Written by: Adam King
WWF SMACKDOWN
Thursday, June 7th, 2001
Taped (6/5) from the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND
List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Stone Cold Steve Austin (4/01/2001)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Kane (5/20/2001)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho (5/21/2001)
● WWF European Champion: Matt Hardy (4/26/2001)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Rhyno (5/28/2001)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Jerry Lynn (4/29/2001)
~ Smackdown comes on the air and goes right the intro with Michael Cole and Tazz welcoming us to the show. Tonight Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho defend the Tag Team Titles against Steve Austin and Vince McMahon. Basically the match we should have gotten the previous Smackdown instead of hotshotting Benoit’s rematch against Austin.
- Kurt Angle vs. Hardcore Holly – King of the Ring Qualifying Match
Angle is signed to face Shane McMahon at the pay-per-view but also wants to defend his KOTR crown and is taking his first step tonight against one of his partners from the six-man tag on Raw. And I’m sure Hardcore still has issues with Angle breaking his arm the previous year. Both men lockup to start and Hardcore gets a headlock, Angle shoves him away but Hardcore comes back with a crossbody. Hardcore comes off the ropes and connects with a clothesline then whips Angle again and hits a backdrop. Hardcore clotheslines Angle over the ropes then works him over on the floor before tossing him back in the ring. Hardcore stomps Angle down then whips him into a corner and Angle runs into a boot then rolls out to the floor. Hardcore heads out to the apron and leaps off but Angle catches him into a belly-to-belly suplex onto the floor. Angle throws Hardcore back in the ring and hits another belly-to-belly suplex then hammers him in a corner. Hardcore fights back when Angle takes him down and goes for the Anklelock but Hardcore grabs the ropes. Angle stomps Hardcore down in a corner but Hardcore gets up and reverses positions then lands some chops. Hardcore whips Angle into the opposite corner but eats a boot and Angle hits a German suplex for a near fall. Angle whips Hardcore and hits a clothesline followed by a snap suplex for a two count and a back suplex. Angle climbs to the top rope and goes for a moonsault, the very move that broke Hardcore’s arm the previous year, only this time Hardcore gets the knees up to block it. Both men struggle back to their feet when Hardcore gets in his shots and goes for a whip, Angle reverses it but Hardcore connects with a flying forearm. Hardcore whips Angle and hits the dropkick for a two count then slams him and climbs to the top rope himself. Hardcore connects with an Alabama Jam for a two count then whips Angle into a corner and charges at him. Angle rabs a waistlock, Hardcore elbows out and goes for the Alabama Slam but Angle grabs onto the ropes. So Hardcore just turns around with Angle on the ropes and kicks the chest. However the referee repremands him, allowing Angle to hot shots Holly on the ropes before hitting the Olympic Slam for the pin. (6:23) This was actually a good match for the most part.***
~ Backstage Kane laces his boots up while trying to calm down The Undertaker as he angrily paces around the room until he says he can’t take this anymore. Taker decides to go wait in the parking lot for Shane McMahon to show up so he can ask him some questions after Vince suggested Shane could be his wife’s stalker. Taker threatens to jack Shane up if he doesn’t answer them correctly then departs and Kane feels this doesn’t look good as we go to commercial.
~ Back from break we get a shot of the Undertaker indeed waiting for Shane to arrive in the parking lot. Maybe the next time we check in on Taker somthing will have actually happened.
~ In the arena Steve Austin makes his way to the ring to take some time on the mic and demands the crowd shuts up. Austin says he’s not here to talk about himself but he’s looking for a fight and that includes his opponents tonight. Austin says he and Vince McMahon will beat Benoit and Jericho and once again put the tag titles around his waist. Austin claims that he can beat Benoit and Jericho any day of the week because he is the champion of champions. Austin brags about “beating” Benoit with his own submission hold and also by pinfall in his hometown all in one week. Austin then brings up Jericho claiming he deserves to be WWF Champion before he suffered a 1…2…3. Austin says he and Vince will win the tag titles because they deserve it and no one can stop them and that’s it. Yep, just a quick four-minute promo to hype the main event. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.
