted Rock into the ringpost with Rock hitting head-first and taking a nice bump. Austin hit Rock with a TV monitor and gained a near fall back in the ring. Austin went to kick Rock but Rock caught him and applied a sharpshooter in a spot reminiscent of Wrestlemania XIII as Austin was bleeding heavily by this point. This time though, Austin eventually reached the ropes. Rock tried to reapply the sharpshooter but Austin countered and then applied a sharpshooter of his own. After about a minute, Rock escaped the hold by flipping Austin. However, Austin maintained the advantage, kicked Rock in the crotch, and reapplied the sharpshooter. Austin then applied the million dollar dream, his finisher from his days as Ringmaster. Austin nearly made Rock pass out, but after about a minute Rock pushed off the ropes with his feet, fell on top of Austin and gained a near fall in a spot reminiscent of Hart-Austin from Survivor Series �96. Rock kicked Austin and gave him a stunner for a dramatic near fall. Vince McMahon walked to the ring. Rock landed some punches but Austin gave him a spinebuster for a near fall. Rock gave Austin a spinebuster and a people�s elbow for a near fall as McMahon pulled Rock off Austin. Rock chased McMahon out of and back into the ring but Austin then gave him a Rock bottom for a great near fall. Austin went for a stunner but Rock pushed him away and into the ref, knocking the ref out of the ring. Austin gave Rock a low blow. Vince grabbed a chair and Austin told him to enter the ring. Austin held Rock and McMahon hit him with the chair. Austin gained a delayed and dramatic near fall. Austin went to hit Rock with a chair but Rock gave him a Rock bottom. Rock then dragged Vince into the ring and attacked him but Austin then gave Rock a stunner for a very heated near fall. Vince gave Austin the chair and Austin hit Rock with it for a near fall. A shocked and enraged Austin then landed a total of 16 various chairshots and pinned Rock at 28:02 to win the title. Vince and Austin shook hands after the match. While the ending was anything but flat, it did take down the match. It wasn�t necessarily a �bad� finish, it was more �undesirable�, since most fans probably wanted a clean finish. Until then, it was perhaps the best performance of both men�s careers. Granted not everything they did looked razor sharp, nor was their offense innovative, but the psychology in this match for the first 20+ minutes was sensational. They played off the finishes of past classic matches, used their finishers on each other, and also used the other man�s finisher several times for near falls. The selling was very theatrical, and would probably would have been overly so, but it worked perfectly in the large domed stadium setting. The pacing and placement of most of the big spots were superb as well, and both men worked really hard. Unlike most dome shows in Japan, the entire crowd was hot for just about the entire match, reacting to the near falls almost like you might expect a Budokan Hall or Korakuen Hall crowd to react. In other words, while they wouldn�t (and probably couldn�t) have reached *****, they were very close and for the first 20+ minutes, in many ways it was the perfect Wrestlemania main event. While the finish definitely took the match down, Austin vs Rock still emerged as the greatest Wrestlemania main event to date and arguably one of the top 10 matches of 2001. ****1/2
TLC III, WWF Tag Team Title: Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho (c) vs Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von) vs Hardys (Matt & Jeff) vs Edge & Christian 5/22/01 (aired 5/24 on Smackdown)
As the Hardys and Dudleys attacked the champions, Edge & Christian immediately brought a ladder into the ring and climbed it to get the belts. The Dudleys cut them off though. Buh Buh Ray missed a second rope senton on Jeff. Matt hit Buh Buh Ray with a ladder in the corner and Jeff launched off Matt�s back with poetry in motion on D-Von in another corner. They went to do poetry in motion to Buh Buh Ray but he hit Jeff with the ladder in mid-air. Jericho hit Matt and D-Von with the end of a ladder as Benoit snap suplexed Buh Buh Ray onto a ladder. Benoit and Jericho whipped D-Von into the corner and D-Von hit the top of a propped ladder face first in the corner. Edge & Christian clotheslined Benoit with a ladder. Edge propped a ladder on the bottom rope in a corner and he & Christian gave Jericho a drop toehold onto the ladder. Edge & Christian climbed a ladder in the ring but Matt powerbombed Christian off the ladder. Matt then had a slugfest with Edge on the ladder but Benoit tipped the ladder and both men crashed into the ropes. Jericho placed Matt on a table at ringside. Benoit hit a splash off the top rope but Jeff moved Matt off the table and Benoit crashed through the table ribs-first. The Dudleys, Jeff and Jericho had a slugfest on two ladders in the ring. D-Von and Jeff were knocked off one ladder and Jericho gave Buh Buh Ray a bulldog off the other ladder. Benoit continued to sell like he was unconscious and was carried to the back on a stretcher. Edge climbed a ladder but Jericho caught up to him and applied the walls of Jericho atop the two ladders in the ring in