Skip to main content

October Countdown: WWF No Mercy 2001

The SmarK Rant for WWF No Mercy 2001

(But first a word from the movies:  ARGOFUCKYOURSELF.  If that movie doesn’t win Best Picture…well it wouldn’t actually surprise me.  But it would be a damn shame, because any movie where I know exactly how it ends but still has me in a state of heart failure leading up to the ending deserves all the awards that can be thrown at it.  I bow to the greatness of Ben Affleck’s directing.) 

- This was pretty much a one-match show going in for me, so anything on top of that is gravy.

- Live from St. Louis, MO

- Your hosts are JR & Paul E.

- Opening match, WCW tag titles: The Hardy Boyz v. The Hurricane & Lance Storm.

(Why did no one think of putting together “Hurricane” and “Storm” as a more permanent tag team?  It’s RIGHT THERE.)  Helms does some posing, but gets hiptossed. Hardyz hit a double-wheelbarrow suplex for two. The Legion of Justice comes back with the double-team neckbreaker on Matt for two. Jeff comes in and cleans house like a French maid, but Ivory trips him up. Hurricane teases a highspot but runs into a clothesline from Matt. Molly helps him recover and don the CAPE OF DOOM, and he comes off the top onto the Hardyz on the floor. Back in, Storm dropkicks Jeff for two. Double-team suplex gets two. Molly adds a cheapshot, but Jeff gets the corkscrew out of the corner, hot tag Matt. It’s BONZO GONZO. Poetry in Motion and Oklahoma Roll gets two for Matt. Yodelling legdrop gets two. The Legion of Justice comes back with a double-superkick that would have killed in the Rockers’ day, but only gets two. Jeff dumps Storm as Lita & Molly & Ivory have a big catfight, and Lita escapes to hit her shitty rana on Storm and take him out of the match. Twist of Fate and swanton finish Hurricane at 7:14. Decent enough opener, although Storm is still wasted in this role. **1/2  (He’d be wasted in much of his WWE tenure, sadly.   At least he’s happy doing the wrestling school thing now.  And Molly was pretty damn adorable in this phase of her career.) 

- Test v. Kane.

Kane overpowers him and slugs him down, then screws up a hotshot. He presses Test out of the ring, but Test pops him with the ringbell to come back. Back in, Test does some choking and gets a suplex for two. Elbow gets two. Sideslam gets two. Flying elbow misses and Kane comes back with a backdrop and his own sideslam for two. Test gets dumped again, but hits the big boot on the floor. Back in, it gets two. Kane gets a chokeslam for two. Slugfest, and Kane powerslams and goes up, but gets nailed coming down and pumphandled for two. Test goes up, Macho Man elbow gets two. Test grabs a chair, but gets it kicked in his face. Evil Referee Nick Patrick grabs the chair, and Test finishes with a low blow and the Rockette Kick at 10:09. Too long, but not as brutally bad as I was expecting coming in. *1/2

- Meanwhile, Steve Austin gives an interview from his dressing room via Debra. Funny stuff.

- Meanwhile, Stacy flashes Matt Hardy.

- First Ever Lingerie Match: Stacy Keibler v. Torrie Wilson.

Neither outfit is that scandalous or anything. Stacy does some cartwheels to counter shoving. She spanks Torrie with a cat-o-nine-tails and they roll around and over the ref. Nice to see them taking the basic midget match spots and applying them to a new generation. (Really, Divas matches are basically the new midget matches these days.)  Torrie’s sunset flip attempt turns into a sort-of pinfall reversal sequence with lots of gratuitous camera angles. Not that I’m complaining. Stacy does the Diesel choke in the corner, again with blatant camera angle, and uses a headscissor in the corner to choke Torrie out again. Torrie snapmares her out of the corner for two, and finishes with Tajiri’s handspring elbow at 3:07. I’ve seen worse. ½*  (And now they’re both banging celebrities and laughing at the notion of ever doing wrestling again.) 

- Intercontinental title ladder match: Christian v. Edge.

