From The Shelf- WWF Summerslam 2001

WWF Summerslam 2001
8-19-2001
San Jose, CA

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Paul Heyman.

WWF Intercontinental Championship- Lance Storm © vs. Edge
Both men look for control early and Edge hits a flap jack. Dropkick by Edge and he clotheslines Storm to the floor. Edge pulls Storm off the apron and back in, Edge goes up. Cross body off the top by Edge gets 2. Gordbuster into the ropes by Storm and he knocks Edge off of the apron. Back in, Storm hits a knee to the gut for 2. Knees to the midsection by Storm but Edge catches him with a roll-up for 2. Gordbuster by Storm gets 2. More knees to the midsection by Storm and he covers Edge for 2. Edge begins to fight back but he misses a dropkick. Edge blocks the Canadian Crab attempt and catches Storm in a small package for 2. Shoulders to the midsection in the corner by Storm but Edge fights back with some rights. Storm blocks a crucifix attempt and hits the rolling Fireman’s carry for 2. Chinlock with the knee against the back by Storm and Edge begins to fight out but Storm stops him and hits a back senton for 2. Rights by Edge but Storm catches him in the abdominal stretch. Edge escapes so Storm tries to springboard in but Edge catches him with a powerslam in mid-air!!! They slug it out and Edge begins to clean house. Backdrop by Edge and he hits a spinning heel kick for 2. Jawbreaker by Storm and he goes for a suplex but Edge escapes. Edge-a-matic by Edge gets 2. Storm goes for a hurricanrana but Edge counters into a sit-out powerbomb for 2!!! Storm rolls Edge into the Canadian Crab but Edge makes the ropes to break. Edge takes Storm down and grabs a Canadian Crab of his own!!! Storm throws Edger into the redf to break and Christian comes out. He goes for the Spear but misses Storm and hits Edge!!! Superkick by Storm to Christian and he covers Edge for 2!!! They trade counters and Edge hits the Edge-a-cution for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWF Intercontinental Champion- Edge ***1/2 ( Excellent opening match. The crowd was super-hot for it and the wrestling was pretty damn good. )

Test says he didn’t turn his back on the WWF; they turned their back on him. He says the Dudley Boyz were loyal to the WWF but were rewarded by being overshadowed by Spike Dudley and his girlfriend Molly. Test says the Alliance know he is the cream of the crop and he show everyone loyalty tonight.

Chris Jericho claims Stephanie McMahon has memorable experiences with every high school club and says he’s going to do to Rhyno what Stephanie has no conception of, laying him flat.

Spike Dudley and the APA (Faarooq and Bradshaw) w/ Molly Holly vs. Test and Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)
Faarooq and Bubba start. Back suplex/neckbreaker combo by the Dudley Boyz and D-Von comes in. Faarooq charges in the corner but eats boot and D-Von hits a clothesline. Spinning back elbow by D-Von but he walks into the spinebuster from Faarooq. Jawbreaker by D-Von and Test tags in, Rights by Test and he charges in the corner but eats elbow. Tag to Bradshaw and the APA hit a double shoulder block. Elbow drop by Bradshaw gets 1 and he hits a back elbow. Bradshaw goes for a powerbomb but Bubba breaks it up allowing Test to hit a backdrop. Tag to D-Von and he hammers away on Bradshaw in the corner. DDT by Bradshaw gets 2. Tag to Spike and he grabs a small package for 2. Roll-up by Spike gets 2. Flapjack in the ropes by Bubba and he puts Spike in the tree of woe. He stomps away and tags Test. Test misses an elbow drop and Spike goes for the DDT but Test blocks. He hammers Spike on the mat and the Dudley Boyz set up a table on the floor. Test goes to press Spike to the floor but he blocks for 2. Bubba pulls Spike by the hair and Test continues to hammer away. Tag to Bubba and the Dudley Boyz hit a double flapjack for 2. Tag to D-Von and he slams Spike. He goes to the second rope but misses a diving head butt and Bradshaw tags in. He cleans house and hits a swinging neckbreaker to Test. Double Spinebuster to Bubba by the APA and Bradshaw goes for the fall-a-way slam but D-Von breaks it up. Bradshaw catches Test with a powerbomb for 2 as Bubba pulls Bradshaw out of the ring. Spike goes for the Dudley Dog but Test blocks by DUMPING TEST THROUGH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR!!! Clothesline From Hell by Bradshaw to Test and he covers but the ref is checking on Spike. Shane McMahon comes out and nails Bradshaw with a chair, allowing Test to cover for 3.
Winners- Test and Dudley Boyz **1/2 ( Spike getting tossed around it always a good time and the final few minutes was wild and chaotic so this was fun to watch.)

