The Lloyd

MARCH 2002, WEEK 2… In The Booth: Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Tazz If You’re Not First, You’re Last… We kicked off the show with ‘Latino Heat’ Eddie Guerrero heading to the ring, with a lot on his mind… In particular, the way Kurt Angle went after his best friend Rey Mysterio… dragging him onto the stage after Eddie’s Main Event on Smackdown!! He’s also scheduled to be in the Main Event of WrestleMania 18, against ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin for the WWF World Heavyweight Title… Eddie Guerrero: “Kurt Angle… WANTS something… So let’s hear it Kurt… Whaddya waaaaaant…?!” Eddie threw his microphone to the floor, and paced back and forth… then Angle’s music hit…!! And the former Olympian stayed on the stage… Kurt Angle: “You’re right Eddie… You’re right… I want something… I want your SPOT at WrestleMania…!! Everyone knows… It should be ME… fighting for the World Heavyweight Title… But a wise man once told me… When it comes to WrestleMania… If you can’t be on last… make sure you’re on FIRST…!! So I have a proposition… I wanna wrestle at WrestleMania… in the OPENING match…!!” Angle’s comments brought WWF Commissioner Mick Foley to the stage… Mick Foley: “While I appreciate you making suggestions Kurt… I have to ask… What does this have to do with Eddie Guerrero, and more importantly… Rey Mysterio… who is resting up at home tonight, because of you…!!” Kurt smiled… He said that he wants to wrestle in the opening match at WrestleMania 18… and if he WINS… he gets added to the Eddie versus Austin Main Event…!! Foley laughed and said that Angle probably thinks he’ll book that match, with Angle fighting against someone like Spike Dudley… Or even Jim Ross, or someone…?! He also said that Rey is busy that night, as he’s got a Light Heavyweight Title opportunity, which is still on, no thanks to Angle… Kurt Angle: “I think you’ve misunderstood me, Foley… I want to compete in the Opening Match at WrestleMania… AGAINST Eddie Guerrero…!! If I win… I REPLACE him in the Main Event…!!” Foley was shocked, but Eddie agreed to it straight away – anything to keep Angle away from his friend Rey Mysterio… But Foley had other ideas… He said for Angle to receive an opportunity such as that, he’d need to earn it… So he came up with a novel idea… On Smackdown, Eddie picks a guy… Angle picks a guy… If Angle’s guy wins, the match is ON… If Eddie’s guy wins, Angle is suspended until AFTER WrestleMania…!! Both men agreed to the stipulation, before Eddie confirmed that he’s choosing Rey Mysterio…!! Faarooq [vs] ‘The Crippler’ Chris Benoit It’d be hard to find two more hard-hitting fighters than Faarooq and Benoit. Everything they did to each other looked like it hurt, and there was no letting up right until the final bell. Benoit tried to lock the big veteran in his ‘Crippler Crossface’, but Faarooq powered up to his feet, and managed to slam Benoit with a ‘Spinebuster’ and fall into the cover. 73 Winner: Faarooq Finish: 'Spinebuster' Family Values… In the back, ‘The Game’ Triple H was shown sat with his Wife Stephanie McMahon… and he had a message for his Father In Law: Vince, and his Brother In Law: Shane McMahon…!! Triple H: “Vince… You talk about Family… as if you care about anyone, other than yourself… and your shareholders…!! But while you are Steph’s Family on paper… She is WAY more my Family, than she ever was yours…!!” ‘The Game’ referenced Vince’s challenge from Smackdown, where he said that it’ll be Triple H versus Vince and Shane at WrestleMania… If Triple H wins, he’ll be allowed to profit from the ‘Family Business’ (the World Wrestling Federation)… But if Vince and Shane win, Steph will be ‘cut off’, and not be allowed to spend in the kind of way she’s been used to… Triple H: “If I win Vince… When I win… Cut us off… We don’t care… I just want the damn match… I’ve wanted it for months, and so you’re ON…!! Triple H… versus Vince and Shane McMahon…!!” Samoan Beaten Down… We cut to a chaotic scene backstage next, as Rikishi of all people, was found beaten up and left laying in a corridor… Referees and officials were surrounding big ‘Kish, and checking on his condition… When a door nearby opened up…!! Kidman, Bill DeMott and Razor Ramon stepped over Rikishi’s fallen body, with Kidman turning back, and telling the big Samoan that they were ‘sorry’… Kidman: “Yu know, where I’m from… If you’re new, and you wanna make an impact… You go after the biggest, baddest, a*****e you can find… It’s nothin’ personal… You were just in the way…” Kidman admitted that his new group were to blame for taking ‘Kishi out… and they strolled to the ring, as Bill DeMott was set to be in action… against Steven Richards…!! w/ Steven Richards [vs] Bill DeMott w/ Kidman & Razor Ramon A short match of two halves here. DeMott dominated early on thanks to help from Kidman and Ramon at ringside, but Richards got some help when Haku and Umaga ran to the ring and chased the two non-legal competitors away. Richards then delivered his ‘Stevie Kick’ super kick, and scored a somewhat unlikely win – DeMott was undefeated until last week on RAW! After the match, Richards grabbed something strange from under the ring; the boardgame ‘Scrabble’!! He reached into the box, and pulled out a green silk bag!! He began searching for a few moments, before pulling out the letter ‘W’, and showing it to tight the camera!! He shouted that he ‘Got The W’, and had a huge smile on his face! 67 Winner: Steven Richards Finish: 'Stevie Kick' The Paint One… In the parking lot, Hardcore Champion The Undertaker and WWF World Heavyweight Champion ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin were walking past some very nice cars… before they came across a really nice Ford truck, with the licence plate: GR8 0N3… The Undertaker: “Check it out, check it out… This… is The Rock’s truck…!! You got the paint…?!” Austin grabbed some spray cans out of a duffel bag, and handed them to ‘Taker… and he began going to town on Rock’s truck, while Austin kept an eye out for ‘The Great One’… The Hardcore Champion looked happy with what he’d written… It now said, in clear white writing, ‘ROCKY SUCKS’ down the side of Rock’s black truck…!! Make Hey While The Sun’s Shining, Man… We cut elsewhere backstage, where Vince McMahon was shown speaking with someone a little out of shot…!! Vince McMahon: “So you’re on the way to the ring, right now…?! Well… This better be good… Paul…!!” The camera panned around, and… Former WWF employee Paul Heyman was BACK…!! Could this be the guy Vince was talking to on the phone last week when he said he’d sent him ‘there’ to review some of the talent… and all he came back with was some rookie… Paul Heyman: “Mr. McMahon… If I may… As your biggest ‘Advocate’, throughout my time ‘there’… I feel horrible asking for this… but… I know you doubt me… But if you’ve read this kid’s credentials, you really shouldn’t be doubting him… So just… Watch the match Vince, okay…?! Just watch the match…” Heyman left the room, and we went for a commercial break… Beast On A Mission… As we came back from commercial, a young local wrestler who was known as ‘Maven’, was stood in the ring, and Paul Heyman made his way onto the stage… Paul Heyman: “Kid, let me tell you something… I’m really sorry… for what’s about to happen to you… Because the man I’m about to introduce, has the strength to rip you limb, from limb… He also has the skillset, to crush your organs one by one… He really is a BEAST… Ladies and Gentlemen… I bring to you… THE NEXT… BIG… THING… BRRRROCK… LESNAAAAARRRRRR…!!!” w/ Local Enhancement Talent [vs] ‘The Next Big Thing’ Brock Lesnar The length and one-sidedness of this match meant it was never going to be a instant classic. Lesnar looked like an unstoppable force, and Vince McMahon is sure to be impressed by him! 28 Winner: ‘The Next Big Thing’ Brock Lesnar Finish: 'F5' Deal With It… Backstage, D’Lo Brown was taping his wrists, when another fan favourite: Edge walked in, with his love interest/manager…?! Trish Stratus… D’Lo and Edge haven’t exactly been seeing eye to eye of late, and Edge asked ‘The Real Deal’ what his problem was… D’Lo Brown: “Oh it’s real simple Edge… I don’t trust you… not only that… but you’re a threat to my overall goal… which is to become the Intercontinental Champion…!!” Edge: “Well that’s fine… That doesn’t sound like a me problem, that sounds like a you problem…!! Tonight, we team up… against JBL’s lackies Regal and Malenko… Faarooq already beat Jericho’s stooge Chris Benoit… So we can’t lose momentum for the IC Title chase with a loss tonight… Do you… have my back…?!” Edge outstretched his hand, but D’Lo shook his head and told the young Canadian he’d have to wait and see… before leaving the room, and leaving Edge and Trish to stew on his words… Edge stood with his hands on his hips, and looked at the floor… w/ w/ Val Venis & Hardcore Holly w/ Crash & Molly [vs] Albert & Saturn w/ Terri ‘Terri’s Boys’ have had Val and Holly’s number in recent weeks, picking up wins in tag and singles matches, as well as a six man tag with Crash and Tajiri also involved. Tonight though, the pendulum swung, and Val and Holly picked up a big win when Holly hit his ‘Alabama Slam’ on Perry Saturn! 65 Winners: Val Venis & Hardcore Holly w/ Crash & Molly Finish: 'Alabama Slam' The Next New Guy… In an intense and exciting moment, ‘The Animal’ Batista walked past ‘The Next Big Thing’ Brock Lesnar… Batista and Brock glared at each other, before going nose to nose in an intense stare out… Paul Heyman urged his client to leave it for another day, and he pulled Brock away, while the newcomer smiled to himself… Batista stayed looking intense throughout… w/ w/ Billy Gunn w/ K-Kwik [vs] Shelton Benjamin w/ The Hardy Family It was a case of veteran versus rookie here, and Gunn would have been the heavy favourite going in given his experience, and his athleticism. Shelton won it because of the help he had at ringside, it’s as simple as that. Brian Skarsgard and Christopher Vanguard were the main difference makers, as they swarmed Gunn while the ref’s back was turned, and did the same to K-Kwik at ringside when he complained. Shelton then hit the ‘T-Bone Suplex’ when the ref turned back around. 58 Winner: Shelton Benjamin w/ The Hardy Family Finish: 'T-Bone Suplex' Unwelcome Guest… After the match, the five active members of the Hardy Family celebrated in the ring, with Matt Hardy proclaiming that Senior Benjamin’s victory was ‘WONDERFUL’… Lita had been left at home tonight to continue to recover from Kane’s Tombstone Piledriver at No Way Out… Nidia was apparently there looking after her… Their celebrations were cut short though, by big explosions in each corner of the ring, and the music of Kane hitting… However, as the group got ready for a potential showdown with ‘The Big Red Machine’, he didn’t show up, and his music faded out… Instead, we got an image of him on the big screen… Kane: “Hey MATT… Nice place you got here…!!” The camera panned to reveal Kane had arrived at the Hardy Compound!! Matt Hardy almost fainted in the ring, as Kane opened the front door of his house, and walked inside…!! The chilling scene ended with Matt and co. jumping out of the ring and running up the ramp…!! Devastated… Until… We cut backstage to the parking lot… where The Rock was stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head, as fellow wrestlers and WWF officials stood beside him and his truck… trying to see if the spray paint job The Undertaker did on it would come off… Rock was angry!! The Rock: “Undertaker… Three rules to live by… You don’t pull on Superman’s Cape… You don’t p**s into the wind… and You don’t… Mess with The Rock’s proper… t… ty… Hold on, hold ON… Whadda we have over HERE…?!” Rock started off walking and his walk turned into a light jog, as a couple of guys like Faarooq and Steven Richards followed him… Had he spotted The Undertaker and Steve Austin hiding out…?! It quickly became apparent that he’d spotted ‘Taker’s Harley…!! The Rock: “OOOHHHHhhh… What an oversight… An eye for an eye… and wheels, for wheels ‘Taker…!! Here’s what The Rock is gonna do… He’s gonna take your Harley… Shine it up real nice… turn it sideways… AND SHOVE ITS CANDY A*S STRAIGHT DOWN THERE…!!” With no hesitation, Rock grabbed the bike, and pushed it down a ramp… It gained momentum as he ran with it, and then he let go… The bike zoomed off a nearby loading dock, and fell about five feet onto a concrete floor… It would have been scratched, dented, all sorts… The Rock was extremely pleased with his actions…!! Edge & D’Lo Brown [vs] Regal & Malenko Edge and D’Lo argued constantly in this on, with Edge clearly missing his usual tag team partner Christian. They were up against a strong team in Regal and Malenko too, who outwrestle everyone they face. The two technicians took their eye off the ball when JBL came to ringside though. They owe him a lot of money, and he wanted them to destroy two of his biggest rivals in his pursuit of the Intercontinental Title. In the end, an inadvertent JBL distraction allowed Edge to tag in behind Dean Malenko’s back. He hit a brilliant side suplex on D’Lo Brown, and then walked onto a ‘Spear’ from Edge! 74 Winners: Edge & D’Lo Brown Finish: 'Spear' Straight Outta Hell… As soon as the match ended, JBL slid into the ring, and hit a ‘Clothesline From Hell’ on Edge, who was celebrating his victory… D’Lo Brown came back into the ring, and he too was clocked with the Lariat… The announce team suggested that WWF Commissioner Mick Foley has to make a decision about the Intercontinental Title Match at WrestleMania 18 soon… Chris Jericho has many, many potential challengers… and Foley should make a Number One Contenders Match… D’Lo… Edge… Faarooq… JBL… they’re all gunning for the Title, and for each other… Quick Results: Faarooq [def.] Chris Benoit Steven Richards [def.] Bill DeMott Brock Lesnar [def.] Local Enhancement Talent Val Venis & Hardcore Holly [def.] Albert & Perry Saturn Shelton Benjamin [def.] Billy Gunn Edge & D’Lo Brown [def.] Regal & Malenko Show Rating: 75