~ Backstage Spike Dudley is telling Molly Holly how he couldn’t wait to see her after Raw and that he really likes her. Molly returns those feelings before saying she has something for him and Spike removes his glasses, ready for a kiss. The two move in but at the last second Perry Saturn pops in saying something about monkeys learning sign language. Spike and Molly walk off to find another spot to kiss and Saturn sends them off with a “You’re Welcome.”
~ Back from break Vince McMahon is talking to someone on the phone, calling the tag team title match a piece of cake, when William Regal and Tajiri walk in with some important information. Vince first asks Tajiri to fetch some popcorn before Regal reports the WCW1 limo was seen circling the building but he has alerted security to make sure no one gets in. Vince instead tells Regal to let the limo in because Undertaker just may be wanting to ask Shane a few questions.
- WWF LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: Jerry Lynn © vs. Jeff Hardy (w/Lita)
Oh yeah, I’d almost forgotten Jerry Lynn was still in the WWF at this point and a title holder to boot, but that’s what happens when you’re barely featured on the main shows. Both men lockup to start and Lynn goes into a hammerlock, Jeff counters it and goes into a headlock, Lynn shoves Jeff away but Jeff hits a shoulerblock. Jeff comes off the ropes but misses with a crossbody and sails out under the ropes. Lynn goes for a baseball slide but Jeff dodges it and heads back in the ring then hits a dropkick through the ropes. Jeff slings himself over the ropes just as Lynn rolls back in the ring but Jeff lands on his feet and climbs back in the ring. Both men lockup again and Jeff forces Lynn into a corner but Lynn responds with a slap. Lynn whips Jeff into a corner and gets dumped over the ropes but lands on his feet. Jeff goes for a shoulderblock through the ropes but Lynn leaps up and counters with a guilltoine into the ropes. Lynn climbs back in and pops Jeff with a forearm then whips him into a corner and connects with a clothesline and a suplex for a two count. Jeff comes back with a jawbreaker and whips Lynn into a corner then slams him and hits a somersault legdrop for a two. Jeff runs up the buckles and hits the Whipser in the Wind. Jeff goes for a whip, Lynn reverses into a corner but Jeff lifts himself over Lynn and dropkicks him from behind. Lynn hits a clothesline for a near fall then goes for a whip but Jeff reverses him into a corner and charges at him. Lynn sidesteps Jeff who lands on the middle rope but Lynn springs off the rope and hits a powerbomb for two. Lynn runs up the ropes for a tornado DDT but Jeff shoves him off and hits a spinning heelkick for a near fall. Jeff hits the double legdrop to the chest then climbs to the top rope but Lynn cuts him off and goes up after him. Jeff fights Lynn off then connects with the Swanton Bomb and gets the 1..2..3 and the title! (3:40) This means both Hardys are now sporting singles titles. Okay match with some nice spots but this would essentially mark the end of Jerry Lynn’s WWF run as he just never caught on. Then again it wasn’t like he was given much chance to begin with, considering he debuted out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. **
~ Anyway Matt Hardy comes out to celebrate with Jeff and Lita… when a videotape suddenly cuts in and once again we’re seeing Undertaker’s wife. The voice of the Black stalker pipes in saying how he doesn’t take kindly to Undertaker threatening him. The camera shows Sara walking through a parking lot as the voice says Sara thinks she’s safe with the other people. Sara climbs into a truck and drives off as the voice offers to give her some company then the video cuts out.
~ Back from break the Undertaker is shown still in the parking lot, probably unaware of the staker’s latest video as a limo with WCW1 on its license plate pulls up. Taker stops it and demands that Shane McMahon come out then opens the door on the far side but apparently doesn’t find Shane yet we don’t even get to see who it is inside. Taker orders whoever he’s talking to in the limo to tell Shane that he’s looking for him because he will find him. Taker then tells that person to pick another night to become famous and to get out of here and the limo departs. So the identity of whoever was in the limo will forever remain a mystery.
