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Ring Crew Reviews: WWE Survivor Series 2001

November 11, 2011 | Posted by Jack Bramma
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Ring Crew Reviews: WWE Survivor Series 2001  

Scheduled Card:
1. WWF European Championship: Al Snow vs. Christian (c).
2. William Regal vs. Tajiri.
3. Championship Unification: Test vs. Edge.
4. Tag Team Championship Unification Cage Match: The Hardyz vs. The Dudleyz.
5. Immunity Battle Royal.
6. Six Pack Challenge for the WWF Women’s Championship: Trish Stratus vs. Jacqueline vs. Lita vs. Ivory vs. Mighty Molly Holly vs. Jazz.
7. Winner Takes All Survivor Series Match: Shane McMahon, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Stone Cold vs. Big Show, Kane, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, and Rock.

• We get classic clips of the old WWF but the knock off version of The Door’s “The End” is played over it because the Alliance is looking to end all that.

WWF European Championship: Al Snow vs. Christian (c). AT LAST, AT LAST, CHRISTIAN’S ON HIS OWN! Or so the music says. He gets the stick and greets all his fans in South Carolina (the PPV is in Greensboro, North Carolina). Snow’s music (or more aptly the Tough Enough music) interrupts and he comes out. You see he was in the middle of one of those charitable pushes to the TE coaches that Bill Demott and others of the ilk would get after the show. Snow gets an early takedown and a shoulderblock for a 1 count. Snow with a school boy for 1 and Christian begs off. Christian comes back with a shotgun chop but Snow ducks under with a beautiful pumphandle back suplex. Christian pulls him into the turnbuckle as the crowd chants that they want Edge. Christian sends Snow across and hits a Russian legsweep for 2. JR and Paul E continue talking about how either the WWF or the Alliance will end tonight. Snow elbows out of a chinlock and wants the headbutts but Christian counters to a reverse Tiger suplex for 2. They trade right hands but Christian chokes in the corner. Snow avoids a whip and hits the jabs and finally gets the headbutts. He sends Christian into the turnbuckle and gets a clothesline. Christian wants the falling reverse DDT but Snow gets a superkick for 2. Al gets a Low Down bomb for 2 and the crowd is pretty damn loud for that false finish. Christian hits the falling reverse DDT (called an Unprettier by JR) and rather than cover he talks smack. Snow with a small package for 2. Snow baseball slides through and trips up Christian and hits a crossbody off the top but Christian rolls through for the 1, 2,–only 2. Nice false finishes. Snow goes for the SnowPlow and HITS IT! Snow covers but Christian gets his foot on the ropes. Christian takes a breather and Snow gives chase only to walk into the Unprettier (also called an Unprettier by JR) for the 3 at 7:31. Average encounter elevated by some nice false finishes. **3/4

• Meanwhile, Stone Cold and Debra arrive and run into RVD, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Shane and Stephanie. Everyone badgers him and wants to know where he lies and why the hell he’s smiling. Shane: “You’re supposed to be the leader of the Alliance and YOU’RE SMILING?! C’MON MAN, THAT’S SUSPECT!” Angle, RVD, and Booker try to elect themselves as leader of the Alliance, but Stone Cold aint having it.

• Next, Vince and Linda meet up. Linda is nervous about the stakes tonight and fears someone could get hurt. Vince says there’s an age old saying that applies here, “Shit happens.” Michael Cole interrupts and shoves a mike in Vince’s face. Vince rambles on about being a businessman and taking risks. But William Regal is here and he says he’s not buying Vince’s hogwash that Stone Cold is turning on the Alliance. Regal says he knows Austin is loyal to them and that he’ll do to Tajiri what Austin is going to do to the fed. Vince says “Shit happens” again.

