Down With The Brown: King Of The Ring 2001

Sometimes I’ll choose a show because there is some kind of relevance. Sometimes I’ll just pick one because my eyes just happen to see the label, and I’ll think “I wanna watch this.” This is the latter, and it’s solely for one match, and for you wrestling junkies like me, you know which one that is.

Everybody I’m sure has read a ton of commentaries about 2001 WWF. Let’s face it, 2001 should have been the greatest year in wrestling history from a booking perspective. For the first time in WWF history, Vince could sign ANYBODY, he could have ANYBODY in the entire wrestling world. And instead we wound up with more of the same as the WWF-WCW “war” became a failure on almost every possible level.

But this is June 2001, and we haven’t reached the real hell that was The Alliance. We were still planting seeds for that. But just to give you a brief synopsis, so we’re all on the same page:

Stone Cold Steve Austin had turned heel at WMX7 which in some regards gave Austin a much needed freshness, but in other regards was a failure, because people were cheering him no matter WHAT he did. Even beating up Jim Ross in OKC only garnered a mixed reaction (and let me add, the two WWF OKC tapings in 2001 were easily the worst WWF shows I have ever seen live. By far.) Austin had aligned himself with HHH for reasons that never really did make sense (he claimed that he wanted a man as tough as HHH on his side, which only made him sound like a giant pu$$y, resorting to the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” excuse.) Austin & HHH terrorized the WWF, and in booking of epic stupidity got stuck in a feud with UT and Kane which caused buyrates to plummet as fans were pretty sick of any combination of those guys as it was.

But then came a miracle, as Austin & HHH took on Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho in what I consider one of the greatest RAW matches ever. Benoit & Jericho beat the heels and in doing so knocked HHH out of action for nine months with a torn quad. And with Austin by himself, he had become a target. And Austin went from badass to paranoid lunatic. Which leads to the main event of the show: Steve Austin vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho.

Meanwhile, WCW was starting to make its presence known as Diamond Dallas Page made his WWF debut the week prior, stalking Undertaker’s wife, Sara, solely to start a feud with UT. There was an inkling that other stars would soon be appearing, but there was nothing concrete.

And then you have the King of the Ring itself, which had become so watered down it was barely significant as by this time only the semi-finals and finals aired during the actual show. The final four participants were: Kurt Angle, Edge, Christian, and Rhyno. Angle found himself in a predicament as he already had signed a match with WCW owner Shane McMahon, and found himself possibly having to wrestle three matches in one night.
Okay, there’s your set-up. Here we go:

Oh, and just for the hell of it, here’s how the first and second rounds of the KOTR tourney went:

Round 1:
Jeff Hardy pinned Matt Hardy
Kurt Angle pinned Hardcore Holly
Rhyno pinned Tazz
Tajiri pinned Crash Holly

Round 2:
Kurt Angle beat Jeff Hardy
Rhyno beat Tajiri

Christian pinned Kane (what?)
Big Show pinned Raven
Perry Saturn pinned Steve Blackman
Edge pinned Test

Christian pinned The Big Show (WHAT?!?)
Edge pinned Perry Saturn

Interesting how Christian was getting higher profile wins four years ago than he was in 2005.

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Paul Heyman.

And we kick things off as DDP comes out of the audience yet somehow has his own theme music anyway. DDP challenges Taker to a fight later. Obviously tickets sold slowly as Page was able to score a front row seat. He holds up his own sign that says “Make Me Famous.” Page keeps it short which is what killed his initial debut as his first promo went very VERY long.

Match #1

Kurt Angle vs. Christian

There’s a touch of infamy here as this is the only time the KOTR had the final four all be heels. Angle and Edge were sort of tweeners at this point, but they were still wrestling faces at this point. Angle hits a move I’ve never seen before, it’s like a belly to belly combined with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and it looks dangerous as hell.