~ Backstage Spike Dudley and Molly Holly try again to get that first kiss together and once again move in. However at the last moment Tajiri walks into the scene and bumps into Spike, spilling the popcorn in his hands. Tajiri tries to clean up the popcorn while Spike and Molly leave to try and find someplace more private.
~ Elsewhere backstage Steve Austin is complaining to Debra about Benoit and Jericho being tag team champions, feeling tonight he will win the titles because he has a partner who will listen to him and not make mistakes.
~ Mick Foley is then shown walking backstage somewhere as we go to commercial.
- WWF INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE: Kane © vs. X-Pac (w/Albert & Justin Credible)
Once again Kane is facing his one-time friend and tag team partner. Albert climbs in the ring and gets in Kane’s face allowing X-Pac to nail him from behind and wail on him. Kane throws X-Pac into a corner and pummels him when whips him into the other corner and clotheslines him. Kane throws X-Pac across the ring when Albert tries to gets his attention while X-Pac nails him from behind. X-Pac goes for a whip, Kane reverses and hits a boot then climbs to the top rope when Credible grabs his leg. X-Pac connects with a heel kick and Kane falls down to the floor before X-Pac slings himself over the ropes. Kane catches X-Pac but X-Pac slips off of Kane’s shoulcer and shoves him into a bicycle kick from Albert. Albert throws Kane back in the ring and X-Pac hammers Kane with elbwos and chops but Kane fights back. Kane whips X-Pac but X-Pac comes back with a heelkick for a two count then choips him and goes for a whip. Kane reverses X-Pac hard into a corner and goes for a suplex but X-Pac flips out of it and hits the X-Factor. Kane slumps down in position in a corner so instead of covering him X-Pac decides to hit the Bronco Buster. X-Pac stomps Kane down in the corner then poses for the fans but Kane pops right up and clotheslines him. Kane whips X-Pac into a corner and eats a boot but X-Pac comes out into a one-armed tilt-o-whril slam. Kane climbs to the top rope and hits the flying clothsline then grabs X-Pac by the throat for the chokeslam. However Albert hops onto the apron distracting the referee as Credible comes in but Kane boots him down. Kane decks Albert then press slams X-Pac over the ropes with Albert catching him and setting him on the floor. Kane climbs to the top rope and connects with a plancha on Albert then throws X-Pac back in the ring. X-Pac attacks Kane as he comes in and goes for a whip, Kane reverses it and goes for the heelkick again. This time Kane catches X-Pac and powerbombs him for the pin to retain. (4:16) After the match X-Factor lays in a 3-on-1 beating and Kane fights back but Albert plants Kane with the Baldobomb and leaves him some parting words, beginning a short-lived push no one outside the bookers wanted to see. **
~ Backstage Chris Jericho prepares for his match when Mick Foley comes in to talk about what happened on Raw and apologizes to Jericho for his errant chairshot costing him the WWF Title. Foley offers Jericho a copy of his book as a peace offering and Jericho tells Foley he appreciates what he tried to do out there but asks him to stay out of his next shot at the title. Jericho says when he does finally win the WWF Championship he wants to do it on his won without anyone’s help then walks off with Foley wishing him luck as we go to commercial.
