HHH v. Steve Austin - No Way Out 2001?

[Nevermortal 0]

When I first saw Austin/HHH at NWO, I thought it was the proverbial shiznit and I had no problem rating it ****+, but I rewatched it today, and it doesn't hold up at all. It comes off as another standard WWE main event brawl, and since then, the WWE has made the barbed wire 2x4 and sledgehammer pretty much meaningless throw-away weapons that they break out in any HHH match that needs a gimmick weapon spot and will pop the crowd.

 

My new rating for the 3 Stages of Hell? ***1/2. Its a good, but not great match.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Its still a great match that had a great build-up video.

[KTID 0]

What the fuck, that match is a classic, one of the best WWF/E matches ever, actually. Easily *****

[Nevermortal 0]

Meh. There were better matches that year.

[Tawren 0]

I have no problem putting it as ****+, but it is no longer ***** to me. It seemed a lot more like a war back then, but you are right, it is way more brawly and standard now.

[Nevermortal 0]

I have no problem putting it as ****+, but it is no longer ***** to me. It seemed a lot more like a war back then, but you are right, it is way more brawly and standard now.

Yeah, I had to ask myself what other matches I've given ***** to (Owen-Bret, Owen-Bret in a Cage, Flair-Steamboat at Wrestlewar) and ask the question, "Can I really compare THIS to those great ones?"

 

The answer was no.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

IMO The Rock vs. Angle and the Eddie/Benoit/Y2J/X-Pac matches on the same PPV were better than the Austin/HHH match.

 

 

I just happen to hate brawls, which is why I never thought greatly of HHH's run because all his "great" matches were brawls. I mean how much much skill does it take to hit guys with chairs, sledgehammers, bats and other junk.

[Downhome 0]

I have no problem putting it as ****+, but it is no longer ***** to me. It seemed a lot more like a war back then, but you are right, it is way more brawly and standard now.

Yeah, I had to ask myself what other matches I've given ***** to (Owen-Bret, Owen-Bret in a Cage, Flair-Steamboat at Wrestlewar) and ask the question, "Can I really compare THIS to those great ones?"

 

The answer was no.

I've never been able to understand how anyone could do so.

 

My favorite part of the match was Austin getting hit in the head with the beer as he was on the mat after the match ended.

[Nevermortal 0]

I have no problem putting it as ****+, but it is no longer ***** to me. It seemed a lot more like a war back then, but you are right, it is way more brawly and standard now.

Yeah, I had to ask myself what other matches I've given ***** to (Owen-Bret, Owen-Bret in a Cage, Flair-Steamboat at Wrestlewar) and ask the question, "Can I really compare THIS to those great ones?"

 

The answer was no.

I've never been able to understand how anyone could do so.

 

My favorite part of the match was Austin getting hit in the head with the beer as he was on the mat after the match ended.

Or what about the MOST BLATANT BLADE JOB EVER?

[Guest BionicRedneck]

It was never ****+.

[Nevermortal 0]

It was never ****+.

Scott Keith gave it *****, and seeing it live I agreed with him, but it hasn't aged well at all.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

Yeah, but Scott Keith is a fucking moron.

[Nevermortal 0]

Yeah, but Scott Keith is a fucking moron.

I happen to enjoy his work.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

Really? Tell me more. I am interested to know how someone could get enjoyment out of the scribblings of that clueless cretin.

[Nevermortal 0]

Really? Tell me more. I am interested to know how someone could get enjoyment out of the scribblings of that clueless cretin.

I don't have to explain anything to you.......

 

But I've been reading him since I got on the net pretty much and I read his columns every week. His King Lear & Lazarus rants are really good pieces of writing that I enjoyed immensely.

 

So yes, that's how I can get enjoyment out of reading the SK rants.

 

[Guest BionicRedneck]

I don't have to explain anything to you.......

 

It all adds up now. YOU are Scott Keith aren't you!!!

 

He never explains anything either.

 

Seriously, check out his review of the SD! Iron Man match. He basically said: " The psych sucked, the selling sucked and the first half of the match sucked.****1/4!"

[Nevermortal 0]

Yes, I am Scott Keith. Anglesault is actually CRZ.

[BifEverchad 0]

I always found that match to be one of the more over-rated matches of all-time.

 

I'd give it, *** or ***1/2 tops.

[Shanghai Kid 0]

Is any of the sudden "this match is overrated" thing coming from HHH hate? Even if it is, I have to agree that the match doesn't have the same impact it did the first time you watch it. The first time, your stunned cause after you Austin wins the first fall you figure he's going to win the match, than boom, HHH wins twice....this was back in the day, you know, when the Internet loved HHH and Austin. How the mountains have fell.