The WWF locker room is celebrating Edge winning the Intercontinental Title and Christian comes in to tell Edge he has a European Title match with Matt Hardy tomorrow night. Christian gets a phone call from his Grandma and she wants to talk to Edge. Edge gives the phone back to Christian but she hung up on him.

Shawn Stasiak tells Debra his screw ups were because of his tights. He wants to see Stone Cold but Debra says he’s preparing for his match tonight and she tells him he should kick some butt to get back in his good graces.

WWF Light Heavyweight Title vs. WCW Cruiserweight Title- Tajiri (WWF) vs. X-Pac (WCW)
X-Pac arm drags Tajiri to gain an early advantage but Tajiri takes him down and hits a standing moonsault for 2. Hurricanrana by Tajiri and X-Pac bails. Basement slide by Tajiri and he hits the Asai moonsault to the floor!!! X-Pac crotches Tajiri against the ring post and hits a kick to the back. Back in, X-Pac hits a spin kick and he grabs the surfboard. X-Pac had to break it up as his shoulders were on the mat. X-Pac blocks a hurricanrana attempt with a powerbomb for 2. X-Pac chokes Tahiri with his boot in the corner and goes for the Bronco Buster but Tajiri sweeps the legs, causing X-Pac to get caught in the tree of woe. Basement dropkick in the corner by Tajiri and he hits the handspring back elbow for 2. Tarantula by Tajiri and he goes up. Crossbody off the top by Tajiri but X-Pac rolls through for 2. X-Pac goes up but Tajiri crotches him and follows up. They have an awkward exchange leading to Tajiri catapulting X-Pac into the corner. German suplex by Tajiri gets 2 and he charges at X-Pac but gets backdropped to the apron. Kick to the head by X-Pac knocks Tajiri off the apron and he hits a summersault plancha to the floor!!! Back in, X-Pac hits the X-Factor for 2. Roll-up by Tajiri gets 2 as Albert makes his way out. Spin kick by X-Pac and he goes for a powerbomb but Tajiri escapes. Tajiri spits the red mist at Albert as he was on the apron but he walks into an X-Factor from X-Pac for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWF Light Heavyweight Champion and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion- X-Pac **1/2 ( This match was really cluncky and awkward in the final few minutes which killed the crowd heat which was a shame because the opening few minutes showed promise. )

Perry Saturn is in WWF New York and is asking everyone to help him look for Moppy, as she was kidnapped.

Stephanie McMahon hypes Rhyno up for his match with Chris Jericho. Rhyno promises to finish the job once and for all.

Video package for Jericho/Rhyno airs.

