King of the Ring 2001

[JoeDirt 0]

I was watching this again the other day and it's a really weird show. Now I know the original plan was an Austin vs. Taker rematch, but Heyman pushed for Jericho and Benoit to get added to the main event instead. So then we get four heels in the KOTR tournament.

 

Maybe the original plan was Benoit/Jericho/Christian/Edge final four in the KOTR? Was Edge always the plan to win it? And why stick the IC champ Kane, hot off a PPV win over HHH in a meaningless tag match with the Dudleys?

 

Also, was DDP always meant to be the stalker, or just another last second booking decision?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Austin was meant to be the stalker when the angle first started, but they changed that up when they decided to 'push' Benoit and Jericho. It was meant to be Austin v Jericho in the main event, with Benoit v Hunter in the semi, but when Benoit and Jericho didn't turn the ratings around after two weeks, Vince lost faith in them, and, cominbed with Hunter being taken out with his injury, they went with the Triple Threat main instead.

[JoeDirt 0]

Was there any particular reason behind having all heels in the KOTR semis? Why not use Kane or somebody like that?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I think the idea behind the all heel semi's was to make a storyline out of all four heels being aligned to some degree. You had ECK in there, and Rhyno, who was friends with E and C, and had helped them win the tag titles earlier in the year. They had backstage promo's from all four in the lead in to KOTR playing off of their friendship, with Angle wanting E and C to let him win, and E and C faking being happy if the other man one.

[CanadianChick 0]

I actually loved the interaction between the four before and after the tournament. That, and Shane killing himself against Angle, was my favorite part of the PPV.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Austin was meant to be the stalker when the angle first started, but they changed that up when they decided to 'push' Benoit and Jericho. It was meant to be Austin v Jericho in the main event, with Benoit v Hunter in the semi, but when Benoit and Jericho didn't turn the ratings around after two weeks, Vince lost faith in them, and, cominbed with Hunter being taken out with his injury, they went with the Triple Threat main instead.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That would have been dumb since Benoit was the more over and heavily pushed of the two at the time. Benoit/Austin and Jericho/HHH would have made more sense.

[iggymcfly 0]

Austin was meant to be the stalker when the angle first started, but they changed that up when they decided to 'push' Benoit and Jericho. It was meant to be Austin v Jericho in the main event, with Benoit v Hunter in the semi, but when Benoit and Jericho didn't turn the ratings around after two weeks, Vince lost faith in them, and, cominbed with Hunter being taken out with his injury, they went with the Triple Threat main instead.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That would have been dumb since Benoit was the more over and heavily pushed of the two at the time. Benoit/Austin and Jericho/HHH would have made more sense.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Sure, if you were a smark. However, to the average fan at the time, Jericho was much more over and was definitely the one who should have challenged Austin. Jericho was the one who interrupted Austin the night after Judgement Day, and he was always the lead guy in all the promos with Benoit just kind of agreeing with whatever he said. In fact, Benoit was just turning face for the first time since entering WWE during that period, and the fans were just barely starting to warm up to him. Just because he had more memorable matches with Austin, doesn't mean that Benoit was anywhere near being the #1 face in 2001 before the neck injury.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Austin was meant to be the stalker when the angle first started, but they changed that up when they decided to 'push' Benoit and Jericho. It was meant to be Austin v Jericho in the main event, with Benoit v Hunter in the semi, but when Benoit and Jericho didn't turn the ratings around after two weeks, Vince lost faith in them, and, cominbed with Hunter being taken out with his injury, they went with the Triple Threat main instead.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That would have been dumb since Benoit was the more over and heavily pushed of the two at the time. Benoit/Austin and Jericho/HHH would have made more sense.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Aren't we forgetting that HHH suffered a serious knee injury the previous month?

[Damaramu 0]

Austin was meant to be the stalker when the angle first started, but they changed that up when they decided to 'push' Benoit and Jericho. It was meant to be Austin v Jericho in the main event, with Benoit v Hunter in the semi, but when Benoit and Jericho didn't turn the ratings around after two weeks, Vince lost faith in them, and, cominbed with Hunter being taken out with his injury, they went with the Triple Threat main instead.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That would have been dumb since Benoit was the more over and heavily pushed of the two at the time. Benoit/Austin and Jericho/HHH would have made more sense.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Sure, if you were a smark. However, to the average fan at the time, Jericho was much more over and was definitely the one who should have challenged Austin. Jericho was the one who interrupted Austin the night after Judgement Day, and he was always the lead guy in all the promos with Benoit just kind of agreeing with whatever he said. In fact, Benoit was just turning face for the first time since entering WWE during that period, and the fans were just barely starting to warm up to him. Just because he had more memorable matches with Austin, doesn't mean that Benoit was anywhere near being the #1 face in 2001 before the neck injury.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

What are you talking about? The reactions to Benoit were HUGE during that period. The fans were going nuts for him. Especially after he wrestled Austin.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Benoit was the one beating up Kurt Angle every week and wrestling 5 falls at Judgment Day. Jericho spent most of the time fighting Regal in comedy matches. Who got the higher spot on the card at Wrestlemania? Jericho or Benoit?

 

And once HHH went down it was Benoit, not Jericho who was wrestling in the main events against Austin.

 

Benoit was easily above Jericho at this point.

 

Aren't we forgetting that HHH suffered a serious knee injury the previous month?

 

We are talking about the booking plans before the injury.

[Guest JerichosHi-Lite]

Additionally, if you watch the psychology of the Triple-Threat at King of the Ring, the match is all about Austin/Benoit. In my opinion, at least, Jericho is just the third man in the match. Jericho was more popular with the average fan, but Benoit was in the higher position by far. Jericho was just Benoit's partner, and a nice little addition to the storyline.

