WWF Unforgiven 2001

[Guest Daniel]

Since this is my first attempt at recapping a show, it should be noted that I have read a lot of material from John Petrie, Scott Keith and Bryan Alvarez, in that order.  I have no intentions of ripping them off and it seems that there is a common way of reviewing a show anyway.  

 

Hope you like...

 

WWF Unforgiven, September 2001.

Pittsburg Pennsilvania.

 

-Opening Match, WWF Tag Titles: Hardyz vs. Hurricane/Storm vs. Big Show/Spike vs. Dudleyz (Champs)

 

This match is fought under elimination rules and involves all these teams so the WWF wouldn’t have to go with another Dudley Boyz vs. Hardyz match, presumably.  

Spike Dudley takes his requisite long beating after the a few minutes decent action, courtesy of a HUGE (or HYOOOGE, for Figure 4 Weekly readers) Dudleyz Flapjack.  Hurricane follows up with his Caped Cross Body as JR admits he likes the guy’s character and would like to see him in WWF Colours.  He emphasises that Helms is a YOUNG athlete, which are the types the WWF attracts.  Well, at least they used to, apparently.  Anyway, Spike finally hits the Acid Drop on Storm and makes the hot tag to Big Show, who, according to JR, wanted the tag like a double cheese burger.  He must’ve really wanted that tag.  So Show storms the ring and it’s CLOTHESLINES FOR ALL! as Ross informs us that its broken down in Pittsburg, which indeed it has, as a pair of pescados from the Hardyz sets up Spike coming off Big Show’s shoulders in a spectacular high spot.  Show then gets into it himself, threatening his own dive until Bubba breaks it up, thus saving the 15,000 lives of those in attendance.  Hurricane then tries to chokeslam Show, who shrugs that off and Chokeslams Storm to eliminate the best team first.  Shit.

 

Bubba and D-Von then enter to double suplex Show into an “accordion like pile”.  This leaves Matt and Spike to do a nice sequence that leads to a Twist of Fate and the end for Spike and Show.

 

Down to Hardyz and Dudleyz now as Bubba prevents Poetry in Motion, as Paul E. claims that Kronik have indeed paid their dues.  I guess they did so through the Undertaker or something.  Whatever.  Bubba Ray sends Jeff into orbit on one of the BIG backdrops (or perhaps, a BAAAAAAACK BODY DROP!) and follows up with the Whazzup.  Jeff gets the hot tag after that twisting moonsault of his and Matt busts out a top rope moonsault to the floor on both Dudleyz.  Back in, the Dudleyz hit 3-D on Matt, which Jeff breaks up with a Swanton, allowing Bubba to hit the Bubba-Bomb on Matt to end the match at 14:20.  Flat finish, half decent match, but nothing exceptionally good.  Probably around 2.5 stars or so.

 

-RVD and Steph converse in the back.

 

-Raven vs. Saturn

 

The setup for this match was the destruction of Moppy.  What a stupid gimmick that was.

 

Outraged by the fact he was lumped with a shitty gimmick and angle, and a recycled one at that, Saturn charges the ring and chokes Raven to start.  JR spends the first few minutes discussing their WCW Tag Title reign and the Flock, admitting he was a little busy on Mondays to watch Nitro.  Saturn hits a nice springboard dropkick and sends Raven to the outside.  Terri distracts Perry on the way in, which allows Raven to take over with a baseball slide and also prove that Terri is not TOTALLY worthless after all.  In the ring he gets two off a bulldog, then applies a Cobra Clutch.  Saturn escapes and takes control with a beautiful thrust kick, some sort of wrist-clutch suplex, clothesline, overhead belly to belly and finally a springboard forearm.  Nice flurry.  He then takes a great face-first bump off the top, allowing Raven to get two off a middle rope clothesline.  After a little more running and blind charging, Perry uses the ever-reliable slingshot into the corner to set up the match winning MCTHFG~!, which is a really cool move.  Match only went about 5:10 and was perfectly acceptable.  Would’ve been a nice surprise on RAW.

 

-Christian Interview.  Christian is SO awesome, and yes, I do think he has a good entrance, music and all.

 

-Intercontinental Title Match: Edge vs. Christian.

 

Nice clips package sets up the match, which Edge begins by pounding Christian out of the ring and up the ramp, which culminates with Edge sling-shotting Christian into the set.  Back in, Edge bashes Christian’s head into the corner, but gets thrown into the ring-post after Christian begs off.  (Do wrestlers suddenly lose a certain percentage of their IQ after a face turn or something?  They always fall for the heel tactics.)  He then throws Edge into the barricade, the ring steps and then into the ring, where he hits that awesome reverse DDT/Backbreaker move.  Christian follows up with a powerslam for two, choking, and then some chops in the corner.  Edge fights out with his own chops and stems the flow with a Russian legsweep, leaving both men out.  Edge decides, in his exhausted state, to go up and fake a dive on Christian, which actually woks and leads to a German suplex for 2.  He somehow comes out of all this with a nasty cut beneath his eye.