Rhyno w/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley vs. Chris Jericho
They slug it out to start and Rhyno overpowers Jericho. Crossbody by Jericho and he hammers Rhyno on the mat. Chops by Jericho and he goes up. Flying axe handle off the top by Jericho and he hits a spinning heel kick for 2. He goes for the Walls of Jericho but Rhyno makes the ropes to block. Jericho backdrops Rhyno to the floor and he hits a springboard dropkick to knock Rhyno off the apron. Jericho goes up but Stephanie grabs his leg to stop him. Jericho kicks her away and leaps but RHYNO GORES HIM ON THE WAY DOWN!!!! Back in, Rhyno covers Jericho for 2. Gordbuster in the ropes by Rhyno and he stomps away on Jericho. Stephanie slaps Jericho and Rhyno grabs a bodyscissors on Jericho. Jericho escapes and Rhyno catches him with the TKO for 2. Surfboard by Rhyno but Jericho fights out. Roll-up by Jericho gets 2 and Rhyno comes back with a suplex to retake control. Rhyno goes up for the diving headbutt but Jericho rolls out of the way. They clothesline each other and both men are down. Backslide by Jericho gets 2 and he hits some rights. Jericho cleans house and he hits a springboard moonsault press for 2. Rhyno charges in the corner but eats boot and Jericho hits a second rope dropkick. Jericho covers but Stephanie comes in to distract the ref. Jericho makes out with Stephanie and he catches Rhyno with a bulldog. Rhyno moves out of the way of the Lionsault but he walks into a back elbow. Lionsault by Jericho gets 2!!! Spinebuster by Rhyno and he grabs the Walls of Jericho!!! Jericho makes the ropes to break and he catches Rhyno with an enzuigiri. Belly to belly suplex by Rhyno and he goes for the Gore but misses and hits the corner. Jericho rolls Rhyno into the Walls of Jericho and Rhyno taps.
Winner- Chris Jericho ***1/4 (The wrestling in this was rock solid but the crowd was not all that into it and they had some sloppy moments so this came short of being something great.)

William Regal asks the Rock about his condition after what happened on Smackdown. Rock says the only thing Booker T did was piss off the Rock. Shawn Stasiak charges in but completely misses Rock and crashes into a steel wall.

Ladder Match for the WWF Hardcore Championship- Jeff Hardy © vs. Rob Van Dam
Both men look for control early and they reach a standstill. RVD misses a dropkick and Hardy hits the double leg drop to the midsection. Hardy hiptosses RVD to the floor and Jeff hits a springboard corkscrew press to the floor!!! Jeff sends RVD into the ring post and Hardy goes up. He leaps off the top but misses RVD and crashes onto the barricade. RVD gordbusters Jeff onto the barricade and he hits a legdrop off the apron to the back of Jeff. RVD grabs the ladder but Jeff leaps off the apron onto RVD. Jeff brings the ladder into the ring and RVD leaps off the barricade onto the ladder, driving it into the head of Jeff!!! Back in, Jeff leaps onto the ladder driving it into RVD’s face this time!!! Hardy hits a slingshot moonsault press onto RVD on the ladder. Hardy leg drops RVD which folds him up like an orcordian and he charges in the corner but eats elbow. RVD puts Jeff in the tree of woe and he hits some shoulders to the gut of Jeff. RVD puts Jeff on the ladder and he hits the Rolling Thunder on Jeff. Spin kick by RVD and he hits a super kick that knocks Jeff onto the ladder. RVD hits a slingshot leg drop onto Jeff who was on the ladder. Jeff comes back with a baseball slide into the ladder which is driven into RVD on the floor. Jeff sets up the ladder and begins to climb but RVD goes up and hits a flying superkick knocks Jeff off the ladder. RVD puts the ladder on top of Jeff and he hits a cartwheel standing moonsault onto the ladder!!! RVD climbs the ladder but Jeff goes up and hits a missile dropkick knocking RVD off the ladder. DDT by Jeff and he goes up. Swanton Bomb misses and RVD goes up. Five Star Frog Splash misses and both men are down. Jeff climbs the ladder but RVD follows and hits a superplex off the ladder!!! RVD climbs but Jeff follows and hits the sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder!!! Jeff climbs the ladder and grabs the belt but RVD moves the ladder causing Jeff to hang from the belt. RVD tries a springboard move to bring Hardy down but misses and eventually Jeff can’t hang on and he crashes to the mat!!! Jeff sets up the ladder and climbs again but RVD shoves the ladder over sending Jeff crashing into the ropes. RVD climbs and he grabs the belt!!!
Winner and NEW WWF Hardcore Champion- Rob Van Dam **** ( This lived up to the high expectations for the match. I loved that they focused on using the ladder to wear each other down and then spent the final few minutes trying to climb and doing their big spots with the ladder. A great follow up to their awesome match from Invasion. )

Shane McMahon brings Booker T a gift. It’s a bookend made out of the broken announce table he put Rock through on Smackdown! Booker dedicates the match tonight to Shane in return.

Video package for Brothers of Destruction/DDP and Kanyon airs.

