THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #56
OCTOBER 22, 2002
Best of WWE Summerslam 2002
On August 25, 2002, just about everything was right in the WWE. Over 3 months after a name change and four months into a brand extension with mixed-at-best results, it seemed like WWE finally got it right. Good, great and excellent work from start to finish, and the one match that was supposed to suck (Test-Undertaker) turned out perfectly watchable. This article takes a look at the 4 best matches of the 8-match PPV, which particularly for consistent quality of work, ranks as one of the best PPV's in U.S. wrestling history. Of course WWE would ruin whatever goodwill was created by this show just a couple weeks afterwards, but for a few hours the WWE was finally cool again.
Kurt Angle vs Rey Misterio
I'll go along with dropping the "junior" part, but not the new spelling. Not yet, anyway. Misterio entered behind Angle's back and surprised him from behind with a springboard headscissors takedown (not a huracanrana, Cole, idiot). Misterio scored with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and dropkicked Angle. Misterio monkey-flipped Angle out of the corner. Angle whipped Misterio hard into the opposite corner. After numerous counters back and forth Misterio twice countered ankle lock attempts, the second time by reaching the ropes. Angle grabbed Misterio's leg, Misterio elbowed him, and Angle flipped Misterio, who landed on his feet. Misterio gave Angle a really cool drop toehold causing Angle to fall head first into the bottom turnbuckle. Misterio missed a 619 and Angle dragged him out of the ring and dropped him hard on the floor. Angle rammed Misterio into the apron. He stomped Misterio and suplexed him. Angle punched Misterio but telegraphed a backdrop and Misterio kicked him. Angle caught Misterio and gave him a wheelbarrow-style German suplex. Misterio countered another German suplex by grabbing the ropes and somehow sunset flipped Angle for a near fall. Angle clotheslined Misterio for a near fall. Angle gave Misterio a backbreaker for a near fall and choked him in the ropes. Angle punched Misterio repeatedly in the corner but Misterio fought back with forearm strikes. Angle whipped Misterio into the opposite corner, Misterio jumped onto the ropes and went for a headscissors takedown but Angle countered with a backbreaker for a near fall. Angle applied a half crab on Misterio. In another cool spot, Misterio caught Angle off-guard, escaped the half crab and seamlessly rolled him up for a near fall. Angle clotheslined Misterio for a near fall. Angle punched Misterio twice but Misterio fought back with a jawbreaker. Misterio landed some forearms. Misterio ducked a clothesline, went for a sunset flip, Angle countered but missed a punch. Angle caught Misterio in a criss cross with a spectacular overhead belly to belly suplex. Misterio countered an Angle slam with an armdrag. Angle charged but Misterio pulled the top rope down and ducked, and Angle sailed out of the ring. Angle got up on the apron but Misterio dropkicked his knees. Misterio started to run towards a dive but the ref blocked him, drawing loud boos. Misterio then jumped over the ref and hit Angle with a spectacular somersault plancha for a pop. Misterio hit a springboard legdrop for a VERY heated near fall by U.S. standards. Angle kicked Misterio. He caught Misterio jumping out of the corner and applied an ankle lock but Misterio countered with a kick in another crowd popping spot. Misterio then hit his 619 and the west coast pop for a great near fall. Misterio spin kicked Angle and went to the top rope but Angle charged. Misterio flipped over Angle and dropkicked Angle as he as sitting on the top rope. Misterio went for a top rope Misteriorana but Angle countered and applied an ankle lock for the submission win at 9:23. So you wonder if this is worth watching? If you were hoping for a longer match you should still get this, because Angle and Misterio could not have kicked off Summerslam in better fashion. Near perfect pacing, with tons of cool spots and just enough psychology thrown in for those of you who hate 100% spotfests. Great counters and sequences, and they worked together for the first time almost like they were born to work together. Misterio is a far cry athletically from what he was circa 94-97, but still one of the more spectacular athletes in wrestling. He has a great sense of what he still can do, and often comes up with multiple cool ways with which to employ his signature moves. For example, he turned his dive fake, now a somewhat