William Regal vs. Tajiri. The set up for this was Regal attacking “Tajiri’s girlfriend,” Torrie Wilson in a mixed tag match. Tajiri is cruiserweight champ but that belt isn’t on the line. To further to complicate matters, JR now refers to Tajiri as the protege and Regal as the mentor. Paul says that’s bullshit and HE was the one who mentored Tajiri to bring him to the US. Tajiri with some kicks to start and busts Regal’s nose hardway. Regal gets the Finlay roll and a few knees. Tajiri with more kicks and a dropkick to Regal’s knee. Regal comes back with forearms. It looks like they go for the Tarantula and horribly botch it so instead they go to the other side of the ring so Tajiri can lock it in. Tajiri with a handspring back elbow for 2. Regal shitcans him and Tajiri gets caught in a hangman spot but the ref helps him get loose. Regal poses to big boos and then wants a butterfly suplex but Tajiri counters and gets an enzuigiri. Heyman: “JR, your disparaging remarks will not go unnoticed, I assure you.” JR: “Paul, I don’t care what you notice and what you don’t notice, quite frankly. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT?!” Regal ducks another enzuigiri and gets a butterfly powerbomb for the 3 (what?) to win it at 2:59. What was the point of that? No way they took it home for Regal’s nose. He’s gotten hit harder than that by fine ladies of Blackpool in a pub on the weekends. *

• Post-match, Regal attacks him again and that brings out Torrie Wilson to check on him. Regal then gives him a butterfly bomb to big heel heat.

Championship Unification: Test vs. Edge. Alright, let’s set the record straight. You see Edge, the IC champ, was going against RVD the hardcore champ for the hardcore belt. Test interfered and cost Edge the hardcore title. Meanwhile, Test would go on to win the IC belt through nefarious means while Edge would beat Kurt Angle for the US strap, so in turn we’re getting a unification bout for the US and IC belts. And you think the belts situation is bad now.

• Test is in the back getting oiled up when Stacy Kiebler emerges. Test says after he unites the secondary titles tonight, does she want to “unite” later? She plays coy and then grabs his ass. This sucked.

• Meanwhile, Edge is with Coach. Coach says Edge could be out of the job tonight if he loses. Edge says they have a lot in common such as being tall, having blonde hair and interesting first names, but the major difference is that Test has been dumped by every woman on the planet.

• Lock up takes them into the corner and surprisingly Test gives a clean break. They do it again and Test shoves and Edge takes that personal. Edge with some rights and a crossbody for 1. Test comes back with rights in the corner rather than give a clean break. Test slides out of a suplex and takes down Edge with a clothesline. Heyman: “You know what? When you’re sitting with all your cousins tomorrow night in Oklahoma watching me on RAW, saying, ‘I use to sit next to that guy. He’s a big star now, while I’m unemployed.’” JR: “You’re going to wish you hadn’t talked about my homestate like that.” Heyman: “And why is that?” JR: “A week from tomorrow night, we’ll be in Oklahoma City.” Heyman: “Aint no WE about it. If you come around, I might let you in the back.” JR: “You’re not going to LET me do anything.” Heyman: “Won’t this be the third time you’ve been fired around here?” These two might kill each other before the PPV is over. Test chokes and Edge takes a breather. Test follows and hangs him out to dry a few times on the ropes. Heyman talks about how the US title could be killed in the same city where it was created in a tournament for the Mid Atlantic. Back in, Test runs into a hip toss and a dropkick and now Test takes a breather but Edge hits a baseball slide. Back in, Test eats a neckbreaker but again only a 1 count. Test telegraphs a backdrop and eats a boot but manages to catch Edge with a flapjack and takes him down with a clothesline. Test with elbows in the corner as the crowd tries to out WOO each other to show their disinterest. Test with MOARCHOKING! Test switches between restholds for a minute before the Edge gets together a chant for Edge on their own. Edge boots his way free, avoids a charge in the corner and gets a missile dropkick for 2. Test comes back with a powerslam for 2. Edge gets the boot up in the corner but whiffs on another crossbody. Test goes for a superplex but Edge blocks and instead goes for the MDK bomb. Test blocks that and jumps off for whatever only to eat a dropkick from Edge. They slug it out but Edge gets a couple clotheslines and a spinwheel kick. Test now wants the Meltdown but Edge slides out and hits the Edge-o-matic for 2. Edge runs off the ropes but Test catches him in a NICE Spear. Cover gets 1, 2,–OHNOHEALMOSTGOT’IM! Test goes for the big boot but whiffs. Edge tries a Spear but that doesn’t work. Test recovers to hit the Meltdown but Edge kicks out at 2. Test tries a powerbomb but Edge counters to a rana and a Spear to retain at—cover gets only 2. OK, that one fooled me. Test goes for the BubbaBomb but Edge rolls through and cradles him for the 3 to win it at 11:19. For whatever reason, the Fink and JR both refer to Edge as “the first unified champ.” Looks like we have to stop letting Jericho use that one. Pretty wretched structure with no semblance of heat or rhythm to the first half, but the last few minutes with the constant reversals and again good false finishes brings it up. Even if clueless in spots, they were both motivated too which is something you can’t always say for the midcarders now. ***