 

Christian then avoids a spear and gets two from a dropkick and some rope-running leads to a double cross-body.  Back on their feet as Christian gets thrown off attempting the 10 punch in the corner and gets clothelined, backdropped and hair-slammed, in retaliation to earlier in the match.  A swank counter-move sequence leads to the Edge-O-Matic for a standard 2 count.  Edge then gets thrown to the outside, but crawls under the ring and hits a top rope cross body for a nice nearfall, indicating that the crowd is in fact alive.  But just barely.  After some Irish-whipping, Edge prevents a ref bump, allowing Christian to hit his own Spear, which gets two.  Christian is rather miffed though and throws a brief tantrum before grabbing a couple of chairs to set up the Conchairto.  Edge prevents that however with a legsweep (NOT from Russia) and sets up his own Conchairto, which the referee decides to break up, giving Christian the chance to nail Edge in the nuts with a chair and three counts later we have a NEW Intercontinental Champion!  Match went 11:55 and was really good.  If I were allocating stars this would get at least 3.

 

-Interview with Angle’s mum.

 

-Interview with Taker and Kane

 

-WCW Tag Title Match: Undertaker/Kane vs. Kronik.

 

All you need to know is that this is a firm contender for Worst match of the Year, as Brian Adams seems to have an Oak Tree lodged up his ass.  There’s no other way to explain how a guy could be so stiff and suck so badly.  After a few years of no-selling, Undertaker ends the misery with a chokeslam on Clarke.  Richards gets one after the match as well.  Horrible beyond words.  I don’t know how long it goes for, because I’ve only ever seen it once live.  There is no redeeming value in this match, so it couldn’t possibly be any higher than a DUD, but may have even hit negative stars.

 

-Tazz walks in on Booker and Shane to verbally put over both Steph and Shane, before being kicked out.

 

-Steph and Y2J

 

-Hardcore Title Match: RVD vs. Chris Jericho

 

That RVD sure is popular.  Acrobatic wrestling sequence to start, with a few armdrags, headlocks and blown spots, although nothing too severe.  Included is the eternally cool bridge-up-into-backslide-spot.  More chopping and pinning as the crowd chants for both guys.  They face off and RVD does the thumbs, so Jericho slaps him.  Rob slaps back, like a girl, so Jericho hits him with a flying forearm, pounds him and then nails a nice enzuguiri kick for 2.  RVD then heads to the corner, where Y2J charges into a boot and a nice springboard kick from RVD, followed by a strange leg-scissors pinning predicament.  It gets two.  Rob then runs into Jericho, as they sort of collide instead doing the eventual flapjack, from a standing point.  Van Dam ends up on the apron, so Jericho goes after him from the inside middle turnbuckle and goes SPLAT on the floor.  RVD follows up with a beautiful pescado, again splattering Jericho for a two count on the floor.  After a brief stroll Van Dam suplexes Jericho onto the barricade and misses the twisting leg drop, giving Jericho the necessary time to acquire a ladder from under the ring and ram it into Van Dam’s head.

 

Back in the ring Jericho continues to attack with the ladder until RVD forces him into the corner, only to miss a corner charge and injure his shoulder.  Jericho pulls Rob out of the corner and suplexes him onto the ladder for two.  He tries for a another, but Van Dam punches(like a girl) out of it and lands a suplex of his own onto the ladder.  Jericho then avoids an RVD dropkick and attempts the Walls, but Van Dam is able to power out and hit a Rolling Thunder splash.  After a two count he drops a spinning leg onto Jericho, but hits knees on the Split Legged Moonsault.  Back on their feet Y2J runs straight into a roundhouse kick and gets busted open, as Rob goes for all five stars on the frog splash…and misses.  Jericho gets a two count and goes after the ladder, but ends up getting drop toe holded into it, giving RVD time to grab a chair and work over Jericho with it.  He slams Jericho onto the chair and sets up the ladder, but Jericho nails him with the chair whilst he sits atop the ladder.  Jericho follows up with the deadly looking Ladder-top Walls and then sends RVD to the floor.  He follows up with a dive that meets rail, then gets kicked by RVD, before chairing Van Dam MID TOPE`! to end the Chris Benoit tribute sequence.  We miss you Chris!  Get well soon!