> Faarooq [vs] ‘The Crippler’ Chris Benoit Steven Richards [vs] Bill DeMott w/ Kidman & Razor Ramon Local Enhancement Talent [vs] New Signing to WWF Val Venis & Hardcore Holly w/ Crash & Molly [vs] Albert & Saturn w/ Terri Billy Gunn w/ K-Kwik [vs] Shelton Benjamin w/ The Hardy Family Edge & D’Lo Brown [vs] Regal & Malenko

MARCH 2002, WEEK 1… In The Booth: Michael Cole and Tazz The Kurt Angle Invitational… We opened the show with former Olympic Gold Medal winner Kurt Angle, set for his ‘Kurt Angle Invitational’ Open Challenge… and he had his thoughts on who he wanted to accept the challenge… Kurt Angle: “I want Eddie Guerrero to answer the challenge… EDDIE… GET OUT HERE… So I can prove… that it should be ME heading to the Main Event of WrestleMania…!!” Angle paced back and forth, and Eddie didn’t answer the challenge… but one of his best friends did… Rey Mysterio’s arrival angered Angle!! Rey Mysterio [vs] ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ Kurt Angle Mysterio and Angle opened the show well here, with a fiercely competitive bout. Rey is new to the WWF, and hasn’t lost any of his first five outings since debuting in the Royal Rumble Match. But Angle was a different test to all the others he’s faced so far, and he came unstuck when ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ took him to the mat. He was overpowered and outclassed, and eventually tapped to the ‘Ankle Lock’. 82 Winner: ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ Kurt Angle Finish: 'Ankle Lock' Eddie Trap… After the match, Angle refused to let go of Rey’s ankle… The referee threatened to reverse the decision, and he eventually let go… However, he went for a microphone… when he climbed back into the ring, he picked Rey’s foot up one more time… and yelled that if Eddie Guerrero doesn’t come out here, he’s going to break the masked flier’s leg right before his big WrestleMania Match… However, he had a loose grip, and Rey was able to spin out of it, and get to safety…!! Angle was left seething…!! Frenemies… Backstage, former Light Heavyweight Champions and rivals Marty Jannetty and Jerry Lynn were talking about their first outing as a tag team last week… Both men said they weren’t 100% sure they could trust the other fully… and there was still obvious tension between the two… They also confirmed that tonight they get to try out their chemistry again, as they’ll be in tag team action against Rapid Fire… Local Enhancement Talent [vs] ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ Tajiri A local talent who managed to get the crowd behind him here, but he was up against a constant swarm of kicks and strikes. The referee had to deal with Tajiri bringing a steel chair into the ring, but while his back was turned, ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ spat a ‘Green Mist’ into his opponent’s eyes. Tajiri then covered his face in the pin fall attempt, and scored the win! 41 Winner: ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ Tajiri Finish: 'Green Mist' For the first time ever, we got an in-ring segment called ‘The Al Snow Show’… as veteran performer Snow headed to the ring… Al Snow: “Kicking off a NEW ERA of talk shows in the WWF… The AL… SNOW… SHOW!! And if we’re going to make the ultimate start… we’re going to need the ULTIMATE guest… and folks… it doesn’t get any bigger… than the CHAIRMAN… of the World Wrestling Federation…!! Vincent… Kennedy… McMAHON!!” Joined by his son Shane, a fact that Snow apologised for, Vince did indeed head to the ring… and he and Al had a lot to talk about… Vince said that one of his children has been a disappointment to him… Stephanie McMahon brought Triple H into the family, and ‘The Game’ is not the man she thinks he is… Al asked his boss what he’d like to do about Triple H… Vince McMahon: “What I’d like…? Is to make a challenge… It’s the reason I came on here in the first place… As you know… my Son Shane was injured and couldn’t compete at No Way Out… But he’s okay now… and he’s raring to go… So… Hunter… My Son Shane and I… are challenging YOU… to a Handicap Match… Triple H… versus the Father and Son duo… of Vince and Shane McMahon… and ‘Game’… if you win… we’ll cut you in to the Family Business… Lose… and we’ll be cutting you, and Stephanie, OFF…!!” No Excuses… Ahead of the next match, scheduled to be Faarooq versus Bradshaw (now known as John Bradshaw Layfield, or JBL), the big Texan headed to the ring with a suit, and flanked by William Regal and Dean Malenko…!! JBL: “By now, you know the formula, right…?! I come out here, and I make an excuse, and pull out of my scheduled match… Whether it be D’Lo Brown… or my old tag team partner Faarooq… I make an excuse, and get out of it, right…?! Well… Tonight there are NO excuses…!!” JBL started taking his suit jacket off… and he handed it to Malenko… He then took what looked like a really expensive watch off, and unbuttoned his shirt… Then he laughed as he spoke…!! JBL: “No excuses… I just plain don’t feel like wrestlin’ tonight…!! I don’t wanna lower myself, to Faarooq’s level… and I’ve got so much money… and these guys OWE me, so much money… that I can get Dean (Malenko) here to fight my battles for me… So tonight… It’s Faarooq versus Dean Malenko…!!” w/ Faarooq [vs] Dean Malenko w/ William Regal & JBL Faarooq was furious to see it wasn’t JBL standing across the ring from him, but he took a lot of anger and aggression out on Malenko instead. Despite his high levels of experience, he fell for the oldest trick in the book when JBL climbed onto the apron. Faarooq went for him, and JBL continued to distract his former tag team partner. As Faarooq turned around, he was dropped with a dropkick, and then locked up in a ‘Texas Cloverleaf’, before tapping out! 72 Winner: Dean Malenko w/ William Regal & JBL Finish: 'Texas Cloverleaf' Early Tap… It wasn’t necessarily noticeable at first, but there was something strange about the way Faarooq tapped out… He tapped immediately in the hold to lose the match, and Malenko let him go immediately too… This looked a little like a ploy, because once the bell rang, Faarooq slid out of the ring, and jumped his former partner…!! He dragged JBL into the ring by his head, and started stomping on him in the corner… Faarooq told Malenko and Regal to leave, but JBL told them they still owe him…!! So the two fan favourite technicians climbed back into the ring, and pulled Faarooq down to the ground… JBL directed traffic, and barely got his hands dirty in the beatdown… but then Faarooq got some help… ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown sprinted out to the ring, and shouted at Malenko and Regal to get the hell off of Faarooq… in a really confusing situation for everyone in the ring, JBL then ordered them to attack D’Lo… which they did, with a lot of reluctance… But once again, it was time for someone from the back to come and help JBL’s rivals… Edge started by hitting a ‘Spear’ on Regal… and then hit the same move on Malenko…!! JBL exited the ring at this point, realising he was beat… but he looked furious… Edge helped Faarooq to his feet, but when he helped D’Lo up, ‘The Real Deal’ didn’t want to accept his help… a continuation of their beef from last week… Rapid Fire (K-Kwik & Billy Gunn) [vs] Marty Jannetty & Jerry Lynn Not Rapid Fire’s finest outing, as they were sloppy enough to cause a small injury to Jerry Lynn early on which ruined it as a contest in truth. For the finish, Gunn put Jannetty down with the ‘Fame Asser’ to make it two defeats from two matches for Jannetty and Lynn as a team. 57 Winner: Rapid Fire (K-Kwik & Billy Gunn) Finish: 'Fame Asser' Crash Test… Backstage, Crash Holly was putting Hardcore and Val Venis through their paces on treadmills… Both Hardcore and Val were sweating and out of breath… and it took Molly Holly to tell Crash and Hardcore to leave Val alone, and let him rest… Hardcore Holly: “Me…?! What the heck did I do…?! I’m runnin’ on this thing too, Molly…!!” Crash Holly: “I gotta get ‘em ready for their match with Albert and Saturn…!!” Molly shushed her cousins, and sent them away… as she caressed Val’s shoulder… She told him it’s time for a Jacuzzi session, and he smiled from ear to ear…!! Jushin Thunder Liger [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista Tough week for Liger, after his loss to Rey Mysterio was followed up by a hard beating by Batista here. He suffered the same fate as so many before him. He was looking for a Hurricanrana, but ‘The Animal’ countered it into the ‘Batista Bomb’! 69 Winner: ‘The Animal’ Batista Finish: 'Batista Bomb' Un-Stable… Backstage, WWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Perfect and Mr. Sexay were talking about how Umaga got lucky against Perfect on RAW… Using what they called an illegal thumb (The Samoan Spike)… Mr. Sexay: “If we ever get in the ring with one of those stupid Samoans again… it’ll be a different stor…” Rikishi: “You were sayin’, US(o)…?!” Sexay backtracked… he said he was talking about a different group of Samoans… but he knew he was busted… until three men arrived behind Rikishi and co… Kidman: “Nice to meet you all… My name’s Kidman, and I believe you’ve met Razor Ramon and Bill DeMott… This is uhhh… Nice place you got here… We’re looking forward to taking it over…!!” Kidman and his crew strolled off, leaving Rikishi, Umaga and Haku perplexed… Eddie Guerrero & The Rock [vs] Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit Eddie was preoccupied in this match, as he was constantly looking over his shoulder for the arrival of Kurt Angle, and wanted to make sure Rey Mysterio was okay and had stayed away from the former Olympian. It meant that Rocky did most of the heavy lifting, and had to fight off both Jericho and Benoit on his own for a while. In the end, Eddie tagged in and made all the difference. He was so quick, and fluid, that the two Canadian Chrises couldn’t catch him! In the end, he tagged Rock back in, and dived to the floor to take out Jericho. Benoit was slammed with a ‘Rock Bottom’ in the centre of the ring, and was pinned. 86 Winners: Eddie Guerrero & The Rock Finish: 'Rock Bottom' 6-1-Down… After the match, Kurt Angle did arrive on the stage… and was DRAGGING Rey Mysterio’s lifeless body out with him…!! Eddie hopped out of the ring, and chased Angle away… He called out for help for Rey, as The Rock joined him on the stage for backup…!! Referees and officials came out, with a couple of Doctors, and Rey was helped away…!! Compound Your Problems… We saw the entire Hardy Family at the Compound next… and Matt Hardy was laughing to himself… Matt Hardy: “WELCOMMMMEEE… hahahaaaaaaaa… As you can see, Lita is doin’ fine… no thanks to Kearne… (Kane)… At WrestleMania Kearne… I’m extendin’ unto you… an inviTATIOOOONN…!! To come to The Hardy Compound… and be… DELETEEEEEDDDD…!!” Jeff Hardy: “And before we go, Matt… we HAVE to introduce our Young Bucks, to the ‘WOLD’…!!” Matt Hardy: “Ah yeaaaaasss… Where are my manners…?! Ladies and Gentlemen… I give to you… BRIAN SKARSGARD (Kendrick)… and CHRISTOPHER VANGUARD (Daniels)… They are… THE BUCKS… OF YOUUUUUTH…!!” The video faded to black with all members of the Hardy Family on screen, laughing and enjoying the occasion… Will Kane accept Hardy’s challenge…?! Will he even tell us if he does…?! Will Jeff be there come WrestleMania…?! He has a Light Heavyweight Title defence scheduled against Rey Mysterio on that night… although that’s been thrown into doubt now too… More questions than answers here as the show ended… Quick Results: Kurt Angle [def.] Rey Mysterio Tajiri [def.] Local Enhancement Talent Dean Malenko [def.] Faarooq Rapid Fire [def.] Marty Jannetty & Jerry Lynn Batista [def.] Jushin Thunder Liger Eddie Guerrero & The Rock [def.] Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit Show Rating: 73

> Kurt Angle’s Open Challenge: Rey Mysterio [vs] ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ Kurt Angle Local Enhancement Talent [vs] ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ Tajiri Faarooq [vs] Dean Malenko w/ William Regal Rapid Fire (K-Kwik & Billy Gunn) [vs] Marty Jannetty & Jerry Lynn Jushin Thunder Liger [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista Eddie Guerrero & The Rock [vs] Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit

After another loss putting over Umaga, it seems like a good time to answer this So, here's what happened... Edge and Christian were the Champs, and Christian picked up an injury. It was one he could work through, but I like to let people take time off even if it's a small injury, as I like how the game throws spanners into your plans. Perfect and Sexay are a new, but great, heel tag team. They've impressed me so far with their ratings and performances, particularly in promos. Then Perfect goes and fails a drugs test right after winning the Belts. I quickly realised I couldn't trust him on top. Sexay then failed one a week or so later. Such a shame, but I'm punishing them by sending them down the card with some losses. They'll remain on the roster for now, but they'll be very much mid-carders.

