WWF Smackdown 2/21/02

[Guest Brian]

WWF SmackDown – 2/21/02

Road to WrestleMania

 

Vince says that since Flair booked tonight’s main event as Rock vs. HHH for the WWF title, Vince is going to go ahead and book next Monday’s main event right off the bat. Vince says that on Monday, Ken Shamrock and Steve Austin will take on Booker T and Kurt Angle. Vince says that if Flair wants to step over his authority, than Vince is going to step right on over Flair’s. Flair should have learned this in the short time he was in the WWF, in his years in the NWA and WCW; that you can’t compete with Vince McMahon. And tonight, Vince has some punishment to deal out tonight to. Since Matt Hardy is so above bringing Vince back his tag team championship, Matt’s found his way into a match by himself against the Dudleys tonight. Edge is going to get yet another chance to win the European championship. And finally, DDP tonight will defend that Hardcore title against the Big Show. Vince tells Flair that if he wants to go around and book matches, Vince can always beat him out at that.

 

Eddie is shown in the back getting mad and throwing a fit. Eddie says he just beat Edge, what does he have to do to prove himself around here.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

HHH and Stephanie arrive via limo at the arena. Vince greets them and tells HHH that they doesn’t have to worry about tonight.

 

European Championship

Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge

Eddie jumps Edge and starts going to work on the hurt neck. Eddie locks in the Steiner recliner at about 3:20 but Edge wrestles to the ropes. Eddie lays in some solid cuts to the side of the neck. He sets Edge’s throat on the rope than steps on his neck and over to the other side of his body. Eddie slides out of the ring and goes for a chair. He swings but edge pulls his head back inside the ropes with what energy he has left. Eddie leaps to the apron and goes for the slingshot senton, but Edge moves. He gets up and lays in the right hands on Eddie. Whip into the ropes but Eddie reverses. Edge comes out of the ropes and goes for a spear but Eddie leapfrogs it. Edge stops right behind him and hits the Edge-o-matic for two. Edge back up and he whips Eddie into the ropes. He hits a clothesline. Eddie back up and gets another clothesline, and he comes right back up and gets a bak bodydrop. Edge pins for two and a half. Edge picks up Eddie and goes for the Edge-cution, but Eddie pushes him off, kicks and reverses into a brainbuster, but Edge reverses out holding a wristlock followed by a clothesline attempt, but Eddie ducks and gets a waistlock and a release German suplex. Pin for a nearfall. Eddie picks him up and goes for a brainbuster again but Edge reverses out into a wristlock but this time comes straight back with the downward spiral. Both men are down but Edge is to his feet first. Edge preps for the spear but Christian runs down, only to get fought off. Eddie gets up and trades right with Edge. Eddie crawls and hit a low blow on Edge and a roll-up for a nearfall. Eddie is slow to rise and pulls up Edge, who hits a punch on the way up. Eddie staggers off and gets a spear from Edge, falling to the outside of the ring. Christian and Eddie retreat to the back for the count-out at 6:04.

 

Ric Flair arrives at the arena. The King says that he isn’t supposed to be here tonight.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

The Dudleys tell Vince that they have sworn off all loyalties to ECW, and instead vow to help get rid of Flair. Vince tells the Dudleys that he’s going to make sure that they get the titles again, starting with a title shot next Monday, and hopefully they can succeed where the Hardys failed.

 

Hardcore Championship

DDP vs. Big Show

DDP pins Big Show at 4:16 after being dominated, only to reverse a chokeslam into the diamond cutter onto a chair.