• Steph is in the back in her latest S&M get up that Kane wasn’t using at the time. She whines to Kurt and he gives her a pep talk.

Tag Team Championship Unification Cage Match: The Hardyz vs. The Dudleyz. The Hardyz are WCW champs and the Dudleyz are WWF champs. Backstage, Lita is concerned about Matt acting strange lately. He assures Jeff and Lita that he just wants to achieve his dream. The Hardyz leave but then Trish exits out of the same door that Matt just came out of. SOAP OPERA INTRIGUE!~! Rules are pinfall or BOTH members escape over the top.

• Matt avoids a charge from Bubba and hits some rights to start. Matt sends him across and hits a clothesline. Jeff in and the Hardyz do their double team shtick for 2. Jeff gets a head of steam but Bubba catches him in a Bossman Slam for 2. D-Von in but eats a dropkick from Jeff. Matt back in and blocks a hiptoss and gets a back slide for 2. D-Von gets a Paroxysm for 2. D-Von with a back elbow and Bubba back in with a neckbreaker and a few elbow drops. D-Von back in and hits a few right hands. Bubba in and they’ve done jackshit so far. Bubba: “WHO’S THE MAN?!” Matt comes back with a reverse DDT. Jeff in with clotheslines and a flying burrito for 2. The Hardyz hit the Air Hardy a couple of times on both of them. The Hardyz now try to climb out but the Dudleyz climb with them. Matt gets a Russian legsweep off the top rope on D-Von but Bubba hits a BubbaBomb off the top rope on Jeff. Bubba tries to climb out but Matt slams him off for 2. The Dudleyz flapjack Matt into the cage and backdrop Jeff but he lands on the top rope and tries to climb out to a pop. Bubba gets him in the Electric Chair and D-Von clotheslines him down for the Doomsday Device. Heyman fixates on Stacy Kiebler in a short dress: “Look at that shot!” JR: “You’re a lonely man, aren’t you?” The Dudleyz call for the 3D to boos. The Dudleyz hit the neckbreaker/back suplex combo for 2 on Jeff but Matt breaks it up. JR says that Heyman has been rubbing in the Alliance’s victories all night. Heyman: “Like a great masseuse! Haven’t I?” JR: “Hideous thought. I want to go take a shower now.” D-Von now tosses Matt into the cage and then more double teaming into the cage as Bubba clotheslines D-Von into Matt and then follows with a Ho Train into the cage. That was pretty cool. Matt is selling exhaustion and the Dudleyz both go for splashs and sentons but Jeff moves and they both come up dry. Matt off the top with a double clothesline on both. Matt shitcans Bubba into the cage and then hits a neckbreaker on D-Von. Matt with a DDT on Bubba for 2. Jeff with the low blow legdrop on D-Von and both Hardyz with a double backdrop on Bubba. The Hardyz now hit a double team top rope splash/leg drop combo on Bubba but D-Von breaks up the cover at 2. Matt tries to climb out but D-Von grabs him from behind. Matt’s leg gets stuck and he’s in the top of the cage Tree of Woe and that allows the Dudleyz to hit the What’s Up Headdrop. STACY, GET THE TABLE (singular)! Stacy flirts with Nick Patrick by showing her ass and steals the key to the door. She slides the table in and the Dudleyz go for 3D but Matt takes out D-Von and Jeff counters to a DDT. Matt makes a lunge for the top and Bubba tries stopping him but Matt knocks him away and manages to escape. Unfortunately, that leaves Jeff alone and Heyman is all over it: “What a mistake! What a huge mistake! This will backfire on the Hardyz! Matt’s abandoned him!” Jeff gets some offense in and tosses D-Von onto the table and then tries to climb out. He gets to the top but it becomes obvious he’s going for the KAMIKAZE SWANTON! He launches but D-Von moves and Jeff pulverizes the table. Bubba drapes the arm and that’s enough to win it at 15:50. The feeling out sequence was as generic as you can get but once they dispensed with any illusion of RNR formula and just went to the Texas Tornado stuff, it clicked a lot better. Plus, the early escape backfiring for the Hardyz is a great ending. ***1/4