MARCH 2002, WEEK 1… In The Booth: Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Tazz The End… We kicked off Smackdown where we left off from RAW… Faarooq headed to the ring… unsure about his future… and looking saddened by his tag team partner Bradshaw’s actions… Faarooq: “There comes a time… In every man’s life… where he has to make a choice… Tonight… Tonight is uhh… rough… it’s a tough one… But I choose… to challenge… BRADSHAW… To a MATCH… at WrestleMania 18…!! So Bradshaw… Get yo’ stinkin’ ass out here… RIGHT… NOW…!!” Bradshaw didn’t waste any time coming out to the ring… but he had a different entrance, and a different look when he arrived… He also had a different NAME…!! JBL: “No… No… No… NO…!! Faarooq… It’s not goin’ down like that… I am henceforth to be known… as John Bradshaw Layfield… Or ‘JBL’ if you wish… You talk about makin’ choices… I… made some choices, Ron… I saved ALL the money we’d made from jobs… from playin’ cards… from ALL of it… and I invested it… For YEARS… I’ve been investin’ my money in stocks, and shares, and NOW…?! Now I’m the richest man in the World Wrestlin’ Federation…” As for Faarooq’s challenge for ‘Mania, JBL said that he would NOT get that match… because JBL wants the Intercontinental Title… JBL: “I’ve CUT you… You, are OUT… and now… You ain’t getting’ in MY way… because I’m going to beat Chris Jericho… become Intercontinental Champion… And if you get in my way… I will END you…!!” JBL agreed to fight Faarooq on Smackdown, but said he would NOT be fighting him at WrestleMania… A fact that the crowd absolutely hated…!! They want to see Faarooq get his hands on the rich businessman…!! Number One Contender for the Light Heavyweight Title: Rey Mysterio [vs] Jushin Thunder Liger Tag Team Partners on Smackdown, and opponents here on RAW. Mysterio and Liger knew that the winner here would head to WrestleMania 18 to take on Light Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy. This was a great outing for both men, with Liger looking dangerous with a few submission attempts. In the end, a hurricanrana from Rey sent Liger flying onto the second rope. He was in the perfect position for the ‘619’, and Rey hit it to score a big win. After the match, the two masked legends shook hands and patted each other on the back. 74 Winner: Rey Mysterio Finish: '619' Big Boss Main Event… We cut to the back, to where ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ Kurt Angle was pacing back and forth… Kurt Angle: “Eddie Guerrero… SUCKERPUNCHED me… and this… this is the WrestleMania Main Event…?! Eddie Guerrero…!? He lies… cheats… AND steals… And don’t get me started on Triple H versus Big Boss Man as the Main Event of Smackdown…!! When I didn’t even have a MATCH…!! It’s about time Kurt Angle was the Main Event… of RAW, of Smackdown, of WrestleMania…!! So on Smackdown… I’m issuing an ‘Open Challenge’ to ANYONE, who wants to Main Event, with ME…!!” w/ Marty Jannetty & Jerry Lynn [vs] Albert & Perry Saturn w/ Terri Jannetty and Lynn have been enemies for a long time, so it was strange to see them on the same team here. They worked together extremely well, but were eventually just overpowered by Albert and Saturn. ‘Terri’s Boys’ won it when Lynn tapped to the ‘Rings Of Saturn’. 63 Winners: Albert & Perry Saturn w/ Terri Finish: 'Rings Of Saturn' Unexpected Saviours… After the match was over, Saturn refused to release the hold… and Marty Jannetty had to get into the ring to kick him off of Lynn… Terri didn’t tell her ‘Boys’ to stop, she ordered them to attack, and pretty soon Jannetty was being swarmed by both big men… With Lynn down in the corner and unable to help, Jannetty received assistance from unlikely saviours… Val Venis and The Holly Cousins hit the ring… Not necessarily to save Jannetty and Lynn, but to get to Albert and Saturn… and Val had a message for Terri and her ‘Boys’… Val Venis: “Our record against Albert and Saturn isn’t great… but we want one more SHOT… Next week on RAW… me and Hardcore… versus ‘Terri’s Boys’…!!” All It Takes, Is A Phonecall… Backstage, the WWF Chairman was on the phone… We never got to find out who he was talking to… Vince McMahon: “Is this real…?! I haven’t eaten much today… But I must be mistaken… Because… I sent you over there, to tell me what’s worth saving… and you bring me a punk kid in his early 20s…?! Some CHILD in developmental who may or may not be successful… What…?! What are you…?! REALLY…?! I’ll tell you this… Bring him to RAW next week… I’ll book him in a match… If he loses… if he doesn’t impress me… it won’t be him who’s fired… It’ll be YOU…!!” w/ w/ Umaga w/ Haku & Rikishi [vs] Mr. Perfect w/ Mr. Sexay Umaga got a big win here, against a veteran who was taken by surprise by the young Samoan’s intensity and power. Perfect had some spells of control, despite the size and strength difference between the two. But in the end, he succumbed to a ‘Samoan Spike’ to the side of his neck. 58 Winner: Umaga w/ Haku & Rikishi Finish: 'Samoan Spike' ‘Mania Mayhem… Two Champions and two members of the Four Man Power Trip: The Undertaker and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin were backstage next… The Hardcore and the WWF World Heavyweight Champions had a lot to talk about… Notably, their respective WrestleMania 18 opponents… The Undertaker: “It’s gonna be a tough night… For The Rock…!! He doesn’t have the ‘Flair’ to beat me at WrestleMania 18!!” Steve Austin: “Well I got this lyin’, cheatin’, stealin’, sumb***h, Eddie Guerrero… Seems to me, he’s a ‘Bad Guy’… just waitin’ for someone to kick him down the ‘Hall’…!!” ‘Taker and Austin did both concede that ‘The Streak’, and the WWF World Heavyweight Championship would both be hard to retain… but that they’d have each other’s backs regardless of what happens… As for Rock and Eddie… they’ll actually be in tag team action on Smackdown…!! Kidman & Steven Richards [vs] Razor Ramon & Bill DeMott Kidman and Richards are old friends, and the two heartthrobs had female fans in particular ‘Flocking’ to them from the get-go here. They controlled the pace early on, taking it to the ‘Bully’ Bill DeMott. However, late on, Ramon grabbed a steel chair, and knocked Richards out with it, causing the disqualification! 73 Winners: Kidman & Steven Richards Finish: 'Disqualification' There’s Always A Plan B… Things had broken down fast, and Kidman came into the ring, also wielding a chair… Ramon and DeMott got out of the ring unscathed though… Kidman helped Richards to his feet… and stood side-by-side with him as they glared at ‘The Bad Guy’ and ‘The Bully’… Then, the unthinkable happened… Kidman stepped back as Richards stepped forward, and from behind the newcomer unleashed a steel chair shot to Richards’ spine… The fan favourite slowly fell forwards, and landed draped over the bottom rope… Kidman hit him again with the chair, before heading to the top rope to hit a ‘Shooting Star Press’…!! Ramon and DeMott laughed as if they knew this would happen… Kidman couldn’t have been booed any louder…!! Al Snow [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista Another high profile win for Batista here as he continues his slow rise in the company. Al Snow put up more of a fight than Kamala in ‘The Animal’s’ first singles match, but he was put away with the same move – the devastating ‘Batista Bomb’. 57 Winner: ‘The Animal’ Batista Finish: 'Batista Bomb' Having The Edge… In the back, two fan favourites bumped into one another… and despite the immediate mutual respect, there was tension in the air… Edge: “D’Lo… You’ve impressed me lately, man… Not only in the ring, but you were right about Bradshaw… or JBL… or whatever the heck his name is…” D’Lo Brown: “Damn straight I was right… and JBL better recognise… He’s looking at ‘The Real Deal’ when it comes to me… so if he thinks he’s getting an Intercontinental Title shot… he better get in line behind ME…!!” Edge paused for thought… he looked like he wasn’t sure if he should say what was on his mind, but he became more confident when Trish Stratus walked up… Edge: “JBL is in the line, behind you… That’s fine… But this line… it starts behind ME…” D’Lo looked angered as Trish put her arm around her man… ‘The Game’ Triple H [vs] Test Triple H with his second Main Event in as many shows, and it could be argued he failed to carry both Big Boss Man, and Test here, to a top quality show closer. Neither match was bad, but the company would have been looking for someone to make sure it was better than ‘not bad’. Test fought hard, and he controlled the pace in the middle portion after weathering the storm that Triple H threw his way. For the finish though, after missing his ‘Big Boot’ in the corner, Test got semi-crotched on the top rope. As he got himself free, he skipped across towards ‘The Game’, who kicked him hard in the gut, and then dropped him with the ‘Pedigree’. 78 Winner: ‘The Game’ Triple H Finish: 'Pedigree' Menace To Society… The Hardy Family, almost in its entirety, passed Triple H on the ramp, for the final segment of the show… ‘The Game’ snarled at them, but the group walked past without incident or physical altercation… Lita was the only Hardy Family member missing, after she succumbed to a ‘Tombstone Piledriver’ from Kane at No Way Out… Matt Hardy: “We, have stayed quiet, up until now… but Kearne… (Kane)… Needs to be stopped…!! He’s a menace, and a danger to society… Kurt Angle, was RIGHT… He’s a Right Angle… Kearne has suffered, ZERO punishments, for his actions… and now he must be… DELETEEEEED…” Hardy told Kane to get out to the ring, and hear a challenge he had for him… Man-to-man… and ‘The Big Red Machine’ obliged… As soon as Hardy saw Kane arrive, he wanted to fight the big masked man… ‘Broken’ Matt has never felt anger like he felt when Kane hit the ‘Tombstone’ on his girlfriend Lita… and he has not calmed down since… He essentially told his Brother Jeff, Nidia, and ‘Senior’ Shelton Benjamin to hold him back, so he couldn’t get to Kane… Although he probably did it for his own protection… He then ordered his group to leave the ring… Then… out of nowhere… Two smaller guys chopped Kane down from behind, and began putting the boots to the surprised monster… Jeff and Shelton slid into the ring, and joined them… and as great as Kane is, he stood no chance 4 on 1… Matt climbed in, and laughed at the fallen ‘Big Red Machine’… As Matt was lining up his ‘Twist Of Fate’, Kane suddenly broke free of the four person grip holding him back… The two newcomers were thrown through the ropes, while Matt, Jeff and Shelton sloped out of the ring, and made it to the safety of the ramp…!! The show ended with Kane demanding someone get in the ring with him… but nobody did…!! Quick Results: Rey Mysterio [def.] Jushin Thunder Liger Albert & Perry Saturn [def.] Marty Jannetty & Jerry Lynn Umaga [def.] Mr. Perfect Kidman & Steven Richards [def.] Razor Ramon & Bill DeMott Batista [def.] Al Snow Triple H [def.] Test Show Rating: 77

Always forget to do this... Prediction Prizes coming to Deafstroke and Ultimatejerichofan!! Keep an eye on your inboxes

> Number One Contender for the Light Heavyweight Title: Rey Mysterio [vs] Jushin Thunder Liger Marty Jannetty & Jerry Lynn [vs] Albert & Perry Saturn w/ Terri Umaga w/ Haku & Rikishi [vs] Mr. Perfect w/ Mr. Sexay Kidman & Steven Richards [vs] Razor Ramon & Bill DeMott Al Snow [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista ‘The Game’ Triple H [vs] Test

