Written by: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Federation presents Insurrextion
Date: 5/4/2002
From: London, England
This is the last event that was held before the WWF changed its name to WWE.
Opening Contest: WWF Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam: Early on, neither man is able to get a clear cut advantage and they have a standoff as a result. RVD sends Eddie to the floor following a spinning heel kick and follows up with a moonsault from the apron to the floor! A slingshot leg drop back into the ring for a near fall. Van Dam nearly wins with the split legged moonsault. RVD misses a running attack and crashes to the floor where the champ sends RVD face first into the ring steps. Guerrero gets a two count after a snap suplex to keep control of the title match. Eddie hits a slingshot senton splash from the apron for another near fall. RVD gets a sunset flip from the apron after Eddie was arguing with the referee but only gets a near fall. Eddie puts an end to that with a clothesline. Guerrero is focusing on the lower back of RVD. Eddie is also working over RVD’s left knee. RVD nails Eddie right on the chin with a super kick! RVD monkey flips Guerrero out of the corner and hits a suplex for a near win. RVD connects with the rolling thunder but can’t get a three count. RVD hits a middle rope moonsault after a rolling fireman’s carry for a two count. RVD misses the Five Star Frog Splash and Eddie goes to the floor to get the championship. The referee is shoved to the canvas by Eddie, which causes the disqualification. Eddie chases after the referee until RVD drops Eddie with a spin kick in the ring. RVD nails Eddie with a dropkick and whacks the champ over the head with the championship. RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash as well to end the segment. (**1/2. The beginning of the match had my hopes high, but Eddie’s simple offense, which was kind of boring just focusing on the leg, and the awful finish hurt the overall match.)
Backstage, Terri interviews Molly Holly and WWF Women’s Champion Jazz. Molly calls Terri, Jacqueline and Trish trash for showing their skin. Molly and Jazz refused to be on the Diva calendar due to the WWF wanting them to show their breasts. Molly is disgusted by a UK publication for showing exposed breasts. Terri defends being confident and thinks they are jealous of her for having big boobs. Molly and Jazz walk away.
Second Contest: Molly Holly & WWF Women’s Champion Jazz vs. Trish Stratus & Jacqueline: Molly and Jazz attack the female babyfaces early on and hit a double suplex on Jacqueline. Jacqueline fights back with an atomic drop and the ladies roll over the referee while brawling, a regular spot at the time. Jazz hits a leg drop on Jacqueline and maintains control with a clothesline. Trish gets the hot tag and knocks the champ down several times. Trish sends Molly into the ring as well but walks into a kick from Jazz. Jazz lifts Trish up in a double chicken wing before dropping her to the canvas. Jazz begins to jab Trish, who fights back with right hands and knocks Molly off the apron. Trish had a backslide but the referee was distracted. Jacqueline gets tagged in and drops Jazz across the top rope. Jacqueline plants Jazz with a DDT for a near fall and knocks Molly off the apron. Jazz has a half Boston Crab on Jacqueline, who won’t give up. Jazz drags Jacqueline back towards the middle but is kicked by Trish. Trish and Jackie are cleaning house as the referee has lost control. They get a double pin following a springboard bulldog and tornado DDT. (*1/2. Some decent action throughout in this one. Jazz seemed to work the majority of the match for her team. A refreshingly decent match considering the Diva division in ’14.)
Backstage, X-Pac is talking to Scott Hall about RAW and can’t wait to get his hand on Bradshaw. Pac has Kane’s mask and says if he doesn’t win he won’t come back to this country ever again.
Third Contest: Bradshaw vs. X-Pac: Early on, Bradshaw controls Pac with a big boot and several strikes. Pac comes out of the corner and is met with a backdrop. Pac avoids a clothesline in the corner to deliver several kicks. Pac attempts a spinning heel kick but is caught and slammed to the canvas. Pac is able to get some solid offense in after a dropkick to Bradshaw’s knee. Pac rams Bradshaw head first into an exposed turnbuckle several times but the referee doesn’t call for the bell or anything. Bradshaw has been busted wide open. Pac gets a near fall after a standing spin kick. Bradshaw powerbombs Pac out of the corner to try and fight backs. Bradshaw nearly wins with a snap powerslam and follows up with a swinging neck breaker. Bradshaw heads to the top rope and hits a leaping shoulder block for a near fall as Pac managed to get his foot on the bottom rope. Pac drops Bradshaw with a spinning heel kick and can’t get a three on the cover. Pac is caught in midair and Bradshaw hits a fall away slam. Scott Hall has come down to ringside and distracts Bradshaw, but Pac is still hit with a big boot. Hall hits Bradshaw with the numchucks but Pac still can’t get a three! Bradshaw avoids the Bronco Buster and hits the Clothesline From Hell on Hall, who was on the apron. Pac with a low blow and hits the X-Factor to win the match. (**. A decent match between these two, but I felt like Bradshaw should have won this match. It seemed like Pac couldn’t cheat to win and it would eventually lead to Bradshaw picking up a huge win, at the time, but instead Pac beats him in the middle of the ring. Not a satisfying finish.)