Brawl outside and Edge backdrops him back in. Edge works the leg, but Christian bails. He fetches the ladder but gets it dropkicked in his face. They brawl into the crowd and back to ringside, where Edge catapults him into the ladder. Christian drops him on it, however, and climbs onto it while it’s laying on the stairs, but Edge crotches him on it. Christian hits Edge in the jaw with the ladder and climbs. Edge knocks him over, but Christian spears him with the ladder in the corner. Christian gets knocked onto it and dropped crotch-first on it. Man, Christian’s nuts are taking the biggest beating of the night. Edge gets whipped into the ladder and Christian catapults him facefirst underneath the ladder. Ouch. Christian gets another ladder and both guys climb, but Edge hits the Edge-O-Matic off the ladder. Edge climbs, but now Christian DDTs him off the ladder. Well, I guess they’re even now. Edge escapes the one-man conchairto and fetches a third ladder. Edge puts a ladder onto two chairs and splashes Christian from the top. Didn’t look very good – his knees hit the mat first. Christian goes up, but gets speared off the ladder. Saw that spot coming. Both guys climb the same ladder, and both guys tumble off and out. Christian crawls back in and climbs, but Edge lowblows him with a chair in revenge for Unforgiven, puts his head on a chair on top of the ladder, and finishes with a one-man conchairto that allows him to grab the title at 22:17. Pretty much the worst of the 18 million ladder matches this year, but that’s more the fault of the oversaturation of the gimmick than any lack of effort on their part. The repeated ladder spots from earlier matches didn’t help much, either. They really need to get a new gimmick match over. ***1/2  (Really, Elimination Chamber was the only one they were successful with.  Sad that the glut of ladder matches for the year rendered this one so forgettable, especially when they were doing them on TV and such.  Plus E&C had that chemistry where people just didn’t want to see them fight, much like the Hardy Boyz.) 

- Meanwhile, Spike Dudley gets drunk and makes time with the chicks at WWF New York.

- WWF tag title match: The Dudley Boyz v. Tajiri & Big Show.

Bubba pounds Tajiri to start, but Tajiri gets a standing moonsault on D-Von for two. Show comes in and uses the power of his giant ass to subdue D-Von in the corner. Show slams everything and the champs bail. Tajiri hits them with a tope con hilo. Back in, Bubba gets an elbow and Tajiri is YOUR face-in-peril. Double flapjack and D-Von hits the chinlock. He comes off the middle and hits foot, as usual, but Tajiri can’t tag Show. Wazzup Drop, but Tajiri recovers quickly and makes the hot tag. As long as Show stands on the apron and makes the hot tag, he’ll stay over. D-Von clips Show to slow him down, but Tajiri puts the Tarantula on D-Von in turn. Bubba breaks, and Tajiri hits the handspring and blows mist…but hits the ref. HE’S BLIND…er. Show chokeslams Bubba, no ref. Rhyno comes in with the GOAR GOAR GOAR on Show, and Dudleyz finish Tajiri with 3D at 9:19. Good effort, and another decent tag title match. **1/2

- Meanwhile, Rhyno wants RESPECT for the Alliance. Too little too late, guys.

- Booker T v. The Underseller.

Brawl outside to start, and Taker hits the railing, but no-sells and tosses Booker in. Big boot gets two, but Booker comes back and shoulderblocks him in the corner. UT shrugs it off and works the arm with his dizzying array of UFC-like submission moves. Booker somehow survives the murderous onslaught of shoot-wrestling excellence, but takes the ROPEWALK OF DOOM for two. Booker bails, probably convinced that Undertaker had been kidnapped and replaced by Tito Ortiz. (Ironic that I’m so down on Undertaker’s MMA stuff here, when in fact that’s what gave him his in-ring resurgence.) Taker follows him out, but hits the stairs. They fight into the crowd and back into the ring, where Booker gets the missile dropkick for two. UT slugs away, but gets sidekicked for two. Sideslam gets two. Kneedrop and the crowd preps for the Spinarooni, but he doesn’t deliver. Taker tries a powerslam, but Booker escapes and gets a neckbreaker for two. Slugfest is won by Taker for two. Booker spinkick gets two. Undertaker DDT gets two. Legdrop gets two, brother. He charges and Booker hotshots him in the corner, and a spinkick puts UT on the floor. Booker recharges with the SPINAROONI and an axe-kick for two. Taker tries the chokeslam, but Booker blocks and goes low. He tries the Enemy Pummel in the corner for some reason, and Taker poochiebombs him out of there for the pin at 13:20. (NEVER PUNCH UNDERTAKER IN THE CORNER!  How many more powerbombs does the world need to see before we do something about it?)  Taker sold more than usual, but then he knew he was winning. Really slow match. *1/2

- WCW World title match: The Rock v. Chris Jericho.