• Mick Foley is in WWF New York. He says he’s running up a tab in NY and billing it to Vinnie Mac. Foley drifts into quasi-shoot and says that as long as the commish has to answer to Vince, the position is a joke.

• Meanwhile back at the building, Scotty 2 Hotty is running stairs. Test asks him if he’s in the Immunity Battle Royale. Scotty says yeah, what’s it to him? Test lays him out to presumably steal his spot.

Immunity Battle Royal: Here’s the deal. The winner of this gets immunity from being fired for a year despite either ECWCW or WWF going belly up after tonight. Sure enough, Test comes out at the tail end of the Alliance entrance. Here’s a rundown of who I see: Raven, Lance Storm, DDP, Montoya, Shawn Stasiak, Kidman, Hurricane. The WWF troops are the Acolytes, Funaki, Crash Holly, Albert, Bob Holly, Palumbo, Billy Gunn, and others. Stasiak is immediately tossed by Bradshaw to get us started and Test and Albert brawl on the floor though they never got in the ring. Taz makes the last entrance. JR: “Look, Paul, it’s Taz. He’s the homicidal, genocidal, – uh – he’s the guy who chokes you out, right?” Paul is in disbelief of course because Austin had berated and basically thrown Taz out of the Alliance so we’re not sure where his allegiance lies. Hurricane tries a crossbody but Farooq catches him and Bradshaw clotheslines him over the top and to hell. Albert press slams Saturn to the floor an Test backdrops Farooq out. DDP with a short arm clothesline on Billy but Chuck clotheslines him out. Storm dropkicks Chuck out. Bill Demott and Chavo are now in the battle royal for whatever reason. Funaki gets tossed and so does Raven. Chavo and Morrus are both tossed and Tazz sneaks Crash and Dreamer and they’re gone. Spike Dudley is dropkicked out. Bradshaw plants Stevie and dumps him. Taz jaws at Heyman from the ring and that allows Billy Gunn to dump him. Storm with a dropkick on Billy Gunn and Test tosses Albert. Kidman tries a crossbody but JBL catches him in the snap ab suplex and gets rid of him. Storm with another Bluechipper dropkick.

Final Four: Billy Gunn, Test, Bradshaw, Lance Storm. Bradshaw with a big boot as JR gets pissed at Heyman for running from Taz and then claiming that JR is sucking up to the WWF. Bradshaw with a neckbreaker. JR calls Stephanie McMahon AND Heyman Jezebels. Test clotheslines Billy but he lands on the apron. Test sneaks JBL and Storm and thinks he’s won it. Billy Gunn your least favorite protected superstar ever. Billy calls for the Fameasser to a pop but Test no sells that shit and boots him over the top to win it at 7:41. No meaningful interactions in the whole thing, so this barely even registers, but as a way of trying to maintain Test’s push and position on the card even though they knew they were unifying the secondary titles, it’s a success. **

• Booker’s in the back with Shane and he says he doesn’t trust Austin. Shane tells him not worry and they must work as a team if they want to win.