an unbelievable spot. Christian intervened and knocked Jericho off the ladder into the corner. Edge & Christian climbed the ladders but D-Von tipped one ladder causing Christian to crash clear out of the ring and Matt tipped the other ladder causing Edge to fall crotch first on the top rope. The Dudleys & Hardys climbed the two ladders. D-Von hiptossed Matt off one ladder and Buh Buh Ray suplexed Jeff off the other ladder. Benoit, clutching his ribs, struggled back to the ring and immediately climbed a ladder to get the belts. Edge & Christian attacked Benoit, who gave each several chops but ultimately succumbed to their attack. Edge & Christian then gave Benoit a conchairto right to the ribs in a classic brutal spot. The Dudleys gave Edge the wazzup headbutt. Jericho hit both Dudleys with a chair but Christian then bashed Jericho in the head with a chair. Christian placed Buh Buh Ray on a table and climbed a ladder but D-Von intercepted him. They then gave Christian a 3-D off the ladder through the table in yet another memorable spot. The Hardys dragged Buh Buh Ray out of the ring and Matt hit him with a TV monitor. Jeff then set up a 12-14 foot ladder right next to the announcers� table and Matt placed Buh Buh Ray on the table. Jeff climbed a smaller ladder to get to the top of the big ladder, then legdropped Buh Buh Ray through the table from a height of about 12 feet. Back in the ring Matt and D-Von climbed two ladders next to each other. Matt won a slugfest and gave D-Von a twist of fate off the ladders to the mat. Matt tried to grab the belts, Jericho went after him with a chair, Matt kicked the chair into Jericho�s face but Jericho bounced off the ropes, into the ladder, and Matt took a nasty bump onto the top rope and to the floor. Jericho climbed one ladder to get the belts but Edge intercepted him with a spear off a ladder in the corner. Benoit returned to the ring, climbed the ladder and grabbed the belts to win the match after about 19 minutes. Did anyone forget about this match when voting for Observer match of the year!?? This was possibly the best match of the year in the WWF, definitely better than TLC II, and it doesn�t even place in the top 15!? If you overlooked this match before, you must watch it again. If you�ve never seen this match, you MUST see this match. From what I saw of the tag team title match on Raw (which finished second in the Observer balloting) the day before, this appeared to be the better match. All the breathtaking spots and insanity of the Wrestlemania match, but without the couple missed spots or awkward moments in between spots. Also, Benoit and Jericho added another element of psychology and creativity to the match. Arguably the best match in the history of WWF free TV, and one of the most forgotten classics too. I�ve seen Muto vs Tenryu and Tanaka vs Murahama from Japan, but this match stood out to me even more than those more acclaimed matches. ****3/4
WWF Title: Steve Austin (c) vs Chris Benoit 5/29/01 (aired 5/31/01 on Smackdown)
Vince McMahon designated himself the enforcer ref outside the ring. Benoit attacked Austin at the bell and landed some chops. He clotheslined Austin and repeatedly kicked him in the corner. Austin rammed Benoit�s neck into the top rope and gave him a swinging neckbreaker for an early near fall. Austin attempted a suplex, Benoit countered and attempted to apply a crippler crossface but Austin reached the ropes. Benoit dragged Austin to the center of the ring and did apply the crippler crossface, although Austin quickly reached the ropes again. Benoit reapplied the hold but Austin reached the ropes again. Benoit applied the crossface again, until Austin reached the ropes and bailed out of the ring. Benoit clotheslined Austin onto the announcers� table and dominated him at ringside. Benoit clotheslined Austin over the top rope to the floor. Austin fought back and rammed Benoit into the announcers� table. Austin went to hit Benoit with the belt, the ref tried to intervene, but Benoit hit Austin, who fell forward and squashed the ref in the corner. Benoit landed several chops and DDTd Austin on the belt. Benoit missed a top rope headbutt and hit his head on the belt and Austin gained a near fall. Austin pummeled Benoit and gained a near fall. Austin applied a sharpshooter as Benoit began to bleed possibly from the nose. Benoit countered and applied a sharpshooter of his own for a pop. Austin reached the ropes, fought back and reapplied his sharpshooter on Benoit. After about a minute Benoit countered and went to reapply his sharpshooter but Austin reached the ropes. Benoit attempted a German suplex but Austin blocked it and gave him a low mule kick. Benoit caught Austin on the top rope and gave him a top rope superplex for a near fall. Benoit then applied the crippler crossface on Austin but Austin quickly reached the ropes. Benoit attacked Austin at ringside but Austin rammed him into the announcers� table. Austin then slingshot Benoit ribs first right onto the table. Benoit fought back but Austin again dropped him ribs first on the edge of the table and Benoit nearly fell head first onto the floor. Austin whipped Benoit into the ring steps twice. Back in the ring Austin continued to dominate