passe spot, into the 619, one of my all-time favorite setup moves. He can still do his springboard huracanrana, somersault plancha, and some of his tilt-a-whirl moves really well. Many of today's WWE fans probably didn't see him in his WCW peak or saw little of him, or had not seen him in long enough time that Misterio was a new and unfamiliar face this time around. They took to him as fast as any newcomer in recent memory, popping for his big moves in this match like I've never seen a crowd (outside of ECW perhaps) pop for him. Most of all, fans strongly believed he could win, popping huge for two of his near falls late in the match. Part of this was due to Angle, who kept up with Misterio and served as a perfect base for his highspots. Angle turned in one of his (many) great performances of 2002, further making his case for being the world's top worker. Better content than most ****+ matches in 2002, but its short length limits it somewhat. ***3/4
WWE Intercontinental Title: Rob Van Dam (c) vs Chris Benoit
Van Dam landed a kick to the leg early and scored with some very solid roundhouse kicks that looked much better than his usual kicks. Benoit left the ring briefly. Van Dam landed another roundhouse kick but Benoit then blocked a kick and gave him a dragon screw. Benoit applied a chinlock/headlock on Van Dam. Benoit tackled Van Dam and whipped him into the corner. Benoit charged but Van Dam flipped over him and hit a moonsault bodyblock off the middle rope in the opposite corner for an early near fall. Van Dam hit a spinning mule kick to the head. Van Dam missed a spinning kick and Benoit folded him up with a great released German suplex. Benoit elbowsmashed Van Dam in the neck and rammed him into the corner. Benoit gave Van Dam a short clothesline for a near fall and a backbreaker for another near fall. Benoit stomped Van Dam and snap suplexed him for a near fall. Benoit applied an armbar on Van Dam. Van Dam countered but Benoit responded with a sharp elbow. Van Dam surprised Benoit with an inside cradle for a near fall and a backslide for another near fall. Van Dam launched Benoit into orbit with a great monkey flip but Benoit immediately clotheslined him in response. Benoit bled from the mouth at this point. He rammed Van Dam into the corner and landed some hard chops. Benoit whipped Van Dam into the corner but ran into a boot. Van Dam went for a split-legged moonsault but crashed onto Benoit's knees. Benoit missed a top rope headbutt. Van Dam hit a corkscrew legdrop but missed a 5-star frog splash. Benoit then applied the crippler crossface on Van Dam as heat mounted. Van Dam reached the ropes as Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon looked on. Benoit attacked Van Dam with sharp blows in the corner. He whipped Van Dam into the opposite corner but ran into a boot. Benoit caught Van Dam on the top rope and pushed him off, causing Van Dam to crash into the barricade at ringside. Van Dam sold his arm pretty well, and Benoit hammerlocked and rammed him arm-first into the ringpost. Benoit gave Van Dam a shoulderbreaker and an elbowsmash. He stomped Van Dam and slapped him. Benoit chopped Van Dam and clotheslined him for a near fall. Benoit applied a surfboard on Van Dam using his knee for added impact. Van Dam countered but Benoit turned him back around. Benoit applied somewhat of a strangle hold, crossing Van Dam's arms in front of his neck. Van Dam did a flip counter but Benoit escaped and shoved Van Dam to the mat. Van Dam gave Benoit a legsweep. Van Dam did a cartwheel into a moonsault but missed and Benoit applied the crippler crossface in the middle of the ring. Van Dam elbowed Benoit to escape but Benoit rolled him up for a near fall. Benoit gave Van Dam an armringer, a hammerlock and rammed him shoulder first into the corner. Benoit applied an armbar and gave Van Dam a northern lights suplex. Benoit seamlessly held onto the hammerlock and gave Van Dam a second northern lights suplex. Benoit floated over, landed a couple kneelifts, and gave Van Dam a third northern lights suplex on his arm. Benoit held onto Van Dam's arm and then turned his hold back into the crippler crossface on Van Dam. Such a seamless sequence that my description cannot do justice. Van Dam nearly reached the ropes but Benoit maintained almost a dragon clutch, hooking Van Dam's arm and neck. Van Dam countered and applied a crossface of his own for a pop. Benoit quickly escaped and dropkicked Van Dam. Benoit punched Van Dam and whipped him into the corner but ran into an elbow. Van Dam hit a second rope mule kick for a near fall. Van Dam