(Remember when they had TWO World titles at the same time?  That was a wacky time.)  Lockup battle to start, and Rock works the arm. Jericho armdrags him, and works the arm in turn. Jericho slugs him down and chokes him out. Jericho unloads the CANADIAN VIOLENCE, but Rock counters with the Rock Bottom, which Jericho counters in turn with the Walls. Awesome. Rock bails to the apron and gets dropkicked to the floor. Back in, Jericho gets a flying elbow for two. More CANADIAN VIOLENCE, but Rock tries his own and gets hit with a leg lariat for two. Pair of backbreakers get two, but Rock reverses the pinfall for two. Nice touch. Jericho forearms him down, but gets hit with a Rock forearm in turn. He comes back quickly with a hotshot and the crowd starts chanting “Rocky Sucks” like old times. Jericho goes up, but gets crotched. Superplex and double-KO, and the crowd actually counts along with the 10-count. But then it’s St. Louis, so they’re already trained. Rock slugs away and gets a samoan drop for two. Kip-up and Rock lays the smackdown, drawing a very noticeable heel reaction. Jericho comes back and walks into a lariat for two. Suplex gets two. Rock dumps Jericho, and he gets two back in the ring. He goes to a heelish chinlock to put sympathy heat on Jericho, and indeed Jericho escapes, but misses a dropkick. Rock catapults him and lariats him. They head up, and Jericho gets a missile dropkick. Double KO again, Rock is staggered. Slugfest is won by Jericho, and he overpowers Rock and gets a neckbreaker and rana for two. Someone call HHH, he’s wrestling like a cruiserweight again. Jericho hits a Rock Bottom! Lionsault gets two. Bulldog sets up the Canadian Elbow, which misses. Rock gets an ugly dragon-screw into the Sharpshooter, and the crowd freaks until Jericho makes the ropes. Jericho bails and Rock preps the Spanish table and Rock Bottoms Jericho through it. Rock breaks the count like a heel and smacks Jericho around, and after Jericho crawls back in, Rock sets up for the Rock Bottom…and the crowd BOOS. Jericho blocks, but walks into a spinebuster. People’s Elbow is caught and REVERSED into the Walls of Jericho! This match is so awesome. I’m thinking it might be the finish, but Steph McJugs bounces out and distracts Jericho for the millionth time. Rock DDTs him and goes after Steph with a Rock Bottom that looked like he was fighting the combined forces of gravity and inertia trying to get the McMammaries in the air, but Jericho grabs the chair left by Stephanie, hits a forward legsweep onto it, and wins the WCW title at 23:47! Finally he wins the big one! Awesome match, a total MOTYC if not for the screwy finish. ****1/2 My faith in Jericho is restored and Rock shoots him a heelish glare, only to hand him the chair as if to say “You won this time, but you needed this chair to do it.” I smell rematch. I’m there, dudes.  (Yeah, that title reign didn’t last particularly long, as Rock won it back on TV soon after.  However, Jericho unified the belts in December and then won the rematch at Royal Rumble, so he ended up getting the best of things in this feud, I’d say.) 

- WWF World title: Steve Austin v. Kurt Angle v. Rob Van Dam.

(I will contend until my dying day that RVD should have won the title here.)  Angle suplexes everyone, but the Alliance beats him down. Austin & RVD square off after disposing of Angle, but he sneaks in and interrupts the Super Posedown. They all brawl with each other for a bit. Rob gets a leg lariat and dropkick for Austin, but Austin grabs the ropes to escape. Rob with Rolling Thunder onto Angle for two. Angle gets tossed and Austin spinebusters RVD for two. Austin works the leg and goes into a half-crab as the crowd chants “What?” at Austin. He should never use that line again if they want to keep him a heel. STF, but Angle breaks and dumps Austin. They fight into the crowd while RVD recovers, and then comes off the top with a plancha onto both Austin & Angle. He legdrops Austin off the table. Back in, Angle gets a capture suplex on Van Dam and a moonsault, but Austin covers Rob for two. Angle sleeper on Austin, but Austin comes back with a stunner attempt, blocked by Angle. Rob goes up while both guys are out, but both guys move and Angle suplexes him for two. Split-legged moonsault from RVD gets two on Austin. Angle Slam on RVD gets two. I see Heyman is booking tonight. Austin dumps Angle and they brawl out, and Austin preps the announce table. Angle reverses a piledriver, but Rob comes barrelling out with a suicide dive. Vince struts out as they lay out on the floor. Angle & RVD head in, and Angle beats the shit out of him, only to run into a leg lariat. Rob goes up, but gets superplexed. Austin hits KICK WHAM STUNNER on Angle, and he bails. Austin goes after Rob, but Vince sneaks in (well, as much as Vince can sneak anywhere) and blasts Austin with a chairshot that cuts open the back of his head. I see Vince is stealing traits from Van Dam besides the thumb-thing. Rob goes up, five-star frog splash, but Angle saves. Rolling germans and Angle Slam for Van Dam, but now Shane runs in to also help Van Dam, and Shane & Vince brawl over who gets to leech off of RVD’s heat first. In the ring, however, Austin goes KICK WHAM STUNNER on Mr. Potatohead and gets the pin to retain at 15:19. Solid three-way with the usual McMahonized overbooked ending. ***3/4

The Bottom Line:

Well, we knew Rock-Jericho was gonna steal the show, but the main event was much better than I was expecting and there wasn’t really any horrible matches to drag down the undercard. The undercard itself didn’t mean much in terms of storyline or heat, but it didn’t hurt the top of the card, either, and that’s about all you can ask for when the booking is struggling.

