Written by: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Entertainment presents Smackdown
Date: 5/30/2002
From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Opening Contest: WWE World Tag Team Champions Rikishi & Rico vs. Billy & Chuck: Rikishi sends Billy to the floor and splashes Chuck in the corner setting up for a stink face. Rico attempts to attack Rikishi from behind but that causes a distraction and the challengers hit a flapjack in Rikishi. Chuck stomps on Rikishi and Billy gets a shot on the apron. Rikishi hits a double clothesline but gets kicked by Rico from behind. Chuck went for the cover but Rikishi kicks out at two. Rikishi no sells a DDT by Billy and hits a Samoan Drop. Rikishi sits on Chuck and fights off Rico again hitting a super kick. Rico falls down onto Chuck and gets the pin. (*. It’s a humorous angle, I guess, and the action was okay. They kept it quick, so no complaints.) After the match, Billy and Chuck are not happy with Rico for not getting the job done. Rikishi takes some time to dance at the top of the stage.
Backstage, Hulk Hogan arrives to the building.
Backstage, Torrie gives Maven a good luck kiss. They leave and we see Tajiri appear from behind a door and he isn’t happy.
Second Contest: Christian vs. Maven: Christian quickly attacks Maven early on but is sent to the floor. Maven takes Christian out with a slingshot cross body to the floor. Christian hits a reverse DDT turned into a back breaker. Maven shoves Christian off the middle rope and hits a top rope bulldog for a near fall. Tajiri comes out and kicks Maven off the middle rope. Christian finishes off Maven with the Un-Prettier. (1/2*. Just a way to advance the angle that has developed between Maven and Tajiri.)
Backstage, Vince McMahon isn’t happy about Chris Benoit appearing on RAW. Dawn Marie makes her debut as a lawyer looking to help McMahon. Naturally, McMahon hits on her. Chris Jericho enters pissed about his match tonight and McMahon gives him a pep talk.
Third Contest: Faarooq vs. Chris Jericho: Faarooq hammers away on Jericho to open the match hitting a clothesline to send Jericho over the top to the floor. Faarooq smashes Jericho’s face onto a steel chair. Jericho fights back sending Faarooq into the guard railing but that offense is short-lived. Faarooq leaps off the middle rope but is met with a dropkick in midair. Jericho elbow drops Faarooq a few times and keeps control with stomps and strikes. Jericho takes the turnbuckle pad off in the corner. Soon enough, Jericho rams Faarooq into the exposed turnbuckle and wins the match. (*. Yeah, just some momentum building for Jericho, I’d say.)
Backstage, Lance Storm confesses his sins to Rev. D-Von. D-Von says his only sin is being from Western Canada. D-Von forgives the sins of Lance Storm.
Backstage, Hulk Hogan says that Vince McMahon can take is contract and shove it. Hogan wants a match with McMahon. McMahon enters the scene to distract Hogan allowing Kurt Angle to hit Hogan from behind with a weapon.
Fourth Contest: WWE Undisputed Champion The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton: Taker has the early control of the match knocking Orton down with shoulder blocks but Orton comes back with arm drags and a backdrop. Orton clothesline Taker over the top to the floor where Orton hits a slingshot cross body to the floor. Orton counters a suplex with a rollup and gets a two count. Taker stops Orton’s offense with a clothesline. Taker takes the turnbuckle pad off as well. Orton ducks a right hand and connects with a couple of dropkicks. Taker plants Orton with a DDT but pulls Orton up on the cover attempt. Orton sends Taker into the exposed turnbuckle and hits a modified neck breaker for a near fall. Taker hits snake eyes and a running big boot for a two count. Orton nearly wins with a rollup. Taker plants Orton with a choke slam and that’s good enough for the win. (*1/2. They tried to make Orton come across as a serious threat or even a close upset, and that was fine. Obviously, these two would have a memorable feud several years later.) After the match, Taker sends Orton to the floor and has a chair. Taker puts the chair around the head of Orton but here comes Triple H to make the save. Triple H attacks Taker sending him into the ring steps and clotheslines Taker onto the announcers table. Triple H clotheslines Taker over the top to the floor and grabs the WWE Undisputed Championship. Triple H gets on the microphone and wants an opportunity to challenge for the championship.
Fifth Contest: WWE Cruiserweight Champion The Hurricane & Billy Kidman vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Tajiri: Tajiri kicks Hurricane to kickoff the match. Hurricane blocks a kick and locks in a pendulum swing and rams Tajiri’s head into the bottom turnbuckle. Hurricane gets a two count following a kick and tags in Kidman. Kidman hits a slingshot leg drop for a two count on Tajiri. Kidman punches Chavo in midair and hits a sit out power bomb. Tajiri kicks Kidman from the apron and has the tarantula locked in to allow Chavo to dropkick Kidman for a two count. Kidman counters a power bomb by Tajiri with a face buster. Hurricane gets the tag and cleans house. Hurricane hits a middle rope block buster but Tajiri is saved by Chavo. Hurricane hits a neck breaker on Chavo. Tajiri is shoved off the apron and Hurricane hits a somersault dive! Chavo baseball slides Hurricane to the floor. Kidman takes both Tajiri and Chavo out with a springboard shooting star press to the floor! Hurricane has Tajiri in the ring but he has his music and there is a note on the screen. The note says the mystery person will reveal who they are next week. Hurricane turns around and is met with a kick to the head giving Tajiri the win. (**1/2. A good match with some good action and Kidman impresses with his spot. I’m glad they have a storyline for the Cruiserweight division instead of just having guys wrestle because they have similar styles.)
Sixth Contest: Triple H vs. Test: Triple H hammers away on Test knocking him down with a right and works over Test in the corner. Triple H takes Test down again and chokes him briefly before clotheslining Test over the top to the floor. Triple H sends Test into the ring post face first and clotheslines Test on the floor. Triple H sends Test into the guard railing back first. Lance Storm appears on the aisle way and distracts Triple H allowing Test to hit a leg drop. Test works over HHH in the corner with strikes. Test clotheslines HHH in the corner to maintain control of the match. HHH avoids Test in the corner but Test plants HHH with a side slam. Test dumps HHH to the floor where Lance Storm is waiting and super kicks HHH! HHH drops Test with a high knee and a clothesline. HHH comes running out of the corner with another clothesline and a spine buster but Storm is on the apron distracting the referee. HHH gets dropped throat first across the top rope by Storm and Test hits a pump handle slam! Test has the cover but HHH powers out at two. Test misses the big boot but HHH has to slam Storm off the top onto Test. HHH hammers away on Storm and Test knocks Storm out with a big boot. HHH knocks Undertaker off the apron and turns around only to be met with a big boot! Test covers and gets the huge win! (**. A basic match and the interference certainly doesn’t make this a clean victory, but regardless, it’s a huge victory for Test and could set him up as a serious heel threat on Smackdown.) After the match, Undertaker remains in the ring. Taker proceeds to hammer away on Triple H for a few moments. Taker drives HHH down with a choke slam. Taker has a steel chair and whacks HHH over the head with it. Several officials come running down to the ring trying to prevent anything further but that doesn’t work very well.
Backstage, Val Venis wants Edge to take the wig off of Kurt Angle tonight. Edge knows that everyone wants to see Angle’s bald head.
Backstage, Kurt Angle tells Marc Lloyd to never show footage from Judgment Day ever again. Angle is going to embarrass Edge in front of his home country tonight.
Main Event: Edge vs. Kurt Angle in a steel cage match: They avoid each other in the opening moment of the match neither man able to get a clear advantage. Edge takes Angle down to the canvas to control briefly but is slammed by Edge. Angle knocks Edge down with an elbow shot and tries to send Edge into the cage but fails. Edge gets control and tosses Angle into the cage. Edge goes for a spear but misses Angle and hits the cage shoulder first. Angle hammers away on Edge in the corner. Angle takes Edge over with a snap suplex for a two count. Angle controls Edge with a front face lock but Edge gets out quickly and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Edge climbs the cage but stays on the top rope to hit a flying clothesline on Angle for a two count. Angle hits a series of German suplexs but only gets a near fall. Angle tries to open the cage door but isn’t able to. Angle sends Edge head first into the cage. Angle keeps Edge on the canvas with a flurry of right hands. Edge has been busted wide open. Edge catapults Angle into the cage and nearly wins with a rollup. Edge hammers away on Angle and hits a backdrop followed by a face buster for a two count. Edge misses a leaping forearm shot and takes out the referee on accident.
Angle takes Edge over with a German suplex. Angle climbs the cage but is stopped by Edge in the corner. Edge hits a dangerous back suplex off the top to the canvas! Edge climbs the cage but is stopped by Angle. Angle hits a top rope Angle Slam! Angle starts to climb the cage and escapes hitting the floor but the referee is still knocked out so he doesn’t win. Here comes Hulk Hogan sending Angle into the cage face first several times. Hogan ends up tossing Angle back into the cage. Angle is up and nearly wins following an Angle Slam. During the commercial break, Edge nearly won following a spear. Angle misses a spear in the corner and Edge hits an Angle Slam of his own for a near fall. Angle locks in the ankle lock! Edge gets out of it by sending Angle face first into the cage. Edge locks in the ankle lock of his own! Angle is able to kick out of the hold, though. Angle stops Edge from going to the door and Edge has his leg trapped over the middle rope. Angle has the door open but Edge stops him. Edge stops Angle at the top of the cage and Angle gets crotched on the cage door! Edge tosses Angle off the top rope and waits on the top rope where Edge hits a top rope spear to win the match. (****. That was a great cage match as these two seemingly never fail to deliver in their matches. The crowd was hooked on the near falls. This was a great match and highly entertaining.) After the match, Hogan enters the cage and sends Angle into the cage a few times. Angle escapes the cage and keeps his wig on.
Final Thoughts:
There was plenty of action this week since there wasn’t a lengthy talk segment, which I’m not going to complain about whatsoever. The main event alone makes this show worthwhile but add in the Cruiserweight tag match and even Test/HHH and it makes it a fun show for TV.
Thanks for reading.