FEBRUARY 2002, WEEK 4… In The Booth: Michael Cole and Tazz Heat versus Cold… We opened the show with ‘Latino Heat’ Eddie Guerrero heading to the ring… He looked to the stage once he was in the middle, and looked ready for a fight… He was soon joined in the ring by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin… Eddie Guerrero: “Choo know… I have to hand it to you, amigo… 303 days as WWF World Heavyweight Champion… Incredible defences against The Rock… Triple H… Big Show… Rikishi… Even The Undertaker… You’ve beaten them ALL… except… ‘Latino Heat’ Eddie Guerrero…!!” The crowd cheered Eddie… they love his ‘Lying, Cheating and Stealing’ mantra… and they can’t wait to see him battle Austin at WrestleMania 18… Steve Austin: “WHAT…?! Listen Eddie… I appreciate the comments… But honestly, hearing YOU, of all people, say that my matches were ‘incredible’, doesn’t mean a lot to me… I mean… who the HELL are you, to tell ME, that I had an incredible match…!? You’re not exactly Dave Meltzer…” Eddie Guerrero: “Glad choo bring that up… See… I measure my words carefully… and what I said was… You had incredible defences… against The Rock… etc… I didn’t say the matches were incredible… What’s incredible, was that you actually WON those matches…!! Eeeeeeveryone knows… if the matches were incredible, it’s because of your opponent… NOT you…” Austin was mad, but couldn’t react physically just yet… because the two were interrupted by ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ Kurt Angle… Angle, who was supposed to be suspended, said that Austin owes him a Title shot, as he took Big Show out this past Sunday… Just like Austin asked… However, ‘Stone Cold’ reminded Kurt that he asked him to take Show or Rikishi out BEFORE the Title Match at No Way Out… NOT after it… Kurt Angle: “Yeah, well… a small detail… So when’s my Title shot…?! Am I replacing Eddie at ‘Mania…?! Or should we make it a Triple Threat…?!” Eddie and Austin stayed quiet, and listened to Angle rant… He actually brought up some good points after that… Kurt Angle: “Let me get this straight… I take out Big Show… I get SUSPENDED… which is a joke, who’s going to stop me entering the building…?! AND… I’m waiting on the details of a FINE…!! Whereas Kane. Hits a ‘Tombstone Piledriver’ on a WOMAN… and what…?! Gets away with it…?! I attacked a GIANT… he attacked a DEFENCELESS WOMAN…!! WHY…?! Because what…!? She started it…?!” Angle was furious, but was put down by a brilliant super kick from Eddie Guerrero…!! Austin then lurked near Eddie, and looked to hit his ‘Stone Cold Stunner’… but Eddie was ready for it, and backed away from ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’… Rey Mysterio & Jushin Thunder Liger [vs] Mr. Perfect & Mr. Sexay Rey and Liger, what an incredible team they were. They were up against another great team, in Perfect and Sexay. The current WWF World Tag Team Champions haven’t been in the best of form when it comes to results, but they’re always dangerous in the ring. They lost here, when Sexay missed a bulldog on Mysterio and ended up draped over the second rope. Rey ran off the opposite ropes, and hit his ‘619’ to win it! Mysterio and Liger were very much on the same page tonight, but next week on RAW, they’ll be opponents, in a Number One Contenders Match for the Light Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 18! 69 Winners: Rey Mysterio & Jushin Thunder Liger Finish: '619' Friends…? We cut backstage, to where Marty Jannetty was shown watching the action on a TV monitor… He was soon joined by his old rival, now friend (?) Jerry Lynn… Lynn said that Rey and Liger were a great Light Heavyweight team… but that he and Jannetty could be a BETTER one… Marty was apprehensive, but was willing to hear Lynn out… Jerry Lynn: “Think about it… Two of the GREATEST Light Heavyweights in the history of the World Wrestling Federation… Together… We’d be unstoppable…!! Look, I know I can be kind of an a*****e… but wouldn’t you rather have an a*****e as your partner, than your opponent…?! Let me prove it to you… One match… Me and you, on RAW… against two guys in a tag match!! Whaddya say…?!” Jannetty said “Alright… You’re on!” and Lynn punched the air… The veteran looked delighted to be able to team with Jannetty… even if it’s only a one off… for now… Spike Dudley [vs] ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ Tajiri Spike Dudley hurt his hand really early in this one, and looked like he could barely get through the match. Tajiri mercifully put him out of his misery with the ‘Buzzsaw Kick’ to end it seemingly early. 35 Winner: ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ Tajiri Finish: 'Buzzsaw Kick' Billy The Kid… Backstage, Steven Richards was looking for somebody, and he found who he was looking for… New WWF signing: Kidman!! In a strange turn of events, Richards who was carrying a duffel bag, pulled out some face paint…!! He started painting his face blue, and Kidman kind of, looked around to see if anyone near by knew what Richards was doing…!! Nobody knew… so Kidman just asked him… Steven Richards: “Oh this…?! I’m just ‘Getting Some Colour’… apparently it makes your matches more, dramatic…!! You can do it by doing something called ‘Juicing’… although I’m yet to find a place who sells the kind of juice I need…” Richards then thanked Kidman for his help on RAW… He said debuting on the night after No Way Out was extremely big for the WWF… and extremely big for him, because Kidman helped him fend off a 2 on 1 attack from Razor Ramon and Bill DeMott… Kidman: “Don’t thank me yet… On RAW next week, we’ve got Ramon and DeMott in a tag match…!! And listen, do me a favour… Don’t ‘Juice’… or ‘Get Colour’… or ‘Blade’ or anything…!!” Kidman left the scene, and Richards tried to work out what ‘Blade’ meant… w/ Haku & Umaga w/ Rikishi [vs] Rapid Fire (K-Kwik & Billy Gunn) Haku and Umaga squashed Rapid Fire here. Not in a quick, dominant, match way. More in a size advantage, weight advantage kind of way. Umaga sat on K-Kwik’s chest to end it, following his vicious ‘Samoan Spike’. But both teams performed well. 64 Winners: Haku & Umaga w/ Rikishi Finish: 'Samoan Spike' The Compound… For the first time since No Way Out, we headed to The Hardy Compound, to hear from Jeff Hardy… We haven’t heard from his Brother Matt since his match with Kane, in which ‘The Big Red Machine’ hit a ‘Tombstone Piledriver’ on Matt’s girlfriend Lita…!! Jeff Hardy: “KANE… Must be stopped… He’s a danger, to himself… He’s a danger to every WWF wrestler… and he’s frankly, a danger to innocent bystanders, like poor Lita… Next week… We’re gonna confront Kane… In the ring… LIVE… on RAW…!!” ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown [vs] ‘The Crippler’ Chris Benoit D’Lo and Benoit had a great match here, with ‘The Crippler’ looking awesome throughout. Everything he did looked real, and looked like D’Lo got beaten up. In the end though, Benoit cared more about the crowd booing him than he should, and he was planted with the ‘Sky High’. Brown then ascended the turnbuckle, and came down hard with his ‘Lo-Down’. While D’Lo’s hand was raised, the crowd bopped along to his entrance music: Business by Eminem. 83 Winner: ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown Finish: 'Lo-Down' Nine And One… We cut to a pre-taped video next, showing ‘The Great One’ The Rock… who looked ready for his WrestleMania 18 match with The Undertaker…!! The Rock: “Yu know, The Rock says… That at WrestleMania… ‘The Great One’… Goes ONE… on ONE… with a man who is on the greatest streak in wrestling history… Credit where credit’s due… Undertaker is 9 and 0 on the Grandest Stage of them ALL…!! He even beat King Kong Bundy… not to mention Giant Gonzalez…!! ‘Taker needs to realise… The Rock isn’t worried about no ‘Streak’… Undertaker should be worried… about ‘The Icon’… THE ROCK…!!” At WrestleMania 18… It’ll be ICON versus STREAK…!! Can Undertaker go 10 and 0…?! Or will The Rock inflict Undertaker’s first defeat upon him…?! w/ Crash Holly w/ Molly [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista People in the WWF should start taking notice of Batista now. This was his sixth victory in a row since debuting at the Royal Rumble, and he’s looked unstoppable in all six. Crash is a great performer, but he couldn’t do anything about ‘The Animal’ here. 41 Winner: ‘The Animal’ Batista Finish: 'Batista Bomb' Terri’s Boy…? After the match, Batista had his hand raised… but as he left the ring, Terri lead her ‘Boys’ Albert and Perry Saturn out to the ring… The group passed Batista on the ramp… and Terri liked what she saw… Big Albert outstretched a hand to ‘The Animal’, but the newcomer ignored it and carried on walking… Terri, Albert and Saturn weren’t happy with the disrespect shown… but instead of going after Batista, they turned their attention to Crash and Molly Holly in the ring… Terri slapped Molly as soon as they climbed through the ropes, and knocked her over… while Albert and Saturn beat up Crash…!! But the fan favourite soon got some help… Val Venis and Hardcore Holly sprinted to the ring, and saw off their rivals: ‘Terri’s Boys’… Terri shouted that they were ‘DONE’ with Val and the Holly Family… but it didn’t look like it tonight when they attacked Crash…!! ‘The Game’ Triple H [vs] Big Boss Man Not the most amazing Main Event here for Smackdown, but Triple H more than did his part. Boss Man’s best years are very much behind him, but given his experience, and size, he still made you think he’d win this one, particularly towards the end when he was fully in control. ‘The Game’ has the ability to beat anyone once he gets rolling though, and he used his knees to fight back into it. In the end, the ‘Pedigree’ did for Boss Man. 78 Winner: ‘The Game’ Triple H Finish: 'Pedigree' The End… To close the show, Bradshaw and Faarooq of the APA headed to the ring… for a special challenge that Faarooq seemed to know nothing about… Bradshaw: “On RAW… EDGE… Lost again, to Chris Jericho… When is someone else gonna get an Intercontinental Title shot…?! When will Chris Benoit be punished, for interfering… It’s these kind of injustices, that I cannot just stand aside and accept… It’s time for a NEW challenger for Jericho… And I… am putting my name in the hat…” Faarooq couldn’t believe what he was hearing… He said he thought that he and Bradshaw were there to challenge Perfect and Sexay for the WWF World Tag Team Titles… Faarooq: “They’re there for the TAKING… A match with Jericho is… a risk?! Besides, where does that leave… The APA…?! And us, man…?!” Bradshaw: “Us…?! Ron… There is no ‘Us’… Get that through your THICK skull, before I end up dragging you along with me for the next few weeks, just like I did the last few…. I want a singles Title… and I don’t want, or NEED, you…!!” Bradshaw laid his microphone down, and left the ring… Faarooq could be heard saying that he ‘doesn’t accept that’, but in truth, there was nothing he could do to change his tag partner’s mind… Are The APA over…?! Was that, The End…?! Quick Results: Rey Mysterio & Jushin Liger [def.] Perfect & Sexay Tajiri [def.] Spike Dudley Haku & Umaga [def.] Rapid Fire D’Lo Brown [def.] Chris Benoit Batista [def.] Crash Holly Triple H [def.] Big Boss Man Show Rating: 78

Cheers boys. I don't know why I reacted like that. I was having a very bad day I think Over it now and, they didn't DM me...

Thanks for the one star rating. Next time, if you don't like it, just don't read it. DM me if you'd like a conversation.