Thumbs up for some good effort and one potential Match of the Year candidate.  (Hell of a show, actually.  Hard to see much here to complain about, really.) 

Comments

  1. I agree, RVD should have won, since he was in a quasi feud with Austin at the time, and a full blown feud would have made him permanently as a WWE main eventer. By the time he did get his big championship win, ECW was back, and he once again got that ECW stigma attached to him. Same with TNA as he may have broken away from that for good earlier, but the whole EV 2.0 thing happened, and yet again he was mired in the ECW mini-revival long passed its relevancy to get him over. I think that has pretty much closed the door on him being a legitimate top guy anywhere.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wasn't the better time for RVD to win at Unforgiven 2002, against HHH? I think you might have your shows mixed up, Scott. Rob had been around for a year at that point and felt more "regular" on the roster, and I remember people were REALLY into him then, combined with the fact people were already sick of HHH's reign from hell on RAW. At this point he had a buzz from anyone who didn't know him, but it was still pretty early in his tenure.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Really, Divas matches are basically the new midget matches these days."

    I wish they'd go back to the midget matches, honestly.

    Also, I doubt Torrie is banging a celebrity anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  4. - Opening match, WCW tag titles: The Hardy Boyz v. The Hurricane & Lance Storm.
    (Why did no one think of putting together “Hurricane” and “Storm” as a more permanent tag team? It’s RIGHT THERE.)

    Agreed, they could have called themselves 'The Natural Disasters'! Oh wait...

    ReplyDelete
  5. If Argo was the movie of the year, than Paranormal Activity 4 is the equivalent of the Aces and Eights storyline...lots of hype, but a bad payoff.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This was the best Rock VS Jericho match. Even with the complete mess they made of the Invasion, the WWF put on strong PPVs during that time.

    RVD probably should have defected to WWF and won the belt from Austin here. He was as over as he would ever be around this time. Vince wasn't ever really going to get behind RVD or Booker or Jericho because he didn't make them. His stars were always going to be HHH, Angle and Lesnar because all of them spent most of all of their careers in WWF/E to that point.

    "(Remember when they had TWO World titles at the same time? That was a wacky time.)"

    Didn't WCW figure out how stupid an idea that was after 2 years or so? I guess having 2 World titles at the same time isn't so bad if you have a brand split and are committed to it but having 2 titles without a split just cheapens both of them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. She's with some baseball dude, isn't she?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Because it would have made him a giant star when he was at the hottest he was ever going to be in his career.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Argo is high on my list of best movies of the year. My top 5 would be:


    1. The Dark Knight Rises
    2. Argo
    3. End of Watch
    4. Looper
    5. The Avengers


    I have not seen The Master yet though. That's one that I've wanted to see as well.


    I agree about the finale of Argo. Despite knowing how it would end, I was tense the entire time. Ben Affleck is 3 for 3 directing movies. Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo are each in my top movies from the years they were released.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A-Rod right? Or is that over?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Agreed, Argo was fan-fucking-tastic. Affleck almost makes directing look easy with how good his films has been.


    And he was the bomb in "Phantoms"

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yeah, Alex Rodriguez, but a couple days ago he was caught (on live TV, mind you) trying to get an Australian model's number during a game. So I'm guessing that relationship is over. It was all over the news, but you guys in Canada don't get ESPN, right?

    Here's an article with the details:
    http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8516689/alex-rodriguez-new-york-yankees-asked-woman-digits-game

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'll take a woman that's got small breasts over a woman with fake-ass implants any day of the week. With a face like that I'm not looking at her chest anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ya apparently Affleck can direct the shit out of things. So far all three (three, right?) movies have been really great. I guess he is one half of the writing team for Good Will Hunting, so maybe the guy is really talented but it just took 15 years for it to all come out

    ReplyDelete
  15. I would too and I think she's gorgeous (and as someone who's actually taken a picture with her [and maVen; I think they were an item], that word doesn't do her justice in person)...I just find the thought of a woman with almost negligible boobs flashing to be funny.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Agreed on RVD winning the title here. It would have been cool to see the last hot ECW commodity standing with the title in the midst of the Invasion. Even if the endstate was Jericho unifying the title against him, that would have been something fresh while the more established guys fought the Invasion matches.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Me too, I just hate implants.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Argo was phenomenal. It's going to run into a buzz saw though against Les Miserables.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I don't think the Academy will be so quick to award Tom Hooper and his movie Director and Picture just after The King's Speech. It will contend, but it has that, and the fact that it's a musical hurting it. I think Argo's biggest competition is Silver Linings Playbook.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Looking at you hens discussing your tabloid gossip. So precious. <3

    ReplyDelete
  21. DO YOU SEE!??!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lita's "shitty" 'rana? I think her version is the best of the lot.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Does the spirit wind up being a roided up black guy too?