Steel Cage Match for the WWF and WCW Tag Team Championships- Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon (WWF) vs. Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) w/Sara (WCW)
You can win by pinfall, submission, or having both members of the team escape. DDP and Kanyon both look to escape but they get stopped by Taker and Kane. Big boot by Taker to DDP and DDP fights back with rights and lefts in the corner. Taker fires back in the corner and goes for the Chokeslam but DDP goes low to block. DDP sends Taker into the cage a few times and he hits a clothesline for 2. Dropkick by Kanyon to Kane as Taker hits a big boot to DDP. Big boot by Kane to DDP and he hits one on Kanyon as well. Kane presses Kanyon against the cage and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Kanyon sends Kane into the cage and he goes up for a double axe handle but Kane catches him and hits a Chokeslam. Taker battery rams DDP into the cage as Kane powerbombs Kanyon into the cage!!! Taker charges at DDP a few times, driving DDP into the cage. Second rope clothesline by Kanyon to Taker and he climbs the cage. Kane stops him but Kanyon blocks a powerbomb attempt and uses his knee to drive Kane into the mat. DDT by DDP and he and Kanyon both climb. Taker and Kane sit up and go after DDP and Kanyon. Taker crotches DDP to bring him back into the ring but Taker tells Kane to let Kanyon escape. Kanyon escapes but that leaves DDP alone with the Brothers of Destruction. Double clothesline to DDP and Kane hits a corner clothesline. Sidewalk slam by Taker gets 2 as Taker pulls him off the mat. Taker hammers away on DDP in the corner and he stomps away in the corner. Taker sends DDP into the cage and Taker tells DDP to leave the cage as long as he never looks at Sara again. DDP starts to climb but Taker stops him and takes him off the top with a Chokeslam. Last Ride by Taker gets 3.
Winners and NEW WWF Tag Champions and Still WCW Tag Team Champions- Brothers of Destruction ** ( Pretty much a long squash to allow Taker to finally get some revenge on DDP. It was a pretty entertaining one siding ass kicking though.)

The Rock tells the doctor that is checking on him that he is fine. Shawn Stasiak again charges in and Rock casually sidesteps him.

Video package for Stone Cold/Kurt Angle airs.

WWF Championship- Stone Cold Steve Austin © vs. Kurt Angle
They brawl in the entrance way to start and Austin chops away. Back in, Angle takes Austin down and they both hammer away on each other on the mat. Rights in the corner by Angle and he stomps away in the corner. Clothesline by Angle and he hits a crossbody for 2. Austin hits an elbow to the back of the neck and he begins to work over the left leg of Angle. Austin jumps onto the leg a few times and he continues to work over the leg. Angle tries to catch him in the Ankle Lock but Austing quickly goes t the ropes to block. They go to the floor and Austin catches Angle with a clothesline. Back in, Angle hits some rights but Austin backdrops him to the floor to come back. Back in, Austin hits some suplexes on Angle for 2. Angle escapes another suplex attempt and hits some rolling German suplexes. Austin elbows out but Angle catches him and goes right back to the rolling German suplexes, connecting with 7 of them!!!! Austin escapes the Angle Slam attempt and he pokes the eye of Angle. Austin drives his knee into the back of Angle, sending him face first into the corner. Austin puts Angle on top and chops away. Austin follows up but Angle shoves him off. Austin goes up again and he connects with the superplex. Stunner by Austin gets 2!!! Another Stunner by Angle and the momentum sends Angle to the floor. Austin follows out and he sends Angle into the post a few times, busting Angle open. Austin hammers away on Angle and he hits some rights. Back in, Austin covers Angle for 2. Austin dumps Angle back to the floor and he sends Angle into the post once more. Austin goes for a slam but Angle escapes and he shoves Austin into the crowd. Austin suplexes Angle into the crowd and he dumps Angle back to ringside. Austin climbs back to ringside but ANGLE CATCHES HIM IN THE ANKLE LOCK!!!!! Angle finally releases after some time and back in, Angle goes back to the Ankle Lock. Austin makes the ropes to break and he rolls to the floor to recover. Angle follows out and he hits an overhead belly to belly suplex on the floor. Rights by Austin but Angle catches him with a back suplex on the floor. Back in, Angle goes up and he HITS THE MOONSAULT OFF THE TOP for 2!!! Rights by Angle and they trade counters until Austin grabs the Million Dollar Dream!!!! Angle bounces off the ropes and rolls Austin for 2 and Austin maintains control of the hold. Angle’s arm goes down twice and he runs to the ropes sending Austin to the floor to break the hold. Back in, Austin hits the Stunner for 2!!! Austin goes for the Stunner again but Angle blocks and hits the Angle Slam!!! Angle covers for 2!!! Austin recovers and nails the ref!!! DDT by Angle and he covers Austin for 2 as another ref comes out and makes the count. Austin goes low on Angle and Austin gives the new ref a Stunner!!! Austin grabs the belt as another ref comes out and prevents Austin from using the belt. Austin nails that ref with the belt but he walks into the Angle Slam. Angle covers but there is no ref. Finally, Nick Patrick comes out and counts 1….and then calls for the bell. He gives Angle the win by DQ!!! Austin keeps the title.
Winner by DQ- Kurt Angle ****1/4 ( An absolutely fantastic match, as Austin brutalized Angle until Angle became an absolute maniac and threw everything he had at Austin, to the point where Austin knew he needed the DQ to survive. This match cemented Angle as a main event mainstay. )