> Rey Mysterio & Jushin Thunder Liger [vs] Mr. Perfect & Mr. Sexay Spike Dudley [vs] ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ Tajiri Haku & Umaga w/ Rikishi [vs] Rapid Fire (K-Kwik & Billy Gunn) ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown [vs] ‘The Crippler’ Chris Benoit Crash Holly w/ Molly [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista ‘The Game’ Triple H [vs] Big Boss Man

FEBRUARY 2002, WEEK 4… In The Booth: Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Tazz Finally… After a month or so without seeing him at all… ‘The Great One’ The Rock returned at No Way Out last night… and helped Triple H defeat Vince McMahon and The Undertaker…!! Tonight… He arrived to open the show…!! The Rock: “FINALLY… The Rock… HAS, COME, BACK… To Mondayyy… Night… RAW… Now, the Four Man Power Drips tried to end The Great One’s career… They tried… oohhhh how they tried… But they FAILED…!! Tonight… The Rock is here… not to talk… but to FIGHT…!! So send out ‘The American Naughty Bottom’, The Undertaker… send out ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin… The Chairman Vince… The son of a b***h Shane… Send them all…” A car crash entrance music hit, and the WWF Commissioner Mick Foley headed to the ring…!! Mick Foley: “Mr. The Rock… I can’t give you a member of the Four Man Power Dri… TRIP… Trip, okay…?! I said Trip…!! Not tonight… but at WrestleMania 18… While Austin is busy defending his World Heavyweight Title… The Undertaker is available… SO THE MICK SAYS THIS…!!” The Rock: “Nalalala…!! NO… NO… DON’T…!! Are you thinking… what The Rock is thinking…?!” Mick Foley: “I think I a…” The Rock: “IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK…!! Yu see… The Rock is GOING to fight The Undertaker at WrestleMania… Whether you like it… or not…” Rock was mid-flow, he still had more to say… but the Hardcore Champion The Undertaker headed to the ring…!! He stayed on the apron though… The Undertaker: “MICK…!! Fighting ME at WrestleMania should not be something you just… GIVE to someone…!! I don’t know if you know this… It’s not been made into a big deal… but it should… I am UNDEFEATED on the Grandest Stage… 9 and 0… and I’m goin’ for 10…!! So I think people should have to EARN the right to face me at WrestleMania 18…!! Not just get the match because they’re your best friend…!!” Mick thought about it for a moment, and then slowly turned to The Rock with a grin beginning to appear on his face… The Rock: “You’re not The Rock’s best friend…” Mick Foley: “Well you’re mine… Alright, listen… Here’s what we’re going to do… I like the undefeated at ‘Mania Streak thing ‘Taker… You could be on to something big there… So I AM going to make The Rock earn his match with you… If The Rock wins his return match tonight… It’s Rock versus Undertaker at WrestleMania 18…!!” The Rock: “And The Rock promises you THIS Undertaker… WHEN I win tonight… Your little ‘Streak’… will be OVER… IF YA SAAAAMMMELLLLLLLL… What The ROCK…” Mick Foley: “And SOCK…” Rock paused… He glanced at Foley and told him to be quiet… The Rock: “IS COOKIN’…!!” w/ Steven Richards [vs] ‘The Bad Guy’ Razor Ramon w/ Bill DeMott Domination from Ramon here against poor Steven Richards. He had a comeback late on, and had Razor rocked and on the ropes, but a Bill DeMott distraction lead to a probably unnecessary low blow behind the referee’s back, and a ‘Razor’s Edge’. 76 Winner: ‘The Bad Guy’ Razor Ramon w/ Bill DeMott Finish: 'Razor’s Edge' New Kid, Man… After the match was over Ramon and DeMott decided to send a message to the rest of the locker room… and began putting the boots to Richards… The beatdown didn’t last long though, because some of the lights went down, leaving a darkened arena… Everyone’s eyes were on the stage, including Ramon and DeMott… then the name came up on the screen…!! The latest man making ‘the jump’, KIDMAN…!! Kidman ran Ramon and DeMott off… and received a HUGE ovation from the fans…!! What a signing this is for the World Wrestling Federation…!! In His Blood… We cut backstage, to The Rock walking through a corridor… He was stopped in his tracks, and initially looked ready for a fight… before the camera panned to reveal who was there with him… Rikishi, Haku and Umaga… Rocky smiled at his Family members (Rikishi and Umaga), and old Family Friend (Haku)… but his smile went when Rikishi asked when The Rock would finally join The Bloodline…!! The Rock: “Junior… Let The Rock tell you a story… November 17th… 1996… Rocky Maivia debuts in the WWF, and embraces his heritage… Thennn… It all changed, for The Rock… See… an old friend says ‘DTA’… ‘Don’t Trust Anyone’… and while The Rock does trust all three of you… My ‘DNA’… Is that The Rock ‘Doesn’t Need Anyone’… It’s nothin’ personal boys… you know that… What you’re doing is great…!!” Rock carried on walking… He had a match to get ready for… w/ w/ Val Venis, Hardcore & Crash Holly w/ Molly [vs] Tajiri, Albert & Saturn w/ Terri Val, Hardcore and Crash gelled so well tonight. They flowed like a trio who had teamed up multiple times, and were against a tag team in Albert and Perry Saturn, and then a rising star in Tajiri, but a trio that lacked that continuity. However, despite their timing being spot on, they still succumbed to the power of Terri’s Boys, and ultimately Crash was pinned following a ‘Buzzsaw Kick’ from the undefeated Tajiri! 68 Winners: Tajiri, Albert & Saturn w/ Terri Finish: 'Buzzsaw Kick' Compounding Problems… We saw some replays next, of Kane versus Matt Hardy from No Way Out last night… most notably Kane hitting a TOMBSTONE on Lita on the outside of the ring…!! Matt Hardy and the entire Hardy Family have so far been unavailable for comment on the situation… Lita’s health status is a mystery, as is Matt’s state of mind… although that can be said for Matt’s state of mind at the best of times… These are potentially the worst of times, but we’ll know a little more come Smackdown, when we hear from Matt’s brother Jeff…!! The WWF Light Heavyweight Champion comes to us LIVE from the Compound…!! Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge… Next up in the ring was supposed to be D’Lo Brown versus Bradshaw… FINALLY… However… While D’Lo waited in the ring, Bradshaw arrived on the stage in his suit… AGAIN…!! Bradshaw: “D’Lo… man… I’m so sorreeyyy… See, I’m over my elbow pad issue… I’m in good health… but uh… Listen, William Regal and Dean Malenko OWE me… They owe US… twice what they owed us before… and they’re gonna start paying us back… Tonight…!!” Regal and Malenko reluctantly came out behind Bradshaw… and he sent the former to the ring… w/ ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown [vs] William Regal w/ Dean Malenko Very strong match here, and a very good performance from both men. D’Lo clearly wasn’t prepared for this kind of match, and he wants to fight Bradshaw, badly. But tonight wasn’t a fight, it was a wrestling exhibition from Regal. He stretched D’Lo to the point of snapping or tapping. However, D’Lo seemed to ‘want’ it more, and he ended up fighting back, and hitting the ‘Lo-Down’ from the top rope! 64 Winner: ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown Finish: 'Lo-Down' Respect is REAL… We saw a video next, post-No Way Out, of the cameras catching up with Jerry Lynn who was leaving the building following his match with Marty Jannetty on the Heat Pre-Show, and his subsequent comments on how much he respects Jannetty… The camera man asked if Lynn’s comments were real… Jerry Lynn: “Yeah they were real… Marty Jannetty earned my respect tonight… I don’t think I’ll ever like him… But I do respect him…” Better Friends or Bitter Enemies…?? Once again, The Rock was walking backstage… on the way to get ready for his match tonight… This time, when he stopped in his tracks, he saw ‘The Game’ Triple H… who was leaning up against the wall with his arms folded… Rock and Triple H shared a look… It was the kind of look that said “Thanks for your help last night, but I don’t trust you”… and “I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you either… but we have a mutual enemy…”!! Spike Dudley [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista Spike Dudley put up a fight here, but it’s so hard to fight an immovable object like Batista! ‘The Animal’ will only go where he wants to, and he can’t be moved around against his will. He ended it mercifully with a ‘Batista Bomb’ after around 4 minutes. 38 Winner: ‘The Animal’ Batista Finish: 'Batista Bomb' In The Men’s Again… We cut backstage, to what was clearly the Men’s Locker Room… where once again, Trish Stratus appeared out of nowhere to greet Edge…!! She smiled at him, and he was a little confused as to why she was there… then she wished him luck in his Intercontinental Title rematch against Jericho in tonights Main Event…!! Rey Of Thunder… Next up, we learnt of an upcoming match set for Smackdown… as Rey Mysterio and Jushin Thunder Liger are going to team up!! Their opponents will be the recently crowned WWF Tag Team Champions, in what should be an exciting and fast-paced outing…!! ‘The Great One’ The Rock [vs] Test The Rock and Test showed excellent chemistry out there tonight, with Rocky getting all his signature moves in, and having the crowd eat out the palm of his hand. Test fought hard though, and delivered some stiff offence to ‘The Great One’. However, with the full backing of an extremely vocal crowd, Rocky turned the tables on Test, and dropped him with the ‘Rock Bottom’. Rock’s victory means he’ll be heading to WrestleMania 18 to fight The Undertaker!! 75 Winner: ‘The Great One’ The Rock Finish: 'Rock Bottom' Show Over…?? We received news next, of the extent of the injury suffered by Big Show at the hands of Kurt Angle at No Way Out… Angle jumped the giant after his WWF World Heavyweight Title Main Event, and he’s going to be out for a while after suffering a fractured ankle and ligament damage…!! As for Angle, he’s been temporarily suspended from the WWF for his actions… and there is potential for a large fine to be coming his way soon… No Holds Barred, No Way Out Re-Match for the Intercontinental Title: Edge [vs] ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho © Edge and Jericho with another incredible outing here. The two Canadians just gel so well in the ring, and they also have some noticeable hatred at the root of their rivalry. Edge should have walked out of this match as Intercontinental Champion. The No Holds Barred ruling was their to stop Jericho cheating, or escaping with a count out victory to retain his Belt. If he was going to win tonight, he was going to have to pin or submit Edge. However, the ruling favoured ‘Y2J’ in the end, because right when the match looked lost, his buddy Chris Benoit headed to the ring. ‘The Crippler’ wasted little time in taking Edge down at the knees, and began the ground and pound. Edge fought him off, and they brawled a little, before the former member of E and C was able to hit a ‘Spear’ on the interfering star. However, as the fan favourite turned around to celebrate, Jericho was there to scoop him up and onto his back. ‘The Egomaniac’ rolled Edge onto his front, and locked in the ‘Walls Of Jericho’!! There were no rope breaks here, so Edge knew he had to counter the hold, or tap out. The pain looked excruciating. And Edge had to tap out! 96 Winner: and STILL Intercontinental Champion… ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho Finish: 'Walls Of Jericho' Latino Heat versus Stone Cold… At WrestleMania 18 in a few short weeks, we know the Main Event will be WWF World Heavyweight Champion ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin… putting his Gold up again, against the winner of the 2002 Royal Rumble Match: ‘Latino Heat’ Eddie Guerrero…!! Austin’s held the Title for over 300 days now, and if he makes it through WrestleMania with his Belt in tact, he’ll be close to 336 days (which is a year in TEW terms)… In fact, he only has to go one week post-Mania to make it to a year… On Smackdown this week, Austin and Guerrero will have a face to face meeting, LIVE, in the ring… It’ll be the first time the two have shared the same ring since Eddie won the Rumble… but what twists and turns will be on the Road to WrestleMania…?! Quick Results: Razor Ramon [def.] Steven Richards Tajiri, Albert & Saturn [def.] Val Venis, Hardcore & Crash Holly D’Lo Brown [def.] Bradshaw Batista [def.] Spike Dudley The Rock [def.] Test Chris Jericho [def.] Edge to RETAIN the WWF Intercontinental Title Show Rating: 87