    ReplyDelete
  24. It's funny, his relationship with Matt Damon. Damon gets all the serious, dramatic roles, when Damon's strengths are as a comedic actor, and Affleck, who actually is a good dramatic actor, gets stuck with "comedy".

    ReplyDelete
  25. Yeah, quality over quantity.


    Dunno why people equate a great ass/rack with a big ass/rack. I know plenty of women with big asses, few of them are what I'd describe as great asses.

    ReplyDelete
  26. almost all ranas are shitty. Just a move that almost never looks good to me. They physics of it are terrible and most guys timing is terrible when they sell it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. But really, the Paranormal Activity movies have lasted 3 movies too long. I prefer the darker ending to the original, both because it works better within what's established in the movie and doesn't set up any stupid sequels.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I got flashed by a girl in a bar once who literally had the flattest chest I've ever seen on a woman, like a bra would have just been redundant. Why she thought it was a good idea to show those little things off to anyone I don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  29. While RVD was mega over at the time, having him win his first world title in a meaningless 3 way on a B PPV isn't the best way for a guy who had the potential to be the future of the business to win his first belt. I mean it would have been like Austin winnng his first world title against Undertaker in Cold Day in Hell. Really, they should have kept building up RVD and keeping him strong and having him win his first title at WM.

    ReplyDelete
  30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUa5oHgYV2k

    ReplyDelete
  31. where u been at?

    ReplyDelete
  32. i smell what your stepping in, but whoever was the champ was jobbing to HHH, might as well be a HOT RVD, instead of a lukewarm Jericho.


    OR...OR....


    You could have had RVD win in October, ride that til Dec and have Jericho win the WCW title and have them meet up in Dec, co main event, Rock/Austin Y2J/RVD

    ReplyDelete
  33. Yup. Normally I'd be all over them for passing an opportunity like that up as well, but in this instance they were a little justified in ignoring it.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I think Rey Mysterio's ranas when he was in ECW/first entered WCW and before he got all his injuries were amazing. He had an awesome snap to them, although that could be mostly Psychosis making the move work.

    ReplyDelete
  35. The Master should win best picture. That movie is unbelievable

    ReplyDelete
  36. Perhaps, but creatively, RVD winning the title here would have been a WAY better decision. It would have only increased the tension between Austin & RVD and led to the Alliance self-destructing in a more organic way (RVD ends up the last man standing for the Alliance in the Survivor Rules match the next month, and Austin ends up costing RVD the match - and the Alliance their very existence - out of jealousy and hatred, providing a counterpoint to Jericho's failed attempt on Rock earlier in the match). It also gives Kurt Angle a more organic rationale for his heel turn, especially after he gets left out of the title unification matches (which end up RVD vs. Austin and Rock vs. Jericho) after carrying the banner for the WWF for the bulk of the Invasion storyline, instead of the lame-brained "mole" storyline they came up with for him. When Jericho ends up going over both Rock and RVD (which admittedly does lack the panache of Rock and Austin, but is necessary for this storyline shift) to unify the belts, the end result is you've created TWO new viable main eventers to move forward with rather than just one... well, until Trips fucks it all up by coming back, of course.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Affleck hardly got stuck as his career struggles early on were his fault. He chose to go for big pay-days and big-budget films where Damon actually read the scripts he was offered and did more challenging fare.

    ReplyDelete
  38. We get baseball news in Canada, believe it or not. I don't think Scott's much of a sports fan outside of hockey, though.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Now I know why I enjoyed reading this review...NO HHH! I had to stop watching from about WM18 until Summerslam because of how pissed I was when Triple H came back as a face and then main evented Mania.

    ReplyDelete
  40. HHH had only held the title for a couple of weeks before he faced RVD so it was the beginning of the reign of heel. Besides, RVD wasn't as over at any point of his WWE career than he was in 2001. That's a fact.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Ha, I just watched this ppv yesterday! And yeah, RVD should have won the title here.

    ReplyDelete
  42. i think Lincoln with have something to say as well.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I remember going to a wrestling training camp once and a girl kept trying to do a standing rana on a guy. The guy hit his head off the mat at least 10 times before he asked her to stop practicing.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I admire your journalistic integrity.