Benoit. Benoit fought back and repeatedly rammed Austin�s head into the corner. Austin gave Benoit a spinebuster and dropped an elbow for a near fall. Austin applied a Boston crab on Benoit. Benoit fought back, Austin went for a stunner but Benoit countered. Benoit then gave Austin 10 consecutive German suplexes. Vince got up on the apron but Benoit pushed Austin into Vince, who was knocked to the floor and hit his head on the barricade. Benoit then applied the crippler crossface on Austin but Vince ran into the ring and punched referee Earl Hebner. Vince went to hit Benoit with a chair but Benoit gave him a low blow. Benoit hit Vince with the chair repeatedly but Austin then rolled up Benoit and pinned him to retain the title after about 24 minutes, of which 19:39 aired. Another cheap finish and a wasted opportunity. The WWF had the golden opportunity to give Benoit the title in Canada (he faced Austin the night before on Raw and got screwed there as well), reestablish some goodwill among fans who remembered Vince screwing Bret in �97, while Austin could have quickly regained the belt when they returned to the states. Instead, they chose to book two consecutive Benoit title shots with two consecutive screwjobs, and in the process killed Benoit�s momentum, which had been huge coming off the two classic matches the week before. With all that said, this was still a tremendous match worth tracking down on tape if you haven�t seen it. Both men were at their very best, with Austin continuing to return to his 1998 form and Benoit reaffirming his status as the best worker in wrestling. Some have labeled this a classic and a match of the year candidate, but I thought that would be a very slight overestimation. The match was a classic until the finish, which took it down, but still excellent. ****1/4
Cage Match: Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle 6/11/01 Raw
Steve Austin came out to do color commentary. Angle speared Benoit as he entered the ring and gave him a belly to belly suplex. Benoit tried to counter a whip into the corner but Angle belly to belly suplexed him again. They had a very good exchange in which Benoit kept trying to apply the crippler crossface but Angle would counter or escape his grip, ending when Angle rammed Benoit into the cage. Angle rammed Benoit into the cage again and repeatedly kicked him in the corner. Benoit fought back with his stiff chops in the corner. Angle whipped Benoit into the opposite corner but ran into a boot. Benoit landed more chops and whipped Angle into the corner. Benoit charged but Angle lifted him and rammed him into the cage in the corner. Angle rammed Benoit�s back into the cage and then his head. Benoit fought back with chops and snap suplexed Angle. Benoit gave Angle another suplex but Angle fought back with kneelifts and gave Benoit a gut wrench suplex of his own. Angle gut wrench suplexed Benoit twice more. Angle tried to escape the cage but Benoit caught him. Angle repeatedly rammed Benoit into the cage but Benoit fought back. Benoit then gave Angle a German superplex off the top rope to the mat for a huge pop. Benoit tried to escape the cage but Angle shoved him off the top rope to the mat and hit a top rope elbowsmash. Benoit and Angle had a slugfest. Benoit rammed Angle into the cage three times. Benoit tried to escape again but Angle gave him a low blow. Angle gave Benoit his Angle slam. Angle then climbed to the top of the cage, which was about 10-11 feet above the canvas, and attempted a moonsault but Benoit moved in perhaps the spot of the match made even more amazing because Angle landed perfectly in taking the bump. Benoit gave Angle a couple kneelifts but Angle then rammed Benoit into the cage. Angle rammed Benoit head first into the cage. He tried to ram Benoit into the cage again but Benoit countered, rammed Angle into the cage, and gave him six consecutive German suplexes. Benoit tried to escape but Angle stopped him. Benoit then gave Angle three more consecutive German suplexes. He climbed to the top of the cage and Austin threatened him at ringside. Benoit then dove off the top of the cage with a headbutt onto Angle in another amazing spot. As Benoit recovered Austin attacked the ref at ringside and closed the cage door. Benoit then kicked Austin through the cage door and tried to escape but Angle applied an ankle lock on Benoit. Benoit gave Angle an enzuguiri and tried to escape but Austin slammed the cage door in his face. Angle then escaped over the top of the cage to the floor and won at 14:29. Another sensational match from start to finish with a number of memorable spots. One could say that this was the match, if any, that passed the torch from Benoit as the top worker of the first half of 2001 to Angle, the top worker of the second half of 2001. Both men turned in great performances, with Angle perhaps outworking Benoit with one of his best performances ever. The ending didn�t hurt the match, but didn�t help it either. This match was maybe another minute or two shy of being a classic and I actually enjoyed this match more than Benoit vs Austin. ****1/4
Next Issue: Full Circle: The Evolution of Stone Cold Steve Austin
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