After the match, Angle grabs Nick Patrick and gives him the Ankle Lock.

Video package for Booker T/Rock airs.

WCW Championship- Booker T w/Shane McMahon © vs. The Rock
Rights by Rock and he hits a back elbow to start. He chases Shane on the floor but walks into an attack from Booker back in. Rock sends Booker into Shane and he hits a Samoan Drop for 2. Knee to the gut by Booker but Rock fires back with rights. Clothesline by Rock and he grabs an inside cradle for 2. Kne to the gut by Booker and he hits a side kick for 2. Rights by Rock and he dumps Booker to the floor. Rock follows and he slams Booker’s face off the announce table a few times. Rock goes low on Booker but Booker slams Rock’s face off the steps to come back. Booker crotches Rock on the barricade and they brawl in the crowd. Booker drops Rock onto the hockey boards in the crowd and he stomps away on Rock. Back at ringside, Booker sends Rock into the post and he drops Rock onto the barricade. Back in, Rock hits some rights but Booker catches him with a spin kick for 2. Knee drop by Booker and Rock fights back with rights. Flying forearm by Booker gets 2. Chinlock by Booker but Rock fights out so Booker converts it into the Surfboard. Rock escapes again and he takes Booker down into the Sharpshooter. Shane distracts the ref so Rock tosses him into the ring but walks into a superkick from Booker for 2. Rock comes back with a short arm clothesline and he catapults Booker into the corner Shane exposed earlier. DDT by Rock gets 2 and Shane rolls a chair into the ring. He grabs the belt as Booker goes for the chair. The ref stops Booker from using it, allowing Shane to nail Rock with the belt. The APA comes out and Faarooq chases Shane around the ring until Bradshaw KILLS SHANE WITH A CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL!!!!! Booker catches Rock with the Bookend for 2!!! Rights by Rock and he hits a leaping clothesline. Overhead belly to belly suplex by Rock gets 2. Spinebuster by Rock and he hits the People’s Elbow for 2 as Shane pulls the ref off the count!!! Rock goes to the floor and he hits the Rock Bottom on the floor onto Shane!!! Back in, Rock hits some rights but he walks into a spinebuster from Booker. Scissors Kick by Booker and he does the Spinarooni. Rock nips up and hits the Rock Bottom on Booker for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WCW Champion- The Rock ***1/4 ( This was the typical main events the WWF were giving us at the time, with lots of crowd brawling and too much overbooking for my taste. The match was fine but it only served to give Rock a PPV main event win rather than a competitive match so this didn’t blow me away. )

The 411: This was a damn good edition of Summerslam. Nothing on the show was bad and two of the matches were absolutely outstanding. This is show is well worth a watch, especially for Angle's memorable performance and another classic ladder match. The Invasion angle may have suck, but at least the effort in the ring was great.
Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]