[Guest RollingSambos]

Still? It never was. I gave it *** at the time and I still do today.

[BifEverchad 0]

Is any of the sudden "this match is overrated" thing coming from HHH hate? Even if it is, I have to agree that the match doesn't have the same impact it did the first time you watch it. The first time, your stunned cause after you Austin wins the first fall you figure he's going to win the match, than boom, HHH wins twice....this was back in the day, you know, when the Internet loved HHH and Austin. How the mountains have fell.

It has NOTHING to do with any HHHate at all, Kid.

 

I'm just saying, I don't think the match was as good as some people claim. This match took place in February of 2001, back when Triple H was still a solid wrestler, without nagging injuries and the juice abuse. So, he was still pulling off good matches, and I'll be the first to admit that. But this one just doesnt seem to a ***** match to me at all.

[Guest RollingSambos]

Nothing to do with HHHate here...I hated it because it was just a senseless garbage match with shitty psychology. They just hit each other with a bunch of weapons for 45 minutes. It was like a No Mercy match.

[Downhome 0]

I don't even feel comfortable giving a ***** rating to ANY gimmick match like this one was.

[Guest Trivia247]

From SK's NO way Out 2001 Rant..

 

Steve Austin v. HHH. Slugfest kills that zero tolerance thing dead, and they proceed to destroy each other as the audience goes batshit. Austin beats the hell out of him in the corner and hits a lariat. HHH ducks an early stunner, but reverses a Thesz Press to a stungun. Pedigree attempt is reversed to a single-arm DDT and they hit the floor. Austin works on the arm. Back in, Pedigree is stopped with a lowblow and Austin keeps working on the arm. Thesz Press and F.U. Elbow get two. Spinebuster, but a move off the 2nd rope hits foot. Neckbreaker, and HHH works the neck. HHH then changes tracks and goes to the knee, wrapping it around the post a couple of times. He clips him and continues viciously working the knee. Into a figure-four, which gets a surprisingly big pop. He even uses the ropes for leverage, like a good heel. Austin reverses, but after breaking HHH goes back to the neck. After breaking the momentum, he goes back to the knee. Austin kicks at HHH’s face to break the assault off. He makes a superman comeback and hits a Thesz Press and another elbow for two. Stunner, blocked, but a clothesline hits. Stunner, blocked again with a neckbreaker. Good spot. Blocked again, HHH rolls him up for two, Austin reverses for two. HHH goes low, but KICK WHAM STUNNER finishes at 12:20. So far so good.

 

- Second fall: Austin dumps HHH and suplexes him on the ramp, twice. Well, that’s just excessive brutality. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Over to the announce table, where HHH gets a monitor sandwich. Austin throws some chairs in the ring, and HHH flees the scene. Austin chases him down and continues pounding him. Back in, Austin uses a chair for nefarious purposes and beats him like the proverbial redheaded stepchild. Awesome. See, THAT’S how you beat a guy down. It gets two. Austin grabs the bell, but HHH flees again. Austin retrieves him again, then finds a barbed wire 2x4 under the table. What, are we playing a THQ game here? HHH quickly grabs it and nails Austin, drawing blood. They fight on the table, but Ausitn backdrops him through the Spanish table. Awesome bump. I love this match. Austin beers him and back in the ring we go. Bell to the head puts Austin down for two. Neckbreaker on a chair gets two, again gets two. Austin tries a sleeper but gets dropped on a chair for two. Vicious. Pedigree is reversed and HHH does a Holy Shit bump over the top. Austin grabs a chair and tattoos HHH with it. Stairs to the head follows. HHH manages to escape and finds his trusty sledgehammer as Lawler starts questioning how they didn’t see those before. Into the ring, Ausitn stomps the mudhole, but gets sledged before walking it dry. Pedigree finishes at 28:08 (total time).