Totally forgot, Prediction Prizes will be in the Inbox of Deafstroke, DHK1989 and smw88 for their 8/13 three way tie!

> Steven Richards [vs] ‘The Bad Guy’ Razor Ramon Val Venis, Hardcore & Crash Holly w/ Molly [vs] Tajiri, Albert & Saturn w/ Terri ‘The Real Deal’ D’Lo Brown [vs] Bradshaw w/ Faarooq Spike Dudley [vs] ‘The Animal’ Batista ‘The Great One’ The Rock [vs] ???? No Holds Barred, No Way Out Re-Match for the Intercontinental Title: Edge [vs] ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho ©

FINE! I just wrote another Crash Holly shower scene! It's for RAW April, Week 4... which is two months away... so bare with me

WWF Heavyweight Title: Held By: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (5) Days as Champion: 300 Defences: 11 Prestige: 94 (down one) Previous Champions – since May 2001 None (won from The Rock, April 1st, 2001) WWF Intercontinental Title: Held By: Chris Jericho (4) Days as Champion: 112 Defences: 2 Prestige: 71 (up one) Previous Champions – since May 2001 Test – [Week 3, September, 2001 – Week 3, October, 2001] Triple H – [April 2001 – Week 3, September, 2001] WWF Tag Team Titles: Held By: Perfect & Sexay Days as Champion: 26 Defences: 0 Prestige: 70 (no change) Previous Champions – since May 2001 Edge and Christian (8) – [Week 3, November, 2001 – Week 4, January, 2002] Titles VACANT Triple H & Steve Austin – [Week 4, April, 2001 – Week 2, October, 2001] WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Held By: Jeff Hardy Days as Champion: 28 Defences: 1 Prestige: 43 (up one) Previous Champions – since May 2001 Marty Jannetty – [Week 3, May, 2001 – Week 3, January, 2002] Jerry Lynn – [Week 4, April, 2001 – Week 3, May, 2001] WWF Hardcore Title: Held By: The Undertaker Days as Champion: 48 Defences: 1 Prestige: 43 (no change) Previous Champions – since May 2001 Hardcore Holly (7) – [Week 3, August, 2001 – Week 1, January, 2002] Rhyno – [Week 3, April, 2001 – Week 3, August, 2001] WWF King Of The Ring: Won in June 2001 By: Kurt Angle (2) Prestige: 100 Previous Winners 2000 Kurt Angle 1999 Billy Gunn 1998 Ken Shamrock 1997 Triple H 1996 Steve Austin

You would

Thank you mate! I think that's how I see my booking style. You build up two (or more) wrestlers, and make them look great over a number of weeks and months, and then they have their match at the end of a feud, and you think they can both win! Game Of Thrones was a good example of this. You wanted to see the good 'fighters' fight each other, and you weren't sure who would win. Certain characters were killed before they got their big fight. Others died in other ways. In my head, I should build up as many characters as possible, to where you think they'll all win every time they have a match - with the exception of the odd few 'jobbers'. But even those guys should get a surprise win every now and then - like the Brooklyn Brawler did. Then I can push a guy like Albert for example. Give him a bunch of wins in a row, then he can lose a few in a row, but you'll all think he's still on the win streak. If that makes sense?! So anyway, yeah, thanks!

I'm so glad you spotted that line

Haku appears as a babyface and a heel there... Not for the first time... I made this graphic after I wrote No Way Out, which was a while ago I can't use the updated graphic to replace it, because it contains spoilers, and I can't be bothered to change it :D