 

King of the Ring is actually one of my all-time favourite PPVs. It's an odd PPV, one that seemed randomly gathered because they were running out of ideas (which is probably close to the truth) but it's still an awesome event. As random and odd as the Shane/Kurt stuff was, their match is still one of my favourites. And Kurt's such a trooper taking all the punishment he did.

 

I also think the Edge/Kurt ending to the KOTR was great. Edge/Christian, which is what most people at the time wanted, was far too obvious, IMO. Edge/Kurt added the "Will Kurt retain" angle which would have been lost in the E/C final. Edge would have won that hands-down.

[Slickster 0]

By the way, the voiceovers of Sara's stalker were done by none other than.....Vince McMahon. That's his (heavily distorted) voice you hear during all the first-person stalker videos. Some writers at TheSmarks.com messed with an audio clip of the stalker and removed all the distortion. Then the WWE tried to sue them for copyright infringement (partly because Vince was the original choice to play the stalker before HHH got hurt).

[Jericholic82 0]

By the way, the voiceovers of Sara's stalker were done by none other than.....Vince McMahon. That's his (heavily distorted) voice you hear during all the first-person stalker videos. Some writers at TheSmarks.com messed with an audio clip of the stalker and removed all the distortion. Then the WWE tried to sue them for copyright infringement (partly because Vince was the original choice to play the stalker before HHH got hurt).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup I remember listening to that clip. great stuff. No wonder why Vince hates us net people.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

(partly because Vince was the original choice to play the stalker before HHH got hurt).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Austin was meant to be the stalker, not Vince.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

The plan for the PPV was most likely Austin/Jericho and Benoit/Triple H to be the WWF and Intercontinental Title matches, respectively.

 

I think the KOTR Final Four wasn't tampered with.

[Guest JerichosHi-Lite]

The plan for the PPV was most likely Austin/Jericho and Benoit/Triple H to be the WWF and Intercontinental Title matches, respectively.

 

I think the KOTR Final Four wasn't tampered with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But Triple H lost the IC title to Kane a month earlier at Judgment Day. Which was planned ... so I doubt that was the original plan

[zyn081 0]

The plan for the PPV was most likely Austin/Jericho and Benoit/Triple H to be the WWF and Intercontinental Title matches, respectively.

 

I think the KOTR Final Four wasn't tampered with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That makes no sense what-so-ever. More the other way round.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

The main event for KOTR 2001 was originally going to be Austin v Undertaker for the WWF Title, with Austin to be revealed as the stalker of Undertaker’s wife.

 

Then things got changed, and it was going to be Austin v Jericho for the WWF Title with a semi of Benoit v Hunter. When that plan got made, which would have been before Hunter’s IC Title loss to Kane at JD, it is possible that the original idea was also for Benoit to beat Hunter for the IC Title at KOTR, and that would have led to an Austin v Benoit WWF Title match, most likely at the July PPV.

 

When Hunter tore his quad, the plan was still for Austin v Jericho for the WWF Title to headline KOTR. I’m not sure what would have been done with Benoit.

 

When ratings didn’t turn around after two weeks, Vince lost all faith in Jericho and Benoit as top guys, and made the call to turn the KOTR main event into a triple threat match. Vince believed that nobody would buy a PPV with an Austin v Jericho title match on top because they wouldn’t think the title could change hands. By making it a triple threat match, Vince’s position was that people would be more likely to think a title change might happen, and therefore more people would buy the PPV.

[zyn081 0]

The main event for KOTR 2001 was originally going to be Austin v Undertaker for the WWF Title, with Austin to be revealed as the stalker of Undertaker’s wife.

 

Then things got changed, and it was going to be Austin v Jericho for the WWF Title with a semi of Benoit v Hunter. When that plan got made, which would have been before Hunter’s IC Title loss to Kane at JD, it is possible that the original idea was also for Benoit to beat Hunter for the IC Title at KOTR, and that would have led to an Austin v Benoit WWF Title match, most likely at the July PPV.

 

When Hunter tore his quad, the plan was still for Austin v Jericho for the WWF Title to headline KOTR. I’m not sure what would have been done with Benoit.

 

When ratings didn’t turn around after two weeks, Vince lost all faith in Jericho and Benoit as top guys, and made the call to turn the KOTR main event into a triple threat match. Vince believed that nobody would buy a PPV with an Austin v Jericho title match on top because they wouldn’t think the title could change hands. By making it a triple threat match, Vince’s position was that people would be more likely to think a title change might happen, and therefore more people would buy the PPV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hadnt Austin and UT feuded since WM?

 

So Benoit (IC Champ) vs Austin (WWF Champ) at Invansion if Benoit didnt get injured?

 

And that meant Kane vs Benoit for the IC Strap at KotR?

 

Wouldnt have been a bad card that way either.

 

Regarding Jericho, youve just reinforced my point on him in the WWE folder HTQ

[Art Sandusky 0]

Austin/HHH and Undertaker/Kane didn't really start their program against "The Two Man Power Trip" until a couple of weeks after Wrestlemania, to give Rock time to get taken out, HHH to win the IC strap, and the "HHH and Austin chairshot the shit out of the Hardys and Lita for a couple of shows" angle, which lead to Undertaker and Kane coming out to do the nice thing and stop the violence. All while I was watching Backlash 2001 I thought to myself "this doesn't feel like a PPV, this is like a big Raw or something. What the fuck." Something seemed wrong, but I didn't know it was only the beginning of the decline in quality that bottomed out around No Way Out 2003, I feel.