Angle hits a ton of nasty suplexes on Christian and he thoroughly dominates the match until Shane McMahon comes down to observe. Kurt busts out one of his trademark KILLER moonsaults, but eats the canvas and Christian finally takes control. Angle gets the anklelock on but Christian counters it into an Unprettier only for Shane to break up the pin. Angle gets the slam and it’s over. The booking here is that if Angle has to keep wrestling, he’ll be too tired by the time he has to wrestle Shane. BTW, WCW is the heel faction which makes Shane a heel too. So we have four heels in the KOTR and a fifth heel interfering. Okay match, Angle busts out all the traditional gold, but there’s never any drama in it to be a great match.

Steve Austin is in scared, paranoid mode backstage. There’s a “rumor” that if Benoit or Jericho win the WWF title, then they will defect to WCW. Austin just stares.

We get a recap of the UT-DDP stalker angle complete with “scary voiceover” from the stalker. (BTW, did you know if you took the voice over and raised the tone and pitch, the actual stalker voice is that of Vince McMahon?) Paul Heyman interviews DDP only to be interrupted by video of Page eating lunch. Oh dear, the tables have been turned!

Match #2

Edge vs. Rhyno

Decent but unspectacular match highlighted by a double spear/gore. Edge pulls off the win with an implant DDT, but it’s merely an average match. Though Rhyno sells the DDT like death (which you should.)

Spike challenges The Dudleys to a tag title match with Molly Holly and a mystery partner by his side. And since it’s between 2000 and 2003, we all know who the mystery partner is.

Here’s a guide:

If it’s a mystery WWE legend, it’s Jimmy Snuka
If it’s a mystery partner from 1996-1998, it’s Savio Vega.
If it’s a mystery partner from 1999, it’s Chyna,
If it’s a mystery partner from 2000-2003, it’s Kane.

Chris Jericho gives no comment about his defecting to WCW.

Match #3

The Dudleys vs. Spike Dudley & Kane

Well, it is 2001,and checking our guide, why yes, it IS Kane. Fun moment to start as Bubba and Kane play catch with Spike, using Spike as the ball. Bubba’s in good ol’ silly mode here as he bumps all over the place for Kane and Spike.

Spike turns into a pinball in due time though as he gets tossed around even almost getting monkeyflipped to the floor. Kane gets the hot tag and shows some remarkable power by slamming Bubba with one arm. Bubba however loses track of the ref’s count and forgets to kick out leaving everybody looking like an idiot, and the crowd quickly turns on the match. JR tries desperately to cover, but it’s too late. Kane shuts them up by launching Spike from the ring to the Dudleys on the floor.

Good finishing sequence with Spike taking a NASTY 3D (watch his head ricochet off the canvas.) Poor JR was senile even then as he calls it the DDT. Okay match but a hot finish saves it.

Odd backstage bit as Christian confronts Edge and Edge asks if he’s here to whine about losing his match to Angle. And a sad Christian wishes Edge luck in his match and hopes he wins the tourny. Odd since it would be Edge who would end up the face and Christian who would be the heel in the later feud.

Billy Gunn is at WWF New York and he’s pissed that he’s gone from KOTR to not even getting to be in the opening round. “That’s PATHETIC!” Not really sure what the point was.

Match #4

Kurt Angle vs. Edge

This tells you how meaningless the tourney is as we’re at the finals and the show isn’t even in the second hour yet.

Kurt cuts a great promo offering Edge a handshake which Edge takes, and then asking Edge to lie down since Kurt has another match later and he wants to stay fresh for it. In a nice bit of subtlety, the fans chant “asshole” and Kurt responds by saying “Hey Edge, don’t listen to them.”

Man, JR is on drugs or something here tonight as he builds up this match by saying “For some, being King is a career maker, for others, well………….” What the hell kind of build-up is that?!?