Six Pack Challenge for the WWF Women’s Championship: Trish Stratus vs. Jacqueline vs. Lita vs. Ivory vs. Mighty Molly Holly vs. Jazz. I have no idea who’s champ because they didn’t say. Jazz with a Bossman slam on Lita to start and boots her down. Jazz with more shots but Lita comes back with a headscissors. Jackie and Molly in. They do a test of strength and Jackie gets a trip and a cover for 1. Molly with a shoulderblock but Jackie gets a hiptoss and a dropkick. Ivory in and eats a dropkick. Jackie with a sunset flip for 2 and they go through the sequence until Ivory slingshots her into the ropes. Trish in for the only pop so far of the match. Trish now with a slingshot and a flapjack but Molly attacks her from behind. Ivory knocks Lita off the apron for some reason and the match breaks down. All the heels jump Trish and then Jackie and Lita try to help her clean the ring. Lita with a Air Lita except she does a clothesline. She tells Jackie to get down again but Jackie turns on her with a clothesline. Molly comes off the top with a flip splash senton on Jackie. Ivory with a facebuster but Lita hits a Twist of Fate on Ivory and heads up top. Lita with the moonsault but Jazz breaks up the cover. Lita with a double clothesline on Molly and Jazz. Lita shicans Molly but Trish backdrops her over the top. Jazz with a head of steam but Trish lowers the bridge and they botch the toss over the top and Jazz almost breaks her neck. Ivory tries something but Trish flips out and hits the Stratusfaction for the 3 at 4:20. JR: “Trish comes in the back door. [Looks at Heyman] I’m sure you wouldn’t mind that!” Yes, that’s right. JR just implied that Heyman likes to be sodomized by Trish Stratus. They almost made it five minutes without screwing up anything. 3/4*

• In the back, Vince is with the WWF team of UT, Kane, Show, Jericho and Rock. Rock gets the biggest cheer on the reveal easily. Vince says he has every confidence they are winning but he is a realist and realizes that he could be looking at a group of losers. He says no one would forgive them and they’ll be disgraced. Vince starts talking about the Ghosts of WWE Past and how they would haunt their souls forever. Vince keeps talking and talking without adding anything new.

Winner Takes All Survivor Series Match: Shane McMahon, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Stone Cold vs. Big Show, Kane, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, and Rock. So after several months of a lackluster angle and a neutered Alliance that needed WWF stars to give them any credibility angle wise, they decided to end it all in one match. Angle turned heel and joined the Alliance. Rock and Jericho were too pissed at each other to co-exist on Team WWF and Vince guaranteed that Austin was leaving the Alliance to join the WWF again. Holy God, everyone gets their own entrance and the total is just over 10 minutes for all of them. Austin’s music is some wretched in-house rock song and it’s trash. JR and Heyman continue jawing with each other and JR says that Jim Cornette will replace Heyman after the Alliance loses. JR then takes a shot at Heyman for living in his mom’s house and then tries to pick a fight with Booker T.

• Stone Cold and Rock slug it out to start and Austin wins that one. Rock fights back but runs into a Thesz press and Austin flips off the crowd, hits some elbows and covers for 2. Austin ducks a clothesline and now Rock steals the Thesz press and the flip off elbows for 2 but Shane breaks up the cover. Booker in and boots Rock around. Rock hits him with a flying burrito but again Shane breaks up the cover. Jericho in with chops on Booker and a flapjack. RVD in to a mixed reaction but mostly cheers. RVD sends him off but Jericho gets a shoulderblock. They go through some nice counters an reversals until Jericho gets a spinwheel kick and a hanging vertical suplex. They slug it out with forearms and Jericho wins that one. RVD gets the handspring standing moonsault for 2. RVD with up and over and goes for a standing rana but Jericho catches and counters to the Walls of Jericho but Shane breaks it up AGAIN. Angle in and Kane in. Kurt with some rights until Kane chokes and tosses him into the corner. Kane with a running clothesline and tries a suplex but Angle slides out and gets a German suplex. Kane comes back with a whip and a side slam. He heads up top for the clothesline for 2 but AGAIN Shane breaks it up. JR: “He’s like a boil on the butt of life!” UT in with rights but runs into an elbow from Kurt who tags Booker back in. UT pounds him down with a big boot and a leg drop for another Shane-o-Mac interruption. UT hits Old School on Booker T and then hooks him in the test of strength and lifts him up and flips him over for the Americana with the leg scissors. UT with a clothesline and AGAIN for like the 6th time Shane breaks up the cover. Austin in and boots down Taker. Austin chases Hebner away and then chokes UT. Shane tries holding UT in place but he moves and Austin gets hung out to dry. UT hits another Old School and Shane apparently has no job other than to break up covers and not get beat up for it. Austin brings UT into the heel corner for some chicanery. Crowd chants that Shane’s a pussy. Kurt in but UT hits him with the soupbones only for Angle to hit a neckbreaker for 2. UT blocks a German suplex attempt and hits a DDT on Angle. Big Show in and hits a series of clotheslines and chops on Angle. Show with a Ho Train and lowers the straps and throws Angle around. RVD runs in and gets press slammed easily. Show knocks all the Alliance off the apron and goozles Angle only for Angle to give him a gutshot and hit an AngleSlam. Booker T in with the Ax Kick and tags in RVD who hits the 5SFS. Shane finishes him off with the elbow off the top at 12:43. At least they made him eat four finishers before hitting the showers.