blocked a kick and gave Benoit his stepover spin kick. Van Dam hit a rolling thunder for a near fall amidst solid heat. Van Dam whipped Benoit into the corner and shoulderblocked him. Van Dam spin kicked Benoit for a near fall. Benoit countered a monkey flip out of the corner and placed Van Dam on the top rope. Van Dam elbowed Benoit but Benoit crotched him on the top rope. Benoit landed several blows to Van Dam's neck. Benoit went for a top rope back superplex but Van Dam fell on top of him. Van Dam hit a 5-star frog splash and pinned Benoit at 16:22 to retain the title. This had more than enough elements needed to create a **** match. Both men were basically at the top of their game in terms of offense, with Van Dam having a good night and Benoit being very close to his old self. They also did a very solid job selling Van Dam's arm and building around the crippler crossface. More psychology than your usual Van Dam match. But something was missing, as it seemed like they couldn't put all of the match's strengths together. I couldn't point to any glaring flaws in the match's cohesiveness, but the flow just didn't seem smooth enough to make for an excellent match. Both men missing signature moves halfway through the match seemed like a great idea, but the match's momentum seemed to weaken a bit after that because they couldn't carry the dramatic psychology quite well enough down the stretch. The finish also seemed a bit sudden and didn't correlate to the overall focus of the match. Still, this was a damn good match that most fans could enjoy. ***1/2
Shawn Michaels vs HHH
Michaels attacked HHH at the outset. HHH shoved Michaels out of the ring but Michaels quickly rebounded and took down HHH. Michaels landed some punches on HHH. They had a criss cross and Michaels threw HHH over the top rope to the floor. Michaels hit a sharp tope, the first indication that this match would be something special. Michaels gave HHH more punches at ringside. HHH fought back but Michaels rammed him into the ringpost. Michaels clotheslined HHH at ringside and grabbed a trash can from underneath the ring. HHH gave Michaels a low blow and dropped him neck first across the barricade. Michaels hit HHH with a trash can, skinned the cat back into the ring, and clotheslined HHH. Michaels hit HHH with the trash can and gave HHH a top rope axhandle. HHH went for the sweet chin music but missed and HHH gave him a backbreaker, which Michaels sold huge. HHH gave Michaels a second backbreaker and punched him. HHH rammed Michaels into the corner and whipped him very hard into the opposite corner. HHH whipped Michaels hard into another corner and kicked him. He elbowsmashed Michaels repeatedly for an early near fall. HHH grabbed a chair from ringside and hit Michaels in the back with it for a near fall. Michaels landed two punches but HHH responded with punches of his own. Michaels countered a suplex attempt and rolled up HHH for a near fall. Michaels punched HHH but telegraphed a backdrop and HHH gave him a knee drive. HHH DDTd Michaels on a chair for a near fall, and Michaels began to bleed. HHH grabbed Michaels's belt and whipped him with it. HHH attacked Michaels's bloody head with the belt buckle. HHH punched Michaels and grabbed a sledgehammer from under the ring. HHH went after Michaels but Michaels kicked him and fought back with punches. Michaels went for a whip but HHH countered and whipped him hard into the corner. HHH then applied an abdominal stretch on Michaels and used the rope for leverage. The ref intervened, HHH shoved him but the ref shoved back. Michaels punched HHH and kicked him but HHH responded with a kneelift. HHH punched Michaels and went for a superplex but Michaels knocked him to the mat with a series of punches. Michaels was going to jump off the top rope but HHH crotched him by pushing the ref into the ropes. HHH then hit an upside down Michaels in the corner with a chair to the back. HHH placed the chair in the middle of the ring in a sitting position and gave Michaels a backbreaker on the chair, which the crowd responded huge to. HHH gained a dramatic near fall as fans popped. HHH gave Michaels a side slam on the chair for a near fall. HHH sold his frustration. He attempted to give Michaels a pedigree on the chair but Michaels countered with a low blow for a pop. HHH went to hit Michaels with the chair but Michaels gave him sweet chin music, knocking the chair into his face in a neat spot. HHH then began to bleed huge. Michaels gave HHH a series of punches and hit his trademark flying forearm, then flipped to his feet like old times