 

Matt brings in Lita very protectively. Coach catches up with him and asks Matt what happened on Monday. Matt says he realized that Team Extreme was always about Jeff and Matt sacrificing their bodies for the fans. He realized that Jeff just kept on pushing the envelope, and they were just living on the edge, living and dying by the big spots. Well, big brother Matt got tired of Jeff, got tired of these blood starved, ladder jumping, table breaking crazed fans. Matt has bigger things coming and he’ll be damned if he’s going to sacrifice more time sitting around the tag team division with a brother who’s just about to break his body down while his progress is being halted. Matt Hardy deserves better than that. Matt Hardy deserves more than fifteen minutes of fame. And Matt Hardy deserves more than his little brother. And it’s a shame that it had to come to that Jeff, but someone had to stop you before you stopped yourself. And stopped Matt Hardy. Coach tries to question Lita but Matt says no comment.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

Ric Flair comes to the ring. He says that Vince is slowly chewing away at his power. Vince shouldn’t forget that he’s fifty percent owner. But than again, Vince always seems to remember where Vince screwed up doesn’t he. The Dudleys music interrupts. They tell Flair to shut his mouth. They say that for the last two months, ECW has been trying to get this piece of shit off WWF television. Well, Vince McMahon is giving them a second chance tonight and they’re going to take it. Dudleys slide in the ring and give Flair a beating. Vince comes out from the back with Steph and HHH to laugh. Austin attacks HHH from behind and tries to take on both Vince and HHH. HHH takes control and slides Austin into the ring. Dudleys give Flair a 3-D. They set up Flair and Vince preps to hit him, while HHH gets Austin ready for a pedigree. Suddenly Rock’s music hits and everyone stops as Rock runs down the ramp. All four guys inititially stomp down Rock, but Austin and Flair are given enough time to recover. Flair knocks Vince out of the ring while Austin gives D-Von and Buh Buh both stunners. Rock starts fighting back against HHH and clotheslines him out of the ring. Rock turn around to face Austin, and they stare each other down. Ric pulls them apart and focuses them on the Dudleys, Vince, Steph, and HHH.

 

Angle is in the back with Lilian Garcia. She asks him how it feels having tapped to someone else’s anklelock. Kurt downplays the match. He says that Shamrock was blatantly cheating throughout their match. Angle says that next time they meet, he will beat Shamrock. In fact, he’ll make Shamrock tap to end the match. Angle says at WrestleMania, he’ll make Shamrock tap to end the match. At that will be the only way the match will end. A submissions match. Ken Shamrock will submit to the better wrestler. It’s true, It’s true.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

Matt Hardy vs. the Dudleys

Matt Hardy leaves the ring and is counted out after he throw Lita in the Dudleys way at 4:10. Matt Hardy pulls Lita out and helps her to the back. Michael Cole tries to catch up with Matt following the match and asks him why he let Lita take the fall for him but Matt tells him not to twist it around and gives him a stiff punch, laying him out.

 

Al Snow shows Maven around the locker room. Eddie Guerrero tells him that he hopes the student is better than the teacher since the teacher lost to him, just like every other “challenger” in the locker room. Maven tells Eddie that maybe he’ll be his newest challenger but Eddie just smirks and walks away.

 

King hypes the upcoming Jericho/JR sit-down interview that was conducted after RAW.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

Ric Flair tells the coach that at WrestleMania, he’s going to settle some business with Vince, but says he’s going to save the announcement for RAW.

 

Intercontinental Championship

Christian vs. Al Snow w/ Maven

Eddie comes down the ramp at about 7:10 and attacks Maven, distracting Snow while setting up the snow plow. Christian comes back and hits the unprettier after a short reversal attempt by Snow. Eddie and Christian begin to leave together but they get stopped at the ramp by Tazz and Val Venis. Tazz says that he hears Eddie is looking for new challengers. Tazz says that since Eddie never really beat Venis, and since he hasn’t faced Tazz yet, maybe he should rethink his stance. Because if Eddie wants they can have a three-way, even a four-way match at WrestleMania, where Eddie can become just another victim. Eddie and Christian begin to back up but Eddie turns around to see Snow and Maven are up. Both guys jump the rails and head off separately.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

Highlights of the first fall of the No Way Out main event and the Jericho/Austin match from RAW are shown.

 

Jericho is shown talking to JR in a room. JR asks Chris Jericho how he felt about losing the title on Sunday.