Angle continues his run of awesome suplexes, giving Edge an overhead belly-to-belly from the ring to the floor. Kurt dominates Edge but again Shane’s interference is the story as he spears Angle, allowing Edge to hit the Implant for the three and the KOTR title. Decent.

Chris Benoit also has no comment about defecting. Since they didn’t, what was the point?

Match #5

Jeff Hardy vs. X-Pac

A friend of mine and I had a conversation about how he thought Rob Conway had the worst theme song ever. Without question I told him, NOTHING was worse than the Uncle Kracker X-Pac theme which somehow made the most annoying guy in the WWF even MORESO. X-Pac was just a guy who had stayed around way too long, and it sadly would be another year before the brass figured that out themselves.

X-Pac parades around trying to draw heat but there really isn’t any as it’s all girls shrieking for Jeff. Jeff hits the running guardrail clothesline spot except one kid in the front row isn’t paying attention and comes dangerously close to getting kicked in the head.

Total error in communication follows as Jeff busts out a twisting Swanton, except X-Pac is nowhere the line of fire and he just taunts Jeff, calling him stupid. X-Pac hits some lethal heel kicks to take advantage but then blows a leap frog and poor Jeff ends up with X-Pac sprawled all over him. X-Pac seems kinda dazed for the rest of the match as Jeff wins with a Swanton. This could have been a classic if it was 1994 X-Pac. But at this point, his best matches were long since behind him.

Commissioner Regal and Tajiri are interrupted by paranoid Austin who can’t get his cell phone to work. Austin calls Vince needing his help to beat Benoit and Jericho. Austin literally tells Vince: “I NEED you!!!”

We get more video of someone stalking DDP and it turns out that Sara, UT’s wife who has the camera!!! Close-ups do not do kindly.

Match #6

Undertaker vs. DDP

Taker comes out. He beats the living sh!t out of Page. Page walks. And the signs are already there. The first WCW guy gets annihilated right off the bat. What chance did anybody else have? This actually could have been a good feud, but it gets flushed down the toilet in less than five minutes. Seriously, I don’t think anyone got their ass kicked so one-sidedly than Page did against Undertaker. Dusty Rhodes got killed by Ted DiBiase, but at least those beatings only happened on the house shows. Millions got to see DDP humiliated week after week. Not really a match, but if it was, it’d be a DUD.

Match #7

Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon (Street Fight)

Shane McMahon is probably the most shockingly good wrestler to come out of the WWF. This match ranks as one of the best of the year, and it probably will permanently be the best match ever by a non-wrestler. This is a Street Fight, anything goes, and good Lord, do they take advantage of that.

Angle starts with a spear right from the start, and beats the living crap out of him to start. Shane is able to grab a leg, get a few jabs (which open up Kurt legit),get a takedown, ride him, and then slap him around which enrages Kurt, and he responds with more lethal suplexes. Actually, for a street fight, there’s a surprising number of wrestling holds in it, but that all changes once the two hit the floor. Shane hits an elbow from the guardrail, then launches himself over the announce team with a flying clothesline. And with Angle down, Shane pulls out a Kendo stick and starts beating Kurt with it. The two take turns throwing each other into the post and guardrail, but it’s a Shane spear that sends Angle awkwardly into the steps that causes real damage, as Kurt injures his tailbone in the process. Shane goes for a pin, but Kurt bridges out.

Shane brings out the trashcans and road signs and begins beating Kurt with them, even adding insult to injury with his own anklelock, but Kurt responds with a STIFF kick to the face. Kurt is limping badly at this point, and it’s obvious he’s in real pain. Shane locks on a sharpshooter but Kurt grabs the Kendo stick and nails him to escape. Shane beats him mercilessly with a trashcan, then puts the can on him, climbs the rope, and tries a NICE shooting star. Except Angle has moved and he lands on the trashcan. But seriously, I think Shane’s looked even better than some of Kidman’s. Angle and Shane fight to the floor with Angle unwisely letting himself be suplexed onto his already injured tailbone. And let me just say, up to this point, this has been a very entertaining match. And here’s where it gets infamous:

An already wobbly Kurt trips over Shane and the two lie there trying to psych themselves up, I’m guessing. Kurt pulls Shane up to the glass paneling and tries to give him a belly-to-belly through it, only the panel doesn’t break and Shane lands on his head on the concrete floor in what may be one the sickest bumps not involving Mick Foley. If you listen, you can hear Shane’s head meet the ground, and it is a sickening sound. With Shane half-conscious at this point, Kurt does it again, and this time, Shane goes through with shards of glass flying everywhere.

So with both men now behind the panel (and Shane cut to ribbons by the glass), Kurt tries to suplex Shane back through another panel and AGAIN it doesn’t break, and Shane lands on his head AGAIN. He tries again, but Shane is ready and braces himself as again it doesn’t break. So Kurt just LAUNCHES him through instead. Just brutal stuff.

Kurt’s arms and shoulders are all bloodied from the glass too. Kurt tries a pin but the ref tells him it’s not a falls count anywhere match. Kurt’s too hurt to carry Shane to the ring, so he grabs a metal suitcase, puts Shane on it, and wheels him to the ring for a two-count. Shane gets a desperation low blow and hits an Angle slam, but he’s too weak to capitalize and only gets a two. Kurt’s had enough though, and puts Shane on the top rope, grabs a wooden board, puts it on the top rope and uses it to Angle slam Shane off the top rope in an INCREDIBLE spot sending the crowd into a frenzy. Needless to say, that gets the pin.

Yes, it’s a spotfest, yes, in reality Kurt would kill Shane in twenty seconds. The match works, and I was gripped by every moment. ****. One of my favorite matches of 2001.

Shane gets carried out of the ring and gets a standing ovation from the crowd.

Match #8

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho (No DQ)

We get a recap of the feud as HHH got injured, and Austin interfered in a title defense causing the Chrises to lose the tag titles to the Dudley Boyz. We also get a clip in what was a fatal flaw in this match as Jericho locks on the Walls on Austin while Benoit applies the crossface as Austin taps. If that happened in the match, then what?

It’s the little things I really wish the bookers would pay attention to.

BTW, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out as Benoit comes out, there’s an awesome camera shot of the two shattered glass panels, and a third that’s covered in blood.

All three men enter to the same pop, and here is a clear example that heel Austin didn’t work as the crowd is pretty split with some booing, but just as many cheering. Austin refuses to get into the ring until Vince comes out to second him, so the faces punk him out in the aisle, which Austin sells BEAUTIFULLY.

Austin runs away and tries to escape through the crowd, but the Chrises catch him and destroy him. The two have a chop-off using Austin’s chest as the target, and Austin is basically getting slaughtered until he ducks a heel kick which Benoit ends up eating. Jericho helps Benoit up, and then attacks him, much to the crowd’s horror, and much to Austin’s delight who joins in the beating. Austin then tries to attack Jericho but gets caught in the Walls which Benoit inexplicably breaks up (Geez, slap on the crossface.) Benoit then suplexes Jericho from the ring to the concrete.

With Jericho out of the picture, Austin gets his first real offense by tossing Benoit and ramming him into the steps, and in a brilliant move spots Jericho climbing into the ring, so he launches Benoit into him, causing Jericho to fall off the apron and smack the ring barrier. Austin goes for the stunner but Benoit blocks it, but in doing so rams Austin into the ref, and in a moment I thought I’d never see, Benoit performs the Stunner on Austin! But there’s no ref, so Benoit grabs the title belt and hits Austin with it just as the ref comes to, but Jericho dives in to break the three count. Great storytelling here.

Jericho tosses Benoit into the post, then tries to pin a still hurt Austin but only gets two, and Austin now pissed by being knocked out by his own move tries to return the favor and attempts to put the Walls on Jericho. Jericho counters and gets a suplex for two. (Oh, and have I mentioned what a nightmare this match is for JR who has enough trouble telling Benoit and Jericho apart as he’s constantly calling each Chris by the wrong name.)