 

Into the ring again where RVD catches Jericho’s foot and hits a STIFF step-through spin kick.  Van Dam covers, but Jericho, who is miraculously not unconscious, turns a pinfall attempt into an armbar.  Neat.  Van Dam escapes by rolling to the floor, but Jericho sends him into the stairs and continues to work the arm in the ring, with the assistance of a steel chair.  The beating continues until Steph shows up to distract Y2J allowing Van Dam to hit a Van Daminator and Five-Star for the three count at 16:32.  Really, really good match.  Best on the show.  JR awards it five stars, although I wouldn’t go anywhere near that, if I were the star awarding type.  More like four, give or take a little.

 

-Handicap WCW Title Match: The Rock, The Brahma Bull, The Great One, THE MOST Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment vs. Booker T and Shane McMahon.

 

This one is tag rules.  Paul E. begins the match by mentioning Shane’s record of PPV highspots and declares him a PPV Legend.  That’s a good employee Paul.  Ross then adds that this is Rock’s ‘greatest challenge to date’.  I think that was relegated to second or third since Rock had to wrestle a good match out of Taker last month and Hogan at Wrestlemania.

 

Anyway, Rock takes over early on Booker and gets a two count from a neckbreaker, as Shane interrupts the count.  Booker then stomps Rock, but the Great One comes back with a Belly to back suplex.  Shane again breaks the count and gets tagged in, but instantly flees from the Rock, who cuts him off in the ring and gives a back elbow.  He hits the ropes, but Booker kicks him, allowing Shane to clothesline The Rock, drop a few elbows and tag to The Book, who drops Rock with a Side Walk Slam and tags back to Shane.  

 

Shane works the ribs with various strikes, but Rock hits the overhead throw and goes after Booker, allowing Shane to recover and hit another clothesline.  Shane does his Shaneo Shuffle, but Rock puts a stop to it and applies the Worlds Worst Sharpshooter.  Booker makes the save and Shane low-bridges Rock and then clotheslines him off the rail.  The Rock returns to the ring where Shane crotches him on the post.  Booker then gets a one count courtesy of the FLYING MARE~!  Booker charges at the Rock who sends him to the outside, but Shane blindsides the Rock and sends him outside as well.  Some more handicapped offence leads to The Book sling-shotting The Rock HEAD FIRST into the post.  The Rock truly is Great.  

 

In the ring again and Booker goes back to the trusty snap mare to set up his posing elongated knee drop.  Spineroonie follows to a huge reaction (great stuff), but Rock gets two off a roll-up.  Booker punishes the Rock by giving him a wedgie whilst sending him through the ropes to the floor.  Booker sets up the Spanish table, but Rock escapes and nails Shane, only to get sent back in by Booker T.  Rock retaliates to Booker’s chops with a Samoan drop.  Shane sneaks in with the Belt and nails Booker by accident, but follows up on the Rock anyway, right in front of Patrick.  JR is LIVID!  After a 2 count, Booker tags Shane who misses a third rope elbow, then tags out again, so Rock fights both off until Book goes to the ribs and they both send the Rock into the ropes, only to get double clotheslined.  Rock then takes Shane to the corner and nails the SPIT PALM~! and follows up with a DDT on Booker.  Shane saves and sets up his own People’s Elbow, but Rock nips up and Rock Bottoms his Candy Ass.  Booker T gets a Spinebuster to set up the People’s Elbow, which is interrupted by Test, who boots Rock on the floor.  JR is pleading with Patrick and anyone else who cares to assist in the shoddy officiating.  Fortunately, the WWF’s Chief of Police, Bradshaw, was listening and he comes out to chase Test off and Chioda runs out to break up a pinfall.  Christ this is getting silly.  Chioda attacks Patrick but in turn is attacked by Booker T, which allows Rock to hit the Rock Bottom and Earl Hebner to run out for the three count at around about 16 minutes.  Constant action here, silly finish and Shane gets presented as way too strong, but still a decent contest.  

 

-US Title Match: Rhyno vs. Taijiri.

 

Taijiri is doing the taped ribs sell job here.  He manages to hit a sweet Asai Moonsault about a minute in, then follows up inside with a kick to the head, then the thigh, then some vicious chops in the corner.  Rhyno reverses a whip out of the corner and tackles Taijiri, then follows with a running powerslam for two.  Taijiri sneaks in a roll-up, but Rhyno hits a Belly to belly and cinches in a chinlock.  Taijiri fights out and gets a nice ‘rana and heel kick for two and then another near-fall from the Handspring Elbow.  Rhyno fights back with a brutal spinebuster for two more and then works on the ribs further, which brings Torrie into the ring.  Rhyno lines up a Gore, but Taijiri cuts him off with a kick.  Ouch.  The Octopus leads to the Tarantula, which Rhyno messes up, but that’s of little concern as Taijiri walks into an exploder like suplex to set up the match winning GORE! GORE! GORE! at 4:47.  New US Champ!  Just another TV Match, appearing surprisingly high on the card.  It’s almost like they forgot about and then rushed it out there between the two big matches.

 

-WWF Title Match:  Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle.

 

Clips package before the match sets up the fact that Austin can’t beat Angle and that Angle has a sore neck.

Angle charges Austin before the bell and meets him halfway up the ramp, and then proceeds to beat him all the way into the ring.  After a little stomping in the ring Austin makes it to his feet and goes for the Stunner.  Well sort off.  You see he’s too scared that Angle will catch him, so he ends up half kicking and then finds him self getting pounded by Angle.  Kurt then lands the “vaunted” Thesz press on Austin and follows up with a clothesline.  He sits Austin on the top rope and chops away (WHOOO!), so much so that Austin winds up on the floor, getting his head bounced off the Spanish announce touble.

 

Back in and Angle sets Austin on the top rope again and this time, after more chopping, hits a middle rope Superplex, selling the neck injury upon landing, for a two count.  This gives JR a good opportunity to begin on his match long diagnosis of Kurt’s neck and whether the risk he is taking tonight is worth his career.  Stone Cold finally gets a little respite with a sleeper hold, but Angle breaks that with a jaw breaker, which is enough to convince Austin that he has had enough!  He grabs his belt and heads to the back, but Angle catches up with him, beats him up, and throws him off the ramp!  He then climbs down and continues beating the piss out of Austin, until he decides he’s had enough and carries Austin over his shoulder, back to ringside.  

 

Our Olympic Hero then seeks revenge from Summerslam by twice ramming Austin into the ring post and then pulls up the ringside mats.  This gives Austin the chance the recover somewhat and attack Kurt from behind.  Austin sets up another pile driver, but Angle backdrops out and sets up his own, but Austin backdrops out of that.  

(Just an observation, that’s some strange looking, and sounding concrete).  Both men are down, but Austin recovers first and proceeds to suplex Angle face first (Gourd Buster?) onto the Spanish table not once, not twice, but thrice!  Austin then puts a couple elbows to Austin’s neck and takes him back in the ring for a knee to the abdomen and more elbows for the neck, with Angle standing face first in the corner.  He ceases the attack long enough to salute Mrs. Angle in person (with his middle finger), and meets Angle’s corner charge with a boot to the face and follows up with an axe-handle off the second turnbuckle.  Now he slows things down a little with a snap mare and chinlock.

 

Having survived the vaunted snap mare/chinlock combo Angle turns Austin’s knee-to-the gut attempt into a roll-up for two, but Austin counters with his own roll-up.  Stone Cold returns to the neck-pounding, but Kurt has had enough, and hits the rolling three-peat Germans.  He goes up for the Five Star Moonsault, but Austin catches him and attempts a backdrop suplex from the top, which Angle counters into a cross-body.  I love that spot.  This only gets two, but Austin pulls out a spinebuster and stomps Angle in the nuts.  Kurt rolls to the floor and returns the favour to Austin by punting him in the balls before Austin can attack in the corner.  Austin comes back for more but gets DDT’d and Stunnered for two.  Back on his feet, Angle PULLS DOWN THE STRAP~! and goes for and Angle slam, which Austin reverse into one of his own (well, it looked more like a suplex) which gets another two count.  Looking to finish things, Austin busts out a Piledriver for a close near fall.  Angle gets to his feet, barely, so Austin says here’s to ya and goes for the Stunner, but Angle catches his foot and gets the Ankle Lock!  Clean Tap Out!!! At 23:57 (although Austin did have one hand holding the apron).  NEW CHAMPION!!!!  The Angle family and the WWF babyfaces, which strangely includes X-Pac, grinning like some upstart babyface, hit the ring to join in the celebration ala Wrestlemania X.  Really good match, with good psychology, but it lacked the Match of the Year buzz that Summerslam had.  Blame it on a slightly different style match and the lacklustre crowd.  Maybe this was the best on the show.  I’d guess it as close to 4 stars.

 

End Notes:

A thoroughly decent show, but much like the WWF seems to do towards the end of the year, ultimately unspectacular.  For the most part you could blame it on the crowd, who were warm at best, but dragged the card down a notch in the end.  Angle’s Title victory was a great moment, but unfortunately his reign bombed.  It really sucks when a clean tap of that magnitude is wasted.  Kronik aside, there was no out and out stinker of a match on the card, but again, nothing overtly great, like a Chris Benoit match or something.  Jericho and RVD was good, but sloppy in parts, and Edge and Christian was also really good, despite really high expectations.  Angle/Austin was also a really good match, although a notch down from Summerslam, but the show still left a feeling of being just average.  Nowhere near as good as Summerslam, Wrestlemania, No Way Out or Royal Rumble, but better than the previous 4.