for a pop. Michaels landed more punches and backdropped HHH. Michaels hit HHH with a chair. Michaels reversed a whip into the corner and HHH flew clear over the top rope to the floor, then crashed into the barricade in a Michaels-like bump. Michaels hit HHH with a trash can lid and whipped him with his belt. Michaels hit HHH with the trash can and the lid, knocking HHH over the announcers' table. Michaels hit HHH with his boot and bulldogged him onto the ring steps. Michaels grabbed a ladder for a huge pop and rammed HHH with the end of the ladder. Michaels rammed the ladder edge repeatedly into HHH's gut and propped the ladder against the corner. Michaels blocked a whip into the ladder and catapulted HHH into the ladder. Back in the ring Michaels gained a heated near fall. Michaels grabbed the ladder but HHH knocked the ladder into Michaels's gut with a baseball slide kick. HHH was bleeding heavily as he attacked Michaels with punches. Michaels caught HHH on the top rope with a punch and superplexed him for a heated near fall. Michaels did a great float-over into a sunset flip on HHH for a near fall, showing that some of his remarkable athletic ability was still there. HHH gave Michaels a jumping knee for a near fall. HHH brought a segment of the ring steps into the ring and went to hit Michaels but Michaels surprised him with a drop toehold and HHH crashed face first into the steps. Michaels clotheslined HHH over the top rope and HHH crashed onto the ladder. Michaels grabbed a table for a pop and punched HHH. Michaels set up the table at ringside and hit HHH with a fire extinguisher, knocking HHH onto the table. Michaels then did an amazing top rope splash sending HHH through the table at ringside. Michaels brought the ladder into the ring. He climbed to the top of the ladder and hit an elbowsmash off the ladder for another pop. Michaels then popped the crowd huge going for sweet chin music. HHH countered and went for a pedigree but Michaels countered and rolled up HHH for the pin at 27:12. Fans popped huge for the result. Going in, I was one of many fans who hoped for the best but deep down had low expectations. I mean, this was Michaels's first match in over 4 years, save for a one-match hiccup in April 2000 where he took no big bumps and performed cautiously. Michaels held nothing back here, almost to a shocking extent. Not only was his back not protected, but it was the focal point of HHH's attack, sometimes in a painful way. HHH's work was mostly simple and methodical, but this was a match where such work did not drag things down, rather, it was appropriate given the storyline. Every blow to Michaels's back was sold well and paced in such a way that every blow had meaning and impact. Fans vocally cringed for some of the blows, such as the chairshots to Michaels's back. The match built well towards the middle as Michaels built beautifully in his expressions to his main comeback. Then the match's value really took shape, with Michaels taking some risks that measure up well to his most memorable matches, and were downright insane given his return from what was supposed to be a career-ending back injury. I don't know if Michaels was his sharpest physically, but his execution compared very nicely to his past classics. Fans really ignited for his comeback, popping for his big moves with a combination of the usual amazement and a sense of profound shock over what they were witnessing. Some didn't like the finish, but it made perfect sense within the context of Michaels not being able to win in a straight fashion given his circumstances. Also, HHH had to be protected, and it would've hurt his credibility to lose in a conventional way to someone returning after a 4-year layoff. Michaels has produced as many miracle matches as anyone in the U.S. besides perhaps Ric Flair, but this might have been his biggest miracle of all. Michaels turned in an amazing effort, carrying HHH to easily his best match since his own comeback and a match significantly greater than anything HHH has done since. Michaels was so great the quality of his performance would seem to suggest that Michaels never left. It's a shame this match took place after the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame balloting. Because if Michaels wasn't a hall of fame wrestler before, this will go down as the match that should silence all the critics. And for those of us who know better, this match further cemented the truth that Shawn Michaels belongs in the Hall of Fame. ****1/4
WWE Title: Rock (c) vs Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman)