 

- Third fall: HHH tosses Austin into the cage right away and continues pounding, albeit slower now. Another trip to the cage follows, and he rakes the barbed wire into his face, literally dragging Austin around the ring. Austin chairs him to break. HHH eats cage, and Austin goes to work with the barbed wire, for two. DDT on a chair puts Austin down, and HHH gets two. Austin fights back and HHH does a Flair Flop. Art imitates life. Austin gets two. HHH climbs, and Austin follows, only to get crotched in a Flair-ish spot. Austin slams HHH off for two, however. HHH comes back with a Pedigree, but Austin kicks out at two. Chairshot (of the vile variety) sets up another Pedigree, reversed to a catapult and KICK WHAM STUNNER…for two. Both guys hit each other with their weapons of choice, and both guys collapse, with HHH on top for the pin at 39:23. Austin is BACK, HHH is still the man, and you know what that equals… *****

 

 

compare that to what he says about HHH and Austin these days

[Guest MikeSC]

When I first saw Austin/HHH at NWO, I thought it was the proverbial shiznit and I had no problem rating it ****+, but I rewatched it today, and it doesn't hold up at all. It comes off as another standard WWE main event brawl, and since then, the WWE has made the barbed wire 2x4 and sledgehammer pretty much meaningless throw-away weapons that they break out in any HHH match that needs a gimmick weapon spot and will pop the crowd.

 

My new rating for the 3 Stages of Hell? ***1/2. Its a good, but not great match.

Of course, it's REALLY hard to fairly judge matches in the past, seeing as how a lot of their impact is watered down as matches borrow heavily from ones in the past.

 

I've not seen a match I'd legitimately call great from before 1980. I honestly can't name one --- and I've seen a lot. Does that mean the matches back then sucked? No --- it just means that when compared to TODAY, they lack a lot. At the time, they were great.

 

It's not terribly fair to compare older matches to newer ones. I mean, Steamboat v Flair at WrestleWar '89(which so many view as being great (I always thought it was the wost of the 3 major matches of that year)), when watched today, is almost boring.

-=Mike

[Guest MikeSC]

When I first saw Austin/HHH at NWO, I thought it was the proverbial shiznit and I had no problem rating it ****+, but I rewatched it today, and it doesn't hold up at all. It comes off as another standard WWE main event brawl, and since then, the WWE has made the barbed wire 2x4 and sledgehammer pretty much meaningless throw-away weapons that they break out in any HHH match that needs a gimmick weapon spot and will pop the crowd.

 

My new rating for the 3 Stages of Hell? ***1/2. Its a good, but not great match.

Of course, it's REALLY hard to fairly judge matches in the past, seeing as how a lot of their impact is watered down as matches borrow heavily from ones in the past.

 

I've not seen a match I'd legitimately call great from before 1980. I honestly can't name one --- and I've seen a lot. Does that mean the matches back then sucked? No --- it just means that when compared to TODAY, they lack a lot. At the time, they were great.

 

It's not terribly fair to compare older matches to newer ones. I mean, Steamboat v Flair at WrestleWar '89(which so many view as being great (I always thought it was the wost of the 3 major matches of that year)), when watched today, is almost boring.

-=Mike

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I hated it because it was just a senseless garbage match with shitty psychology

 

Actually, I enjoyed the psychology, at least in the first part of the match - Austin worked on HHH's arm for a bit, which made the Pedigree much less effective - when HHH has him set for the Pedigree on the table, you can see that HHH just doesn't have it in his arm to pull it off, and Austin countered. I liked that.

 

That said - I was pumped as HELL to see this match, but didn't get to see it live. If I had, I probably would've called it the best match ever right there, just because I was so psyched for it. But man, it didn't go on to tape well.

 

I find that watching the match now kinda sucks because hey, I know wrestling's fake, but that doesn't mean I need to hear HHH calling out spots every three seconds. I don't need to be able to watch the match and go "Now Austin has the blade...whoops, he dropped it...oh, now HHH has it...". That just kills watching a match for me. And JR's lame "they've been talking thrash to each other this whole match" cover? Bleh.

 

As far as it being a brawl - duh. The story was that they hated each other with an unbridled passion. If they went out there and traded wristlocks for 5 minutes, it would've looked silly. They HATED each other - it was time to FIGHT, not wrestle.

 

Good at the time, not a bad match. I won't give stars though, because I don't.

[Guest Dmann2000]

I never understood it getting ***** back then, and I'm no picky star rater, but I enjoy the intensity in the match and thing it's real good, ****.

[Guest Ray]

I don't think WWE has EVER had a ***** match...but that's just me.

 

 

This wasn't ****+, but it was still pretty good. Being a "brawl" does NOT make it bad.

 

The superb intensity and emotion of this match are what makes it good. They tell a great story...a story of two men who hated each other with a passion. But that's irrelevant because they didn't do enough "wrestling" moves?

 

Good...but not close to the masterpiece Austin gave us a month later.

[Mole 0]

Yeah, but Scott Keith is a fucking moron.

I happen to enjoy his work.

As do I.

 

This was my MOTY from 2001, and it still stands that way.

 

I gave it ****3/4, and still hold to that.