FEBRUARY 2002, WEEK 3… In The Booth: Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Tazz Heat Pre-Show Before No Way Out kicked off, we saw some highlights from Sunday Night Heat, where there were two featured matches… Albert and Perry Saturn w/ Terri defeated Hardcore Holly and Val Venis w/ Crash and Molly Holly (68) Marty Jannetty defeated Jerry Lynn (64) Liger’s entrance here, followed by the arrival of Jeff Hardy and the Hardy Family, made this feel like a huge match. Once it was over, the announce team agreed that it was, and nobody could argue with them. Jeff was so quick with both delivering and avoiding offence, while Liger’s high impact, and highly effective power offence was something the Light Heavyweight Division hadn’t seen before. Liger also used some of his technical prowess in this one, and managed to lock Jeff in a ‘Figure Four Leg Lock’ in the middle of the ring. However, a referee distraction from both Lita and Nidia allowed Shelton Benjamin to slide into the ring and almost kick Liger’s mask off his head! Jeff hit a ‘Twist Of Fate’ moments later, and then the ‘Swanton Bomb’ brought all of Jeff’s weight onto Liger’s mid-section, a move that nobody kicks out of! 75 Winner: and STILL WWF Light Heavyweight Champion… Jeff Hardy Finish: 'Swanton Bomb' Uni-Sex… In what he must have thought was the Men’s Locker Room, Edge was strapping up his knees, getting ready for his upcoming Intercontinental Title shot… When in walked the now brown-haired Trish Stratus… Edge was extremely surprised to see her in that room, and he looked around trying to find someone else to be surprised with… He stood up, and towered over Trish… Trish Stratus: “Edge… Hey… Listen, I know your Brother Christian isn’t around right now… But if you wanna have some… ‘company’… around here for the next while… I am MORE than happy to be that company…” Edge was a little taken aback… He didn’t know what to say, but before he could reply, Trish brushed her hand on his chest, and turned tail… Edge was speechless, until Crash Holly came out of the shower in just his towel… He asked if Crash had seen what had just happened, which he hadn’t…!! The WWF World Tag Team Champions have been on a rollercoaster in 2002. They began their Title reign a month ago now, and in the weeks before and after, they’ve had big victories and suffered big losses. Tonight was a loss, but both Mr. Perfect and Mr. Sexay will feel like they showed what they have to offer as Champions, with an excellent performance. The problem they came across was how small and ‘slippery’ Mysterio was, and how much momentum is behind Eddie. Once Guerrero was tagged in, the crowd went crazy, and stayed loud throughout his comeback. He ended it by pinning the experienced Perfect following a ‘Frog Splash’. For Eddie now, it’s off to WrestleMania 18!! 77 Winners: Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio Finish: 'Frog Splash' Mutual Veterans… We cut to the back next, where Coach was stood with his guest: Marty Jannetty… who won a tough match on the Heat Pre-Show against his long-time rival, Jerry Lynn… Jannetty started saying that he could now move on from Lynn, and hoped that Lynn could move on too… But the aforementioned veteran Light Heavyweight walked up… Jerry Lynn: “Listen… Marty… We haven’t always seen eye to eye… but… Look… tonight, you earnt my respect… Thanks for the match, brother…” Jerry stuck a hand out… and Jannetty didn’t know whether to accept the handshake or not… Like the babyface sucker that he is, he accepted the handshake, and the two veterans shared a moment of mutual respect… Lynn then took his leave, which left Jannetty confused… Unsurprising to see Edge and Jericho put on the Match of the Night here, and it didn’t even go to a finish! As Intercontinental Champion, Jericho knew he had the Champions Advantage in this match, and he tried to wrestle as much of the contest as possible on the outside of the ring. He knew that for Edge to break the count, and win the Title, he had to expend extra energy each time, by getting Jericho back into the ring! ‘Y2J’ also managed to squirm out under the bottom rope, to the floor, after taking a late ‘Spear’ from Edge in the middle of the ring! For the finish, Edge attempted a second ‘Spear’, this one outside the ring, and both men collided with the ring steps. Just as Edge was going to break the ten count at eight, Jericho grabbed his ankle, and gripped on for dear life! The referee’s count made it to nine, and then ten, and Edge didn’t have the strength to shake him free! 91 Winner: DRAW… therefore STILL WWF Intercontinental Champion… ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho Finish: 'Double Count-Out' RAW Matches… Next up, we learned of two matches set for tomorrow night on RAW… Steven Richards’ challenge to Bill DeMott and Razor Ramon has been answered by ‘The Bad Guy’, and it’ll be Richards versus Ramon in 24 hours… Also on RAW, Spike Dudley’s comments on Smackdown last week about Batista have not gone down well with ‘The Animal’, and they’ll be fighting 1 on 1 as well…!! Marred in controversy and unsettling scenes, this one was on its way to being a great match between two of the WWF’s weirdest rising stars. Kane’s size and strength advantage is frankly scary for most people to deal with, but Matt Hardy doesn’t seem to fear anyone. That might be down to the fact that his ‘Family’ is always right behind him. His Brother Jeff, his girlfriend Lita, Jeff’s new love Nidia, and their butler ‘Senior’ Shelton Benjamin! That back-up wasn’t needed here, as Matt made sure he stayed out of Kane’s grasp at every opportunity. For the finish, everyone previously mentioned was keeping their distance as Kane and Matt slugged it out outside the ring. Jeff decided to distract the referee, and Lita saw her opportunity to jump on Kane’s back and lock in a Sleeper! Kane grabbed her, flipped her forward, and then dropped her with a ‘Tombstone’ Piledriver! Lita was laid out, and the referee came out to see if she was okay. He frantically called for help, as doctors came running out to the ring. He also declared Matt Hardy the winner due to ‘Referee Stoppage’, and told Kane to leave the area. Matt was crying his eyes out over Lita’s fallen body, Jeff and Nidia held each other tight. Shelton didn’t know what to do with himself, but he looked like he wanted to kill Kane!! 73 Winner: ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy Finish: Referee Stoppage Regal and Malenko knew that if they could win this match, their debt to the APA would be wiped. They used Faarooq and Bradshaw for ‘protection’ earlier in the year, and apparently owe them some money for it. The two technicians also knew that a loss would result in their debt being DOUBLED, so they knew they had to win at all costs. Faarooq was dominant for a large portion, making quick tags with Bradshaw in order to keep Malenko in the ring, but it was the big veteran who did most of the heavy lifting. Spinebusters, Pump Handle Slams, and other power moves kept Dean away from tagging Regal in, but he eventually made some space and got the tag. For the finish, Regal locked Faarooq in the ’Regal Stretch’, but he didn’t see that Bradshaw had gotten the blind tag. The big Texan came running across and kicked Malenko in the mouth, knocking him off the apron. Bradshaw waited until Regal had figured out that Faarooq wasn’t legal (he tapped out, and the referee waved it off). What Regal didn’t realise was that Bradshaw was lying in wait, and as soon as the British former European Champion turned around, he hit the ropes, and came back off to blast Regal with the ‘Clothesline From Hell’. 