Rock attacked Lesnar with punches at the bell but Lesnar fought back with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Lesnar gave Rock a couple backbreakers for a near fall. He shoulderblocked Rock in the corner and knocked him out of the ring with a kneelift. Heyman kicked Rock at ringside. Lesnar pounded Rock and clotheslined him over the barricade into the crowd. Lesnar press slammed Rock onto the barricade and clotheslined him over the barricade back to ringside. Back in the ring Lesnar belly to belly suplexed Rock for a near fall. Rock fought back with punches but Heyman tripped him and Lesnar elbowsmashed him twice. Lesnar stomped Rock and Heyman choked him. Rock landed some punches and kicked Lesnar when he telegraphed a backdrop. Lesnar powerslammed Rock for a near fall. Lesnar punched Rock and shoulderblocked him in the corner. Lesnar speared Rock against the corner but missed a second time and crashed shoulder first into the ringpost. Rock back suplexed Lesnar amidst plenty of boos. Both men kip-upped at the same time. Rock landed some punches but couldn't knock Lesnar down. Rock clotheslined Lesnar, kicked and DDTd him for a near fall. Rock went for a sharpshooter but punched Heyman off the apron when he distracted the ref. Lesnar went for a kick but Rock gave him a dragon screw. Rock applied a sharpshooter on Lesnar and a "let's go Lesnar" chant broke out. Heyman distracted the ref and Rock catapulted him into the ring. Rock was going to give Heyman a Rock bottom but Lesnar hit him from behind. Lesnar hit Rock with a chair as Heyman distracted the ref. Lesnar applied a bearhug on Rock. Rock tried to fight back with punches but Lesnar back suplexed him and reapplied the bearhug. Lesnar gained a couple one-counts with the hold, which helped to break some of the monotony of this segment. Lesnar nearly made Rock pass out before Rock finally fought back with punches nearly 2:00 after the bearhug was reapplied. Rock low-blowed Lesnar and fans booed loudly. Lesnar rammed Rock back first into the corner and shoulderblocked him against the corner. Lesnar ran into a clothesline and Rock landed some punches, knocking Lesnar over the top rope with one amidst more boos. Rock repeatedly rammed Lesnar into the ring steps and removed parts of the Spanish announcers' table. Heyman confronted Rock and Rock hit him. Lesnar ran into a clothesline from Rock. Rock catapulted Lesnar into the ringpost and gave Heyman a Rock bottom through the table. Back in the ring, Rock gave Lesnar a Rock bottom for a near fall and fans popped huge when Lesnar kicked out. Lesnar surprised Rock with a Rock bottom of his own for a heated near fall. Rock gave Lesnar a spinebuster and went for a people's elbow but ran into a clothesline from Lesnar. Lesnar went for the F-5 but Rock countered and landed some punches. Lesnar blocked a Rock bottom twice and gave Rock an F-5 for the pin at 16:03 to win the title. Although this match certainly wasn't "great", they did a fine job of doing the match's hype justice, turning in a very good match that most fans should be satisfied with. The hype for this match was as solid as any match from the company all year, as WWE did a great job making this seem like more of an epic confrontation, especially in terms of significance, than it actually was. The participants had a pretty hot crowd to work with, although certainly with different reactions than expected. It seemed like Rock and Lesnar were able to play to the crowd's rooting for Lesnar while maintaining the conventional storyline of the match itself. Brock seemed a little more energized by the crowd's cheering, but the Rock really adjusted well with some very solid and sometimes subtle heel mannerisms. The match's major flaw was the bearhug segment, which went too long. That seems to be the one real flaw in Brock's work, otherwise he has pretty much hit his stride as a top WWE star, with generally solid work and flashes of brilliance. Rock was his usual solid self, and it seems like as long as he's energized, he has no trouble at all giving us a good match. Other than the bearhug segment, the match never dragged at all and built well, with a distinctive action peak near the middle (before the bearhug), but unlike Benoit-Van Dam this match picked up well and finished strong. Of course, the work from a technical standpoint paled in comparison, but it didn't have to be that great. Rock and Brock gave fans what they wanted, lived up to the hype, and produced a match within the higher-end of their potential. ***1/4
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