~ Back from break William Regal makes his way out to the ring and gets on the mic saying how he’s in a foul mood. Regal says that he took the office of WWF Commissioner to ensure decency and fairness and Raw was no different after the show was disgraced by the presecne of Mick Foley who he feels almost caused a tragedy. Regal accuses Foley of looking to rob Steve Austin of the WWF Championship and even shows footage on the OvalTron claiming Foley was going to call for the bell despite Austin not submitting. Regal says he heroically stepped in to stop said tragedy from taking place only to suffer the Walls of Jericho and Mr. Socko in return. Regal mentions Foley constantly roaming the halls thinking he’s still in power then reminds Foley that he’s the WWF Commissioner and demands he be treated with dignity, honor and respect. Regal says that the WWF was like an amusement park under Foley’s watch and that William Shakespeare would roll in his grave at hearing a foul, insignificant pollock is a best-selling writer. Eventually Foley makes his way out to offer a rebuttal after he supposedly only intented to apologize to Chris Jericho. Foley gets on the mic and mentions Regal comparing him to Shakespeare, paraphrasing a line from Julius Caesar. Foley admits that Regal is the Commissioner even though the WWF was fun to watch with him taking the reigns. Foley also says Regal is a fair commissioner after letting Vince McMahon interfere in Chris Benoit’s match last week and for interfering himself when Steve Ausitn was about to submit to Jericho. Foley tells Regal that he is indeed going to besmirch him right here and now with the help of his friend Mr. Socko. However Regal won’t have it and summons a security squadron to throw Foley out of the building and out of his life. The cops come out and Foley leaves peacefully with them while Regal says Foley isn’t good, he’s gone. Well that was a waste of 10 minutes since it didn’t actually lead to anything between Foley and Regal.
~ Backstage Shane McMahon is walking when he bumps into Test who gives him props for his WCW invasion while Shane asks where Undertaker is at. Test warns Shane against speaking with Taker in his present state of mind but Shane says he has to do this and walks off, with Test urging him to leave Taker alone while we go to commercial.
~ Back from break we get a shot of WWF New York and a reminder of Mick Foley hosting Heat this week. We also get clips of Foley promoting his newest book on ABC World News Tonight. Because Foley can[‘t promote his book enough or something.
~ Back in the arena we get a look at newlyweds Jared and Nicole Giffey in the crowd, with Cole saying how the couple got married in this arena right before Smackdown. Good to know.
- The Dudley Boyz vs. Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn (w/Terri Runnels)
Malenko is trying to keep his crew together despite Saturn’s continued descent into wackiness. Bubba Ray and Saturn lockup to start then break when Saturn grabs a waistlock and Bubba elbows out of it. Saturn hits a forearm and goes for a whip, Bubba reverses it but Saturn floats over and hits an exloper suplex. Bubba hits a Samoan Drop then tags D’Von and the Dudleys whip Saturn and hit a double flapjack for a two. D’Von goes for a whip, Saturn counters with a knee to the chest then whips D’Von but D’Von hits a crossbody. D’Von whips Saturn and htis elbow then whips him again but this time lowers the head and Saturn kicks the face. Saturn clotheslines him before tagging Malenko in but D’Von trips him with a drop toehold and gets in his shots. Malenko fights back and kicks away at D’Von in a corner then whps him and hits a heelkick for a near fall. While this is going on Saturn hops off the apron and wanders toward the timekeeper’s table for some reason. Malenko whips D’von but lowers the head and D’Von kicks the face then follows up with a flying clothesline. Both men start crawling toward their corners and D’Von tags in Bubba while Malenko …. finds no one to tag. Bubba hammers Malenko then whips him and hits a backdrop while we see Saturn admiring the Dudleys’ glasses. Bubba slams Malenko then whips him and hits a sidewalk slam for a two count then hits a chop in a corner. Bubba whips Malenko into the other corner and Malneko lifts himself up but Bubba catches him and slams him then sets him up for D’Von as he climbs to the top rope and connects with the “Wassup” headbutt. However Saturn climbs to the top wearing the Dudley frames and tells the Dudleys he wants to do the “Wassup”. So the Dudleys shurg and go along with this, setting Malenko up while Saturn heatbutts his own partner in the groin. The Dudleys then watch as Saturn gets on the mic and tells D’Von to get the muffins(?) and “You’re Welcome”. Saturn tosses the mic out of the ring but the Dudleys hit the 3D to end this weird match. (5:03) Definitely a ‘just there’ match, though the ending was a little funny. *
~ Backstage Spike and Molly feel they’re finally alone now (except for the camerman) and Molly asks for Spike’s gift. The two move in to kiss when they’re interuped yet again, this time by Kaientai who talk about the two of them in love. Taka says how he and Funaki are suppsoedly against love because they’re evil and Funaki concurs with an “Indeed” Spike and Molly go to leave but Kaientai tells them to stay as long as they can watch because they are very lonely. Spike and Molly just shake their heads and depart and it looks like the kiss will have to wait for this Monday on Raw. Though you’d think they would have had plenty of oppertunities to kiss between now and Monday, but everything has to be seen on TV for it to count so there.