    ReplyDelete
  45. DEFINITELY agree. I feel the rana is one of the worst of the business-exposing moves. It's the "James Bond's enemies are the worst shots ever" of wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Threadjack, but the dirt sheets sez WWE is having a hard time figuring out a finish to Punk/Ryback. Apparently they've teased the idea of having Lesnar come out, but that would interfere with Triple H getting his revenge on him.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Spielberg + Day-Lewis + Historical Drama = Academy Porn

    ReplyDelete
  48. I read up on the movie, and apparently one of the ways they show that there is a ghost haunting the place is through a fucking Kinect.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I'm not surprised they're having a hard time figuring out a finish. They shouldn't have booked themselves into this corner to begin with.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Now when I think about it, the Rock vs. Jericho match at this show was the best of their series.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anything other than Punk getting slaughtered for 3 minutes, hit with a finisher and pinned will essentially kill the Ryback experiment. Unless than can figure out a good non-finish to a gimmick match that is designed to eliminate non-finishes.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Seriously, just end the Ryback experiment. The FEED ME MORE chants are definitely piped in, and Punk losing to a guy who's only notable victory is against the Miz is going to do more harm than good for Punk.

    ReplyDelete
  53. This was a great match, but I've always felt that their Royal Rumble 2002 match was the best match of their feud and that match definitely should have went on last.

    Jericho Vs. Rock isn't worthy of headlining a Royal Rumble, yet Mark Henry is? The decisions that Vince McMahon makes sometimes are just perplexing.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I would probably put their Royal Rumble 2002 match at number two, followed by their 11/5/01 Raw match, then the Vengeance 2001 match. And yeah, the decisions Vince makes sometimes are perplexing, you're right.

    ReplyDelete
  55. The Paranormal Activity movies are soooo overrated, Rifftrax is the only way to make those awful movies even remotely watchable.

    I have no idea why the filmmakers think people want to see other people turning on stoves, swimming and opening and closing doors for an hour and a half, if I wanted to see that crap I'd watch "Big Brother After Dark" instead of wasting $10 on an overrated "horror" film that has fewer scares than Birdemic and Howling: New Moon Rising.

    ReplyDelete
  56. The chants are definitely not piped. Dude has been getting crazy crowd reactions for weeks now. Yeah but let's just bury him because fuck pushing anyone new right?

    ReplyDelete
  57. If I remember correctly, Henry was only on last so that Undertaker could show up at the very end to look scary and challenge Angle.

    ReplyDelete
  58. I say, RVD wins the belt here, defects from the Alliance, but doesn't join WWE and essentially becomes a free agent.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I know what you're going for here, and with all sincerity I need to say that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was the best movie I've seen this year.

    ReplyDelete
  60. The chants are not piped in... people like chanting it because he's a cool looking ass kicker. However, he is nowhere near main event level and is not the answer in the long or short term. The Goldberg comparison is unfair... Goldberg was seeping with charisma. Just look at the two of them walk to the ring and the difference is night and day.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Really?


    I think it works fine. Just not as a "This move hurts" type of thing, it's a weird pin variation cradle thing. It works fine as a powerbomb counter.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I hate guys like Ryback.


    He has done nothing, NOTHING, to prove he's worthy of a push, oh wait, he fucked up his ankle for a year and did a shit-ton of HGH.


    He didn't cut great promos, he didn't put on great matches. All he did is get a super push, there's so many guys that do absolutely FANTASTIC work and given shit that they have to make work. Why didn't WWE give a six month winning streak to Daniel Bryan? A guy that got over, by losing a match in 18 seconds. WWE wants a super duper star, right? Why not take a known quantity and do something with them, instead of this complete unknown.


    Ryback has been doing his schtick for half a year, remember how people were cheering for Nash at Starrcade 98? Which was a year after his fucking debut?

    ReplyDelete
  63. It's not like Ryback came back from injury and went straight to the top of the card. He was squashing indy geeks for months. The fans responded and THEN he got the big push.


    And after Bryan got so over from losing in 18 seconds, WWE did push him. He was in two top title programs back to back and was involved in WWE's top angle for months with Punk and AJ. And now he is getting multiple segments on Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  64. The chants ARE piped in. Just listen to them, they sound so clear compared to the Cena chants and the chants Punk was getting before the heel turn.

    ReplyDelete
  65. They continued to push him... and HE GOT MORE OVER!


    Then they threw him into this nothing angle with Kane, and he made it work. Why not have Bryan turn face to go up against Punk at HiaC? It's an old feud, but it's a new dynamic.