• Shane takes a victory lap but Rock is in with right hands to a big pop. Rock with a clothesline and tags in Kane who goozles Shane for the ChokeSlam. He tags in UT who gives him the Tombstone and now Jericho is in for the Lionsault. Shane’s now history at 14:33.

• Jericho and Angle slug it out. Angle goes for a belly to belly but Jericho elbows out and gets a flying burrito and a butterfly backbreaker for 2. Angle with a double leg and tags in Booker T. Booker with a few bodyslams to crickets and tags in RVD. RVD with kicks and shoulder surges in the corner but Jericho gets the Brisco roll up for 2. Kane in with a big boot and some clotheslines. RVD with more of his stuff in the corner that he did a min ago but Kane clotheslines him down and hits a powerslam. Booker tries holding back Kane and he gets big booted for his trouble. RVD with the roundhouse in the confusion and hits the 5SFS but Kane of course no sells and goozles him. Booker runs in to break up that and the match has broken down. RVD with the Super Liu Kang kick and Kane is out at 18:22.

• UT and RVD fight but Booker and Stone Cold come in to try to pull UT off. Angle in as well and UT posts them up in each corner for a bunch of clotheslines. He dumps RVD and Booker and gives Angle Snake Eyes and a big boot and another clothesline for Austin. If UT’s going down, he’s going over the entire roster first. UT hits Last Ride on Angle. Booker’s got a chair but UT boots that away casually. Austin hits the Stunner on UT and drapes Angle and UT’s gone at 20:00.

• Booker slides in the punchdrunk Rock and then boots him down. ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY! Rock comes back with rights but runs into a leg lariat from Booker. Rock comes back with a DDT and Angle breaks that up. Book with some knees but runs into a Samoan drop but Austin breaks that up. Can ONE FUCKING HEEL KICK OUT TO A TRANSITION MOVE WITHOUT AN INTERRUPTION? Rock sends Booker into Angle and they collide and school boys him for 3 at 22:33.

• RVD in and boots down Rock. RVD heads up top but Rock powerbombs him down for 2. Jericho in and cuts off RVD before he can make the heel hot tag. Jericho with a burrito and then calls a neckbreaker from a mile away for 2. Jericho with up and over and a bulldog. He tries a Lionsault but RVD avoids and roundhouses him down. RVD hits the Split Leg Moonsault but Jericho no sells and hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the 3 on him at 24:52.

• Now it’s Jericho and Angle and Rock and Austin pairing off. Rock and Austin roll to the floor and Austin slingshots Rock into the ringpost. Angle goes to a chinlock but Jericho elbows out. Angle trips him down and covers for 2. Austin in with some chops and puts Jericho up top and hits a superplex for 2. Austin and Jericho botch something until Austin hits a fucking UGLY Northern Lights suplex for 2. Angle in and chokes away. He gets a back elbow for 2. Jericho rolls through a German attempt and gets an anklelock until Angle rolls through. Now, THEY botch something but Angle nicely covers with a clothesline. Austin in with a suplex. And wants the second rope elbow until just deciding not to for some reason. What the hell is going on with this segment? Angle in for nothing of note and Austin in for another thousand boots and a chinlock. Austin and Jericho now slug it out and they collide on the double clothesline. Angle and Rock both get tagged in. Rock with the massive belly to belly throws and a DRAGON SCREW LEG WHIP! AND GOES STRAIGHT INTO THE SHARPSHOOTER AND ANGLE TAPS IMMEDIATELY AT 31:55. I’m not sure if that seamless transition by Rock is enough to make up for the odd botches by Jericho but it’s close.