~ Back from break Shane McMahon is walking the halls when he bumps into Kane and asks where Undertaker is. Wouldn’t you know it Taker finds him as he comes running up and throws Shane into a door then tells him he better start talking. Taker throttles Shane against an ice mahcine while yelling at him to talk but Kane comes over to pull Taker off him. Kane tells Taker that he can smell the deceit in all this and feels that Shane is telling the truth while Shane proclaims his innocence. At least Kane has an idea why Vince just happened to point the finger at his own son. Taker then punches the ice machine in frustration and slumps down beside it, having failed to get any answers tonight.
~ The announcers switch gears and show a replay of Jeff Hardy winning the Light Heavyweight Title earlier tonight before we get a interesting shot of the Hardys leaving the building with their respective singles titles in hand.
~ Elsewhere Edge and Christian watch the Hardys deaprting on a montior and not liking them holding singles gold. Christian talks about having a singles accomplishment and Edge suggests winning the King of the Ring tournament. Edge says he’s going to win his match as his first step toward that goal and Christian promises to be in his corner. Edge then tells Christian how it would be a dream come true if they met in the final match and Christian agrees. The two of them decide to go follow their dreams and head out while still showing tension with each other.
~ Back from break we find Vince McMahon suiting up for the match when Willian Regal comes in wanting to be the first to congradulate him and Steve Austin on winning the Tag Team Titles. Vince tells him how it’s not a done deal yet but Regal pratically guarantees it will happen and you know how much Vince loves guarantees.
- Edge (w/Christian) vs. Test – King of the Ring Qualifying Match
Test goes right to work on Edge and throws him to the mat then tosses him into a corner and stomps him down. Test throws Edge across the ring and hits a clothesline in a corner then clotheslines him over the ropes. Test goes after Edge and chases him around the ring but Edge leads him right into a clothesline form Christian. Edge drops Test knee-first onto the barricade then attacks the knee before throwing him back in the ring. Edge chopblocks Test’s hurt knee then continues working the knee over and wraps it around the rope. Edge snapmares Test and goes for a Figure Four but Test kicks him into the turnbuckles and rolls him up for two. Edge hits another chopblock to the knee then drapes Test’s on the bottom rope and sits down on the bad leg. Edge goes out and sets up for a Figure Four around the ringpost but Test kicks him away and into the barricade. Edge climbs back in the ring and and exchanges punches with Test then kicks the bad knee to regain control. Edge comes off the ropes and runs right into a tilt-o-whirl slam but Test is still hurt and can’t make the cover. Both men are back up when Test hits Edge with a clothesline and follws it up with the Full Nelson slam. Christian hops on the apron and Test swipes at him when Edge connects with the spear … but only gets two! Edge scoops Test up and Test floats over him then whips him looking for the big boot but but Edge ducks it. Test comes back with the pump-handle slam and covers Edge but Christian puts Edge’s foot on the bottom rope. So Test brings Christian in the hard way and nails him with big boot but ends up hurting his knee as a result. Edge takes advantage and drills Test with the Impailer DDT for the three count to advance in the tournament. (5:51) Solid enough match with some decent pyschology. **
~ Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho are shown heading to the ring which means it’s main event time as we go to commercial. I should mention Jericho has been in only one other segment while this is the first we’ve seen of Benoit all show. Just thought I’d point that out.