    Nobody else got to look as dominant as Ryback, sorry. Squashing actual mid-carders 2v1?

    ReplyDelete
  66. Tensai? The fans shit on him and he was sent down the card.


    And as much as I love Punk/Bryan matches, WWE has a great thing going with him and Kane and I think it would be a mistake to break it up this early. Plus, they're finally showing interest in a tag team division.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Because they tend to make like $30-40 million off a movie that takes only about $50,000-100,000 to make. Fuck, the first one broke $100 million. Despite what people seem to believe, people do want to see these movies. They're some of the best grossing movies every year when you factor in the cost of production and marketing in relation to the movie's domestic theater gross. Everything after that, its international gross, DVD sales, and television distribution rights, make the Paranormal Activity movies some of the most financially sucessful movies ever made.

    ReplyDelete
  68. I tend to agree if only because you see very few people in the crowd standing up or even making any attempt at chanting. Watch a crowd during the chants. It's kind of funny.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Exactly. Few people in the crowd are going to be making THAT MUCH NOISE.

    ReplyDelete
  70. I was at this show (after attending the previous month's PPV in Pittsburgh, where Angle won the title). Jericho winning was awesome, and the crowd was pretty split down the middle, with ROCK-Y chants and Y2J chants going on throughout the match. When Stephanie came out, my section tried starting a STD chant, which sadly never caught on.

    ReplyDelete
  71. The finish is easy it just means altering future booking plans. Something no one mentioned, I think a lot of fans like Ryback because he doesn't come out and act like an actor reading lines. He kicks ass and leaves. I for one am just enjoying it as a fan. I don't give a shit if Ryback doesn't have 5 star spotfest matches for indy nerds to jack off to.


    Match formula should follow Shawn - Undertaker Hell in the Cell to the letter including going on top of the cage. Brock plays the role of Kane setting up Survivor Series. This would also be a perfect chance to have Cena turn on Ryback and join Heyman's stable.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Word son. That movie was edited by crack addicts, and written by crack babies, but it was still one of the most enjoyable movie-going experiences of my life.


    ABRAHAM FUCKING LINCOLN!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Okay. I get that. But Ryback got over because his squashes were A) shorter, and B) he's a babyface.


    And yes, maybe you shouldn't use Bryan, but look at Kofi, he never fails to get a reaction, and using his history with Punk and actual...y'know, experience in working main-event-ish matches. Yeah, I might be reaching. But it just seems that there's so many guys out there, that have actually worked for their spot and they get ignored for some roided-up sack of crap.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Ryback has been around for awhile so it's not like they just grabbed him from a gym yesterday. And from what I read and interviews I've listening to, he seems like a good dude. Plus the fact that he worked his ass off to come back from a pretty bad injury.


    All that makes it hard for me to root against the guy getting this spot. If he was some asshole merc trying to use WWE to go on to something bigger and if he was getting crickets out there, I'd agree with you. But he's not so I won't.

    ReplyDelete
  75. He's not getting crickets because they're piping in chants over a crowd that is clearly not doing that chant.

    ReplyDelete
  76. I got $20 that says Kofi won't even get booked on the PPV.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Am I really the only one who thought the Dark Knight Rises was the MOST boring Batman movie ever made, including Batman Forever and Batman and Robin?

    ReplyDelete
  78. It's definitely not top 10 of the year, but it's also not that low in Batman rankings.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Wonderful, a rematch of a match we've seen who knows how many times.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Batman Forever at least had a not as yet stale Jim Carrey, while Batman and Robin at least had Arnold just being so incredibly ridiculously stupidly awesome with his completely over the top villain act.


    DKR had Tom Hardy doing his best Sean Connery impression... and not much else

    ReplyDelete
  81. It would have been better to have beaten a guy like Austin, rather than a stale act like Triple H who just got handed a novelty belt.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Is the Frankensteiner considered a rana? Because they ruled back in the day.(no I don't watch the current product, why do you ask?)

    ReplyDelete
  83. There's plenty of hard-working good guys. There are also some who are talented. Ryback is not ready, pulling the trigger is one thing, but why not pull it on a guy who you know can carry the ball? Even better.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Break out the tin foil hats or else WWE will make you chant FEED ME MORE!

    ReplyDelete
  85. Nobody is going to claim Ryback is the next coming of Flair but he is not exactly terrible in the ring either. Plus nobody wants to see him chain wrestle either. His whole appeal is him throwing guys around the ring and he does that well enough.

    ReplyDelete
  86. It not about working matches, it's about cutting promos, it's about staying fresh. As I said before, people got tired of Goldberg after a year, and hell, Goldberg wrestled some non-squashes and people were entertained. We have no idea if Ryback can carry the brand as a champion or a top guy.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Pretty much agree with that.