Backstage, Coach is with The Undertaker to talk about his match against Triple H later tonight. Taker says he is in a really bad mood tonight. He is the man who brutally beat up Hulk Hogan and will do the same to Triple H tonight. He will not show any remorse or passion tonight. He enjoys beating people up. HHH’s dreams of beating him will be shattered tonight. The thoughts of getting revenge against him tonight will rest in peace!
Fourth Contest: WWF Hardcore Champion Steven Richards vs. Booker T: Booker pummels Richards in the corner in the early moments of the contest. It doesn’t take long for a trash can to be tossed into the ring but Richards dumps them to the floor. Booker whacks Richards viciously over the head with a cooking sheet. Booker hits a standing spin kick before sending the champ to the floor. Steven is dropped gut first across the railing and Booker hits Richards over the back with a broom. Back in the ring, Richards gains control with a few strikes. Booker stops Steven with a kick to the face for a near fall. Booker whacks Richards over the head with a trash can. Booker continues his offense with a flapjack. Richards low blows Booker to get the cheap advantage. Steven also whacks Booker with a cooking sheet for a two count. Booker is sent to the floor with a backdrop from the champ. Richards tosses a trash can onto Booker on the floor for a near fall. Booker crotches himself on the top rope after missing a kick and is met with a cooking sheet shot from Richards. Booker scoop slams Richards and grabs a trash can, which is dropkicked into his face and Steven nearly wins. Richards wedges the trash can in the corner and is sent chest first into the trash can. Booker hits a leaping forearm shot and a spine buster for a near win. Booker hits a leaping side kick and goes to the floor to get a trash can. Booker places the trash can over Steven’s head and hits a missile dropkick but Richards somehow kicks out! Richards hits a nice super kick but Booker pops his shoulder up. Booker counters a clothesline by hitting the Book End for the win. After the match, Crash Holly comes out and pins Booker. Crash plays to the crowd, but Booker hits the scissors kick to get the victory. Tommy Dreamer and Justin Credible come out to attack Booker. Dreamer plants Booker with a DDT and gets a table. Credible accidentally super kicks Dreamer and Booker drops Credible with a kick. Booker is still the champ. (**. Another decent match here, but the match seemed to be a waste of what Booker has to offer to the WWF. The fans love the guy and to be placed in the hardcore title match just didn’t seem to be effective.) Guess what, as soon as I thought it was over, Steven Richards flapjacks Booker through a table to regain the championship.
Backstage, Paul Heyman is trying to calm Shawn Stasiak down. Stasiak thinks there are voices in his head talking to him. Heyman tells Shawn to stand on the apron and just allow Lesnar to do the match himself. Stasiak laughs at Heyman but Paul tells him he is serious. Lesnar tells Stasiak to listen to Heyman or he’ll get a beating like he got on RAW.
Fifth Contest: The Hardy Boys vs. Brock Lesnar & Shawn Stasiak: Stasiak runs by Lesnar to start the match and tosses Jeff down with a spine buster. Stasiak connects with a side slam to maintain control of the contest. Jeff delivers a jaw breaker and here comes Matt Hardy. Matt hits the Side Effect and they go for the Poetry in Motion but Lesnar moves Stasiak out of the way and tags himself in. Lesnar enters and destroys Matt with shoulder rams in the corner. Brock catches Matt in midair to deliver a gut buster and power slam. Brock continues to work over Mat with a second power slam. Lesnar hits a delayed vertical suplex. Lesnar misses a spear and hits the ring post. Stasiak decides to tag himself in. Shawn misses Matt in the corner and Jeff tags in to clean house on Shawn. Jeff hits the whisper in the wind but Stasiak kicks out. Lesnar is knocked off the apron and that allows Matt to hit the Twist of Fate on Stasiak and Jeff hits the Swanton Bomb for the win. After the match, Lesnar enters and hits the F-5 on both Matt and Jeff. Lesnar drops Stasiak with a spine buster, too. Lesnar powerbombs Stasiak as well. (*1/2. Nothing great of a match. The finish made sense as you can’t have Lesnar lose at this point, especially to the Hardy Boys. In that sense, the match was booked very well.)
Backstage, Coach is with William Regal. Regal says he made this country truly great. Regal is disgusted by the people he sees in England nowadays. He is pleased to wrestle Spike Dudley tonight so he can win the WWF European Championship back around his waist so the fans can have a little bit of sunshine in their miserable lives.
Sixth Contest: WWF European Champion Spike Dudley vs. William Regal: Regal controls Dudley early on with a few takedowns and stomps away on Spike. Regal hammers away on Spike with a series of forearm strikes. Dudley with a forearm strike and a series of dropkicks. Spike goes for the Acid Drop but Regal tosses the champ away and Spike is holding his ankle saying he felt a pop. A trainer comes out and cuts open Spike’s boot to see what is going on. Spike is helped out of the ring but Regal decides to kick Spike’s leg on the floor and tosses the champ back into the ring. Regal slams Spike’s leg down to the canvas. Regal slams Spike’s leg across the ropes. A double under hook power bomb by Regal for a near fall as Regal wasn’t ready to win. Spike surprises Regal with an inside cradle to win the match! After the match, Regal knocks Dudley out with a brass knuckles shot. (1/2*. Again, not much of a match as most of the match was Spike selling his injured ankle. Regal is a fantastic heel playing up his bastard type of attitude. The match wasn’t all that entertaining.)
Seventh Contest: the Big Show vs. Steve Austin: Ric Flair is the special referee of the contest. He will be outside the ring to make sure there isn’t any interference. Austin hammers away on Show after being tossed down to the canvas, but Show stops Austin with an elbow strike. Austin stomps away on Show’s knees but is met with a clothesline. Austin gets up and begins to work on Show’s left knee. Austin wraps Show’s knee around the ring post a few times. Show catches Austin coming off the ropes and hits a power slam. Show casually steps on Austin’s back. Show continues to work over Austin with a back drop and laughs about it. To continue the slow match, Show locks in a bear hug. Show runs into a big boot a couple of times and Austin leaps off the middle rope to hit a Thez Press and right hands. Austin runs into a big boot. Show accidentally clotheslines the referee and Austin hits the Stunner! Austin with the cover, but there is no referee. Scott Hall and X-Pac come out and pull Flair out of the ring. Flair punches Hall and Pac and runs them off with a kendo stick it looks like. Show is up and goes for the choke slam but Austin gets out of it only to run into a big boot. Kevin Nash comes out but is met with a Stunner and Austin hits the Stunner on Show, twice. Austin with the cover and wins the match. (DUD. This one went sixteen minutes and it was one of the most boring matches to sit through. The crowd remained into it because it’s Austin and the fans just love the guy, but the action was incredibly boring and dull. Show going sixteen minutes should never happen.) After the match, Ric Flair has a chair and Nash backs away from Flair. Flair gets a microphone and puts over Austin and told him he wasn’t going to let him down tonight. Austin gets the microphone and says what a bunch of times. Austin ends up hitting the Stunner on Flair.
Main Event: Triple H vs. The Undertaker: HHH hits a high knee lift and a back drop early on in the contest. Taker is sent over the top to the floor thanks to a clothesline from HHH. HHH counters a slam on the floor and shoves Taker face first into the ring post. Taker stops HHH with a clothesline back in the ring for a near fall. HHH counters Old School by yanking Taker off the top rope to the canvas. On the floor, HHH rams Taker head first into the announce table and delivers a clothesline. Taker drops HHH throat first across the top rope to gain control of the contest. Taker gets back in control with a chop block and works over HHH’s knee. HHH sends Taker into the ropes, and the top rope snaps. That was really dangerous. Taker low blows HHH to regain control of the bout. HHH drives Taker down to the mat with a back suplex. They charge at each other and both go down with a double clothesline. HHH hits a neck breaker and a spine buster for a two count. HHH goes for the pedigree but Taker rams HHH back first into the corner and delivers a big boot. Taker looks for a choke slam but HHH counters with a DDT for a two count. HHH goes for the pedigree again, but Taker counters with the choke slam and only gets a near fall! Taker goes to the floor and grabs a steel chair. HHH big boots the chair into Taker’s face and nearly wins the match. Taker plants HHH with a DDT but can’t get a three count. Taker signals for the end but HHH hits a clothesline for a near fall. Taker drops HHH face first across the turnbuckle but HHH hits a high knee and the pedigree to win the match. (*1/2. Well, it was nice to see a clean finish but the match was boring, like most of the matches on the show. I wasn’t engaged into the match and the action felt slow. Considering the way the feud had been built, I’m surprised there wasn’t some kind of stipulation to add some much needed violence to this one. A disappointing match.)
Final Thoughts:
Overall, the show is really lackluster and boring. The opener between RVD/Eddie was solid and had me hoping that the show would deliver, but everything following it just didn’t entertain me. Considering the crowd gets the WWE once a year, they were vocal for the show, but as a viewer at home, it just didn’t deliver much entertaining value. A thumbs down for the 2002 installment for Insurrextion.
Thanks for reading.