Austin and Jericho duke it out for a long time as Benoit spends a LONG time on the floor (we’ll get to why later) and even when he tries to get back in, Jericho dropkicks him back out. Benoit gets frustrated and grabs a chair which he pops Jericho in the face with (NASTY shot along the lines of Richards-JBL), though he misses Austin who hits him with a stunner. Benoit has the presence to roll to the floor, so Austin covers Jericho who kicks out at two.

Austin then turns into a man possessed as he superplexes Chris Jericho TWICE. And both look painful as hell for both men. Literally, Jericho’s body ricochets almost a foot off the ground with each landing. And then Austin goes for a THIRD, but Benoit returns with German suplexes, four in total to Austin. And that shows you the trust Austin has what with his neck problems and all. Austin delivers a low blow on #5 and all three are left laying.

Austin’s first to his feet but not for long as Jericho applies the Walls and then Benoit hits the crossface and Austin taps!!!!! But in a complete absence of logic, referee Earl Hebner makes them break it because only one man can win. The latter part makes sense, but making them break the hold doesn’t as Austin is nowhere near the ropes. Just keep applying the hold until Austin’s a cripple, then battle amongst yourselves. As the ref explains it, the crowd starts to turn on the match, and rightfully so. Technically, Austin should have been eliminated, I mean, what other match has featured the champ tapping in front of the ref only for the ref to ignore it? Not to mention since the match was no-DQ, there was no reason for the faces to even listen to the ref in the first place. It’s just a giant hole in the storytelling that never got remedied.

Benoit and Jericho just stare at each other, but like a cat Benoit pounces and locks the crossface in, but Jericho escapes and tries to apply the Walls. Austin tries to sneak in with a chair but Benoit dropkicks it into Austin’s face, leaving him laying on the concrete. Jericho launches Benoit to the floor as well, and suddenly a man jumps the barrier and attacks Steve Austin. It’s BOOKER T! Booker T makes his WWF debut by attacking Austin and giving him a sidewalk slam through the Spanish announce table. Booker plays to the crowd but security runs out and Booker runs out of the arena. Of course, this further confused things as WCW was supposedly a heel entity, yet here came a guy attacking the main WWF heel.

With Austin left for dead, Benoit and Jericho battle it out for several minutes until both toss each other to the floor and again all three are left laying. Jericho spots the fallen Austin and assaults him with pieces of the broken table. Jericho busts out a BEAUTIFUL moonsault that gets two. Benoit then hits a top rope headbutt for two and with Austin even deader than dead, Benoit and Jericho battle again, and Benoit delivers a tope rope belly to back suplex which appears to hurt Benoit more than Jericho. Austin crawls over to Benoit and pins him.

I’ll admit on the one hand, that’s a lame finish. On the other, it’s probably the best way to save face as everyone knew Austin was going over and it was hard to find a way not to kill Benoit and Jericho’s credibility while doing it. This was Benoit’s last match for a year as he went into surgery immediately following this match, and while the reasoning was that Benoit got hurt BECAUSE of this match, it was common knowledge a week prior that Benoit was going under the knife, and it was a small miracle he could do as much as he could here.

Anyway, VERY strong triple threat match, one of the better WWF ones for sure. Out-of-nowhere ending and the poor handling of the Austin tap out hurt it though which is too bad because up until the tap I was really digging the match. ***Ѕ.

End of show.

People tend to think of the InVasion angle and crap on every 2001 PPV because of it, but really this was a very good show with only the UT-DDP stuff being anything terrible. Sure the tourney was forgettable, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. The last hour certainly saves it with a MUST-SEE Angle brawl and a better-than-I-remembered-it triple threat match.

Thumbs up, recommended, B.

-Sydney Brown