~ Back from break Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho come out to the ring to their separate entrances rady for the main event. Tony Chimel starts to announce their opponent .. when William Regal comes out to the stage. Regal gets on the mic and tells Benoit and Jericho that before they get Steve Austin and Vince McMahon they first have a non-title match which happens to be right now. Benoit and Jericho aren’t liking this as out comes…
- Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho © vs. The Acolytes – Non-Title Match
The thing nobody realizes about this setup is there’s really nothing stopping Benoit and Jericho from immediately laying down for their opponents; they can neither gain nor lose anything in this match so the smart thing to do would be to just throw the match and conserve their strength for their main match (even Chavo Guerrero was smart enough to do this at Bash at the Beach 1998). But being the guys they are, Benoit and Jericho decide to play it straight up. All four men go at it to start and Faarooq tosses Jericho through the ropes then goes after him on the floor. Jericho rams Faarooq into the ringpost while Benoit goes to whip Bradshaw but Bradshaw hits an elbow. Bradsahw whips Benoit who goes for a crossbody and Bradshaw catches him but Jericho chopblocks him down. Faarooq pulls Jericho out of the ring to fight it out while Benoit chops Bradshaw and tees off on him in a corner. Benoit goes for a whip but Bradshaw reverses it and connects with a boot then tags Faarooq in to take over. Benoit fights back with chops then comes off the ropes but runs right into a spinebuster that gets a two count. Bradshaw tags in and helps Faarooq whip Benoit and hit a double shoulderblock then Faarooq decks Jericho. Bradshaw sets Benoit up for a powerbomb but Jericho nails Bradshaw and Benoit escapes it with a backdrop. Benoit follows it up with a German suplex then manages to tag in Jericho while Faarooq also gets his tag. Jericho chops Faarooq and goes for a whip, Faarooq reverses but Jericho comes back with the flying forearm. Jericho elbows Bradshaw and bulldogs Faarooq when Bradshaw is in with a clothesline but Jericho ducks it. Jericho takes Bradshaw down and goes for the Walls of Jericho but Faarooq breaks it up with a clothesline. The Acolytes hit Jericho with the double powerbomb but Benoit is in and knocks Bradshaw through the ropes. Faarooq then sets Jericho up for the Dominator but Benoit makes the save and drills Faarooq with a DDT. Jericho follows it up with the Lionsault on Faarooq and is able to score the pin. (2:42) Short but solid encounter that makes you wish for a real match between these teams. **
With that match won Benoit and Jericho are ready for their real opponents but no sooner does the bell ring that Regal is back out on the stage telling the victors how impressed he was. Regal then decides to book the Chrises in another immediate non-title match, this one against…
- Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho © vs. The Big Show & Rhyno – Non-Title Match
Again Benoit and Jericho would be better off to just throw the match instead of risking injury and fatigue unnecessarily but again Benoit and Jericho refuse to just lay down. Rhyno rushes the ring but Benoit and Jericho double-team him then whip him into a corner and Jericho bulldogs him while Benoit adds in a clothesline. Rhyno rolls out to the floor as Show makes his way in but Benoit and Jericho quickly double-team him as well. Benoit and Jericho go for a whip but Show clotheslines both then grabs Jericho and chops him in a corner. Show whips Jericho into a corner and eats a boot and Jericho comes out but Show grabs him by the throat. Benoit comes in to break it up and tries for the Crossface but Show manages to fling Benoit over the ropes. Jericho gets in some shots then comes off the ropes but Show presses him up and lets him drop to the mat. Show headbutts Jericho then throws him into his corner and hits a knee to the chest before tagging Rhyno in. Rhyno whips Jericho into a corner and hits a shoulderblock then Show back in and Show stomps Jericho down. Show whips Jericho and plants him with a sidewalk slam then decks him with a right before tagging Rhyno in. Rhyno chops Jericho and headbutts him then whips