• Rock won’t release the hold so Austin bumps the ref and then knocks Rock over as well. Jericho tags in and goes for a crossbody but Austin rolls through for 2. Austin tries a Thesz Press but Austin counters to a WoJ attempt. Austin pokes the eye to escape and goes for his own version of the WoJ. How is it that this has no heat? I mean the crowd is sitting on their hands and we’re 30 minutes in to “the most important match in WWF history” or whatever. Jericho legwhips him away to counter. Austin tries an elbow but Jericho gives him a shot to the gut. Jericho goes for the Lionsault but Austin gets the knees up. Cover gets 2. Austin puts him up top but Jericho knocks him away and hits a missile dropkick for 2. Jericho tries a roll up but only gets 2 and Austin counters with an ugly roll up of his own for 3 and Jericho’s out at 34:33. I don’t know what their deal was tonight but Jericho and Austin had no juice with the crowd and their timing just wasn’t there together this night.

• We’re down to Stone Cold and the Rock. They go at it with rights until Austin gets the eye gouge. Rock with the spinebuster but Jericho turns on him by giving him the Skull Crushing Finale and big boos. Austin drapes the arm for 2. Jericho starts to go back to the ring but UT comes out to scare him to the back. ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY! Austin goes to the GnP and just generally beats the shit out of him. Austin flips off Earl until Earl shoves him. Rock recovers but Austin shitcans him into the annonce table. I love the way that Rock takes that spot with GUSTO! Rock fights back with chops on the floor but Austin sends him into the ringpost a couple times. Rock counters and tosses Austin into the announce table and then dives on him. JR: “I never doubted Stone Cold’s ability, not one time, for one minute.” Heyman: “It’s too late for sucking up.” JR: “I AINT SUCKING UP! WHY DON’T YOU KISS MY ASS AND CALL THE MATCH?! YOU DONE STEPPED ON OKLAHOMA ONE TIME TOO MANY! ONE TIME TOO MANY!” Rock with some chops but runs into a spinebuster and Austin rolls him into the Sharpshooter and it’s an ugly one. Rock finally gets the ropes. Austin rolls to the floor and gets the WWF strap and tries to waffle Rock but he ducks and spinebusters Austin down and into the Scorpion King Lock. Austin’s still got a hold of the belt as he makes the ropes. Rock ignores and pulls him back to the middle. Rock finally gives up on the hold but Austin gets the low blow behind the ref’s back. Rock no sells and blocks a Stunner attempt and hits his own to a HUGE pop. Rather than cover, he now sells the low blow. Delayed cover gets 2 but Nick Patrick pulls Hebner out and lays him out. Rock wants the Rock Bottom on him but Austin instead catches him in the Stone Bottom for 2. Austin’s pissed at Patrick and lays him out. Austin pulls Hebner back in but Rock shoves Austin into him. Austin avoids a Rock Bottom and hits the Stunner. Delayed cover gets nothing. KURT ANGLE HAS COME OUT! Angle waffles Austin with the belt to rejoin the WWF fold and then Rock hits him with the Rock Bottom and the Alliance is trashed at 44:50. Solid match and definitely long enough for the epic billing but there’s nothing overly special about anything here. Not one of the segments was that interesting beyond when/if they were going to get eliminated and some of them were downright subpar for me. I would never go to bat for this as a must-see classic or anything and I easily prefer the Nexus-WWE match from last year over this. ***1/2

The 411: Much better this year. Regal and Tajiri were single handedly determined to bring back the 50s toughness, the cage match is good and the 45 minute elimination match is suitably epic if not an all time classic.
 
Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]  legend

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