78 Winners: The APA (Faarooq & Bradshaw) Finish: 'Clothesline From Hell' Define Debt Doubled…? The APA’s victory, means that William Regal and Dean Malenko now owe Faarooq and Bradshaw DOUBLE what they owed them before… But the news we got at the end of this match, was that on RAW, we’re going to finally see D’Lo Brown battle Bradshaw 1 on 1…!! Bradshaw ducked D’Lo in a previously scheduled 1 on 1 match, claiming his elbow pads were being dry-cleaned ahead of his No Way Out match… D’Lo has been questioning Bradshaw’s change of attitude for weeks now… calling him untrustworthy, and trying to get Faarooq to see him for what he is… Now D’Lo has the chance to beat Bradshaw up… But the announce team asked whether Regal and Malenko would just pay their now doubled debt… or if it’d mean they owe the APA something more than money… Triple H was arrested on Smackdown, and spent the night in jail. The Undertaker was taken out in the parking lot on Monday Night RAW, and looked for all the world like he wouldn’t make this match. In fact, neither of them looked certain to be here, but they both made it – and the match was on. The announce team confirmed that the ONLY way to win, was by pinfall or submission, given that it was a 2 on 1 handicap match. It began with Vince McMahon directing traffic, while Undertaker did most of the dirty work against Triple H. Every time ‘The Game’ got back into it, Vince would pile on and double team him. Apart from a few kicks and punches early on, Triple H barely registered any offence. Vince made a huge mistake at one point though. He ordered ‘Taker to leave the cage, and go and grab some hardware. He shouted that he wanted a sledgehammer, and wanted to destroy ‘The Game’. As ‘The American Badass’ started looking under the ring, Triple H caught one of Vince’s heavy right hands, and began twisting his Father-In-Law’s arm around!! Undertaker realised what was happening, and began to head back towards the cage door. As he made it level with the door, ‘The Game’ kicked it open, hard, and it smacked off Undertaker’s head, sending the big man backwards and into the guard rail. Triple H went out there like a shot, and was on Undertaker, pounding him with rights and lefts. He suddenly stopped punching him though, when he realised ‘Taker had indeed found the sledgehammer. He waited for ‘Taker to get up, and then delivered a gut shot with the hammer, which doubled the near 7 footer over in pure agony. Triple H then shot a glance to Vince McMahon inside the ring, who looked like he’d seen a ghost. ‘The Game’ climbed into the ring, before dropping the hammer outside it, and then slamming the door behind him! Hunter and Vince brawled 1 on 1, with Trips coming out on top, until ‘Here Comes The Money’ hit, and ‘The Prodigal Son’ Shane McMahon headed onto the stage! Shane was supposed to be injured, and therefore unable to compete in this match, but he seemed absolutely fine! He strolled to the ring with a strange strut, much like his Father’s. His arms swaying, and a big grin on his face. Vince had gained the upper hand in the ring too, capitalising on his distracted Son-In-Law. However, when Shane made it to the door, he grabbed the handle, and then all of the lights went out in the arena!! When they came back on… ‘THE GREAT ONE’ THE ROCK was standing behind Vince McMahon, waiting to hit a ‘Rock Bottom’!! Shane pointed at him hysterically as he struggled with the door, and Vince turned around and got planted with Rocky’s finisher!! Rock then brought Shane into the ring the ‘hard way’, and hit HIM with a ‘Rock Bottom’ too. ‘The Great One’ nodded towards Triple H, and then went out after The Undertaker!! ‘The Game’ came to his senses, and hit a ‘Pedigree’ on Vince McMahon! He grabbed Shane’s lifeless body, and stacked it on top of Vince to make a brilliant pin fall! 80 Winner: ‘The Game’ Triple H Finish: 'Pedigree' Triple Rock… After the match, Triple H and The Rock shared a look… The two have had an up and down relationship in recent years, but more recently have gotten along extremely well, fighting mutual enemies… Rock couldn’t leave without getting in one last ‘Rock Bottom’ on The Undertaker… before shouting that he’s a ‘Samoan Badass’… and he’s BACK…!! Three of the biggest stars in the company did battle here, with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s WWF World Heavyweight Title on the line. Austin was keen to let Rikishi and Big Show fight 1 on 1, so he could pick up the scraps, but it didn’t go down like that. Every time the two big men fought each other, one would go down, and the other would go after ‘Stone Cold’. Austin took a beating 1 on 1 against both ‘Kishi and Show, and the crowd loved it. However, he was able to gain a bit of an advantage with a low blow to Rikishi around 6 minutes in. The big Samoan was left lying in the ring, and Austin put the boots to him. Every time Big Show got up onto the apron, ‘Stone Cold’ had a way to knock him off and to the floor. The WWF World Heavyweight Champion called for help a couple of times, but no members of the Four Man Power Trip came out. He needed them late on, because Big Show had his brutal grip around Austin’s throat, but they still didn’t help – presumably due to being taken out in the previous Cage Match. Luckily for ‘Stone Cold’, Rikishi managed to Super Kick Show in the throat, and send him backwards towards the ropes. The powerful Samoan ran at Show as he staggered, but Show side-stepped him and sent him through the ropes and crashing to the floor. Austin then saw his chance, kicked Show in the gut, and dropped him with a ‘Stone Cold Stunner’ to retain! 86 Winner: and STILL WWF World Heavyweight Champion… ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Finish: 'Stone Cold Stunner' Show’s Over… Big Show laid out flat on the canvas, right in the centre of the ring… but he wasn’t down for long… He managed to drag himself to his feet, just in time for Kurt Angle to show up behind him, and CHOP BLOCK his knee… Rikishi had already left… ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin saw what was happening and did nothing about it… Big Show writhed in pain, as Angle shouted that it should have been him (in the Main Event tonight)… Angle dropped down, and locked Show in his Ankle Lock, screaming for him to tap… Show refused, so Angle wrenched harder and harder… He slid out of the ring, grabbed a steel chair and started wailing on Show’s legs…!! Then he went out of the ring again… this time for the ring steps… As he got back in, Show started fighting back… But Angle was relentless… He stomped all over Show’s ankle, and then began locking it up in the steel chair… He struggled to pick up the ring steps, and then just dropped them straight on the chair… Big Show screamed in agony… as referees and officials started running to the ring t break it up... They were too late to stop the attack, and Show was done… Angle was escorted away, but he kept shouting back that he deserved a Title shot…!! Quick Results: Jeff Hardy [def.] Jushin Thunder Liger to retain the WWF Light Heavyweight Title… Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio [def.] Perfect & Sexay Chris Jericho and Edge went to a Double Count-Out Matt Hardy [def.] Kane The APA [def.] Regal & Malenko Triple H [def.] Vince McMahon & The Undertaker Steve Austin [def.] Rikishi and Big Show to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Title… On the Heat Pre-Show, Albert & Perry Saturn [def.] Hardcore Holly & Van Venis… Marty Jannetty [def.] Jerry Lynn Bonus Questions: 1). Which Match will be the Match Of The Night...? EDGE vs JERICHO for the INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE 2). What will the Overall Rating of the Show be...? 85 (within 5 gets a point, spot on gets 2 points) 3). How many Championships will change hands (out of a possible 3)...? NONE

Brilliant return!! The plot(s) thicken...!!

I love this diary! :D Welcome back my friend. I'll be reading the show shortly!!