him into the opposite corner and goes for another spear. Jericho sidesteps it and tries to crawl toward his corner when Rhyno grabs his leg but Jericho hits an enzuigiri. Both men then crawl toward their corners and Rhyno tags in Show while Jericho makes the hot tag to Benoit. Benoit peppers Show with chops and kicks and goes for a whip but Show reverses him into a corner. Show moves in for a double sledge when Benoit sidesteps it and tries for a German suplex but can’t get him up. Show scoops Benoit up when Jericho suddenly comes off the top rope and nails Show with a missle dropkick. Rhyno goes for the Gore but Benoit tosses him over the ropes while Jericho puts Show in the Walls of Jericho. Benoti adds in a Crossface but Rhyno brings a chair in the ring and whacks Jericho for a DQ. (4:38) As expected Rhyno cold care less about losing the match as whacks Benoit with the chair then stomps away on Jericho as Show chokeslams Benoit. Rhyno then connects with the Gore on Jericho and Jericho rolls out to the floor but Rhyno goes after him and hits another Gore. Show kneedrops Benoit in the ring and hits another chokeslam before he and Rhyno finally depart but the damage is done.
Benoit and Jericho are left decimated around the ring as Regal comes back out to the stage and finally brings Austin and Vince out for their scheduled title defense.
- WWF WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES: Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho © vs. Steve Austin & Vince McMahon
Jericho is still down on the floor while Benoit is hurting in the ring as the challengers make their way out. Vince convinces Austin to let him cover Benoit and Ausitn obliges as Vince covers Benoit … but only gets two. Vince covers for another two as Jericho pulls Austin off the apron but Austin throws him on the announce table. Benoit manages to get Vince in the Crossface but Austin makes it back in to save it before Vince taps out. Ausitn goes out to the apron to tag in and goes for the Stunner but Benoit counters and hits a German suplex. Benoit holds on for a second German suplex then holds on for a third German suplex and even a fourth German. Vince nails Benoit from behind and kicks away at him before Earl Hebner orders him back out to the corner. Benoit fights back and goes for a whip but Austin reverses and tosses him over the ropes then goes out after him. Austin suplexes Benoit onto the announce table then clotheslines Jericho and rams him into the table as well. Austin throws Benoit in the ring and sets him on the top rope then hits a superplex … but that only gets two! Austin locks in his own Crossface and Benoit tries not to submit to his own hold when Jericho makes the save. Jericho puts Vince in the Walls of Jericho and Vince taps but Hebner says Vince isn’t legal so it doean’t count. Austin hits Benoit with the Stunner and covers him but Hebner is too busy with Jericho to count the pin. Austin nails Jericho to break up his hold then hits him with the Stunner and kicks him out to the floor. Ausitn yells at Hebner when Benoit rolls him up and grabs the tights for the 1..2..3 to retain! (4:17) The champs retain the titles despite the odds and Benoit has just pinned Austin to boot! Austin and Vince are both furious as Benoit and Jericho each hold a title belt over the heads, having gotten one over their foes as Smackdown fades to black. **
Conclusion: Okay program but it just felt like a filler show for the most part, like you could just skip it and not really miss anything other than Jeff’s title win. Most of the in-ring action was solid but there was very little angle advancement, while some segments such as the Foley/Regal confrontation didn’t really lead to anything. The main event was decent despite the logic flaws and rushed nature and Benoit and Jericho needed a nice rebound from both their poor singles showings against Austin, though they’ve only been able to beat Austin in tag matches and haven’t gotten any other big wins since their tag title victory. The WWF just seemed like was in a holding pattern trying to figure out where to go for King of the Ring and beyond, not a good thing with only four main shows left. So let’s go thumbs in the middle for a decent two hours but you won’t really miss anything by taking a pass.