Jericho: You know JR. All the respect I’ve had for you over the last four months has been lost. And don’t act like you don’t know why sonny boy. It seems most people have ignored the fact that I’ve had the title for four months. That’s right, good ol’ JR, four months. Is that because this is a secondary title? Is that because I’m a secondary champ? I wouldn’t think so, because I beat the Rock at No Mercy for the title. Wasn’t he the WWF champion before Sunday. Doesn’t that make me the top guy. Or that I retired the Undertaker at Survivor Series? Or that I beat Vince’s hitman, HHH, at Vengeance? Or the two guys I beat at Royal Rumble, RVD and Booker T? Oh, but that doesn’t matter because this is Chris Jericho. And HHH’s jealousy costing me my title yet again on RAW.

JR: A match you had already lost to a Stone Cold Stunner.

Jericho: The only finish I saw was HHH giving me the pedigree to end the match JR, don’t mess with the facts. I should have applied the Walls of Jericho on him just like I did that fateful night in May that put him out for seven months.

JR: If you were able to accomplish so much on your own, what were your motivations for joining Flair?

Jericho: JR, are you so blinded by the presence of a living legend that you couldn’t see that you were part of the problem. Ever since No Way Out when I proved I wasn’t a choker, I’ve gotten nothing from you guys. No respect at all. I should have been the one to face Austin at Survivor Series, but that honor went to the Rock. Of all people, the man who I beat. I was being overshadowed by his ego. And I was damn tired of it. And I was the WCW champ, my fate in his hands. So I went with the one man who gave a rat’s ass about WCW, who could respect the WCW champion. Flair would give me that respect, despite me never really liking him.

JR: So Vince retaliated?

Jericho: He sent his best and I beat him. Vince went after me because I was the top guy.

JR: What about Stone Cold?

Jericho: Austin never cared for the other guys. He never stood up against ECW, like I did by beating wrestler after wrestler. He only had his own interests at heart. JR, I’ve spent most of my career keeping out of the reach of these big egos.

JR: Like you own?

Jericho: Like the Rock’s, the man who cost me my title at No Way Out. All the guest appearance and TV work have gone to that man’s head JR. He thinks he’s above this business now. Somebody’s going to have to bring that boy back down to earth.

 

JR says that it’s ironic that Jericho doesn’t notice his own head swelling in the mirror each morning.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

Rock cuts a promo in the back. He says that it’s too bad that Jericho didn’t win on Monday because maybe Jericho could fight the Rock at WrestleMania for the WWF championship. But tonight is not about that jabronie. Tonight, the jabronie is HHH. HHH, you can either do things the hard way or the easy way. The easy way, you eat a piece of humble pie, walk down to that ring and hand the Rock his belt so he can have his date with destiny at WrestleMania. Or, you can eat a piece of poontang pie from your bitch, walk down that ramp, and attempt to beat the Rock. At that point, you’ll get the smackdown layed on you all over god’s green earth…If you smell, what the Rock, is cooking!

 

Mike Sanders comes out with O’Haire and Palumbo. He says that at WrestleMania, the tag team champs have to face a team they’ve already beaten. He says that isn’t fair. They beat the Impact Players at No Way Out. They shouldn’t have to face them again. These are rising stars. These guys are the future. Hell, they’re not just the future, they’re the present. They should get fresh challengers to beat, or else they’re just being held back. And they don’t deserve that. The Impact Players come out. Justin Credible says that of course Palumbo and O’Haire are the future. They’re the future of this company. They’re the future of the tag team division. But that’s why they’re so afraid to face the Impact Players. They understand just how dangerous this team is. They understand that when it comes down to team against team, and there’s no one to get in the way, they no who is going to make the impact. Lance Storm says that’s not just the coolest, that’s not just the best, that my friends, is just incredible.

 

HHH gives Steph a kiss and heads out to the ring.

 

 

<Commercial Break>

 

 

WWF Championship

HHH vs. the Rock

HHH pins the Rock when he hits the pedigree after Jericho swings at HHH and hits the Rock with the belt at 12:28. Post match Jericho rushes in and hits Triple H with the belt, but decides to lock the Walls of Jericho on the Rock, who taps as the show goes off the air.