    ReplyDelete
  88. I give that down vote a thumbs down.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Nobody wants to see him cut 20 minute monologues either. People seem to be into the feed me more stuff. And if he flames out after 6 months, so what? Have him drop the belt to the next guy in line.


    You ever hear the phrase "riding the hot hand"? Right now Ryback is the hot hand. The crowd reactions have been great and they might have a chance to catch lightning in a bottle. Even if it only lasts til WM, why not go for it?

    ReplyDelete
  90. Why not?


    Cause the Rock is going to be wrestling at the Rumble and winning the belt.


    If they did this in June? Whatever. But they're gearing up for Mania, and Ryback winning the belt and then dropping it back to Punk so he could drop it to the Rock would all the good work they did with Punk and the belt. It makes Ryback look like a joke and hurts the Punk/Rock match.

    ReplyDelete
  91. From now til Royal Rumble will be more than enough time to tell if Ryback is working. If he is, go with Ryback/Rock. If he isn't, crib the Warrior/Savage/Slaughter angle.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Okay, I'll agree with you, the people at Paramount are really smart to go with the "little cost/huge gain" route, it still doesn't mean the movies are any good. After all, if money and huge sales was a determining factor in quality, then Katy Perry would actually be a good singer but she's not.

    Also gotta love the shameless product placement in the fourth movie by making a Kinect part of the storyline. What's next, a Marvel movie where Iron Man beats his nemesis via a Playstation 3 game?

    ReplyDelete
  93. But why?


    Cause he's new? You're extremely limited with the types of feuds you can do with him. What's he gonna do after beating Punk? Squash ADR? Squash Show?


    This is why winning streaks don't fucking work.

    ReplyDelete
  94. I'll take that $20 in cashiers check.

    ReplyDelete
  95. There was absolutely no Sean Connery in Bane at all.

    ReplyDelete
  96. You don't need elaborate story lines with Ryback. He just shows up and smashes people. ADR is a geek, who wouldn't want to see him get crushed?

    ReplyDelete
  97. You'll get a Starbucks gift card and you'll LIKE IT!

    ReplyDelete
  98. I like ADR...


    And do you really think that in today's "AJ slapped Heyman and she wasn't reprimanded in the next segment' era people can deal with a champion that just murders people with zero challenge? The 70s are over.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Yeah I think people can deal with it, that's why I think he is getting the reactions he gets is because it's been awhile since we've seen someone like him. Look at the biggest draws in MMA right now, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. People don't pay to see them have competitive fights, they pay to see them destroy people. And we're not that far removed from Tyson either.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Obviously I disagree haha. To me it was utterly captivating. And I loved Bane as well, my favorite Bat Movie villain. But of course not everyone will agree.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Wrestling =/= combat sports.


    People don't pay to see somebody get destroyed, they pay to see charismatic guys put on good matches and cut engaging promos.

    ReplyDelete
  102. I was actually in the arena for this one, and I remember being really happy with the Jericho/Rock match and really disappointed that they didn't put the belt on RVD here. Much like Scott, I feel like WWF missed some money by not putting Van Dam on top.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Nobody pays to see a guy like Rey Mysterio destroy people but they will when the guy who is doing the destroying looks the part and is booked that way. Nobody wanted to see Goldberg put on 20 minute wrestling clinics and cut promos, they wanted to see him crush people in 3 minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  104. WWE should consider themselves lucky to have another week to figure out a finish.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I think that award goes to Batman Begins.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Henry had a stip in his contract (the ludicrous one inked in 1996) that he'd headline at least one PPV during his tenure. Contract was up for renewal around RR 06.

    ReplyDelete
  107. End the Ryback experiment....in favor of what? It's not like they've aborted any red-hot plans to give this a go.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Yeah, it's like when the "Gooooldberg" chants would be roaring, yet the fans at ringside were just standing there.

    ReplyDelete
  109. This one is my favorite WWF show of all-time. Just top to bottom greatness and you CANNOT beat JR and Paul E. on commentary.

    ReplyDelete
  110. The Goldberg chants were no where near as loud as the FEED ME MORE chants. Good try though.

    ReplyDelete
  111. I said his best Sean Connery impression... I didn't say it was a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  112. People don't want squashes in the main-event. Not anymore. The fans right now are wrestling fans. They pay for PPVs cause they want to see long competitive matches. Ryback is a fad, and people will get sick of him.

    ReplyDelete
  113. But piped in loud, nonetheless.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Putting the title on RVD here and having him keep it until Mania where returning hero Triple H wins it would have been incredible.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment