World Wrestling Federation presents Metal
Date: 6/2/2001
From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Matches:
1.) Billy Gunn defeated Rick Williams
2.) Kaientai (Funaki & Taka Michinoku) defeated Greg Pawluk & Rob McManus
3.) Test defeated Bill Yates
4.) Edge defeated Rick Vain
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Gunn backs Williams into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Williams backs Gunn into a corner and cheap shots Gunn with kicks and right hands. Williams misses a clothesline and Gunn delivers a drop toe hold, arm drag and hip toss. Williams bails to the floor to regroup. Williams keeps control with a strike over the back and a vertical suplex. Williams backs Gunn into the corner again, but Gunn fights back with strikes. Gunn elbows Williams in the corner, but Williams delivers a kick and a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Williams heads to the top rope missing a splash attempt. Gunn punches Williams a few times and hits a powerslam. Gunn decks Williams with a clothesline and hits the One and Only for the win. (*. Williams didn’t look great and came across as if he was a bit lost in the ring.)
2.) Funaki starts the match with Pawluk, but is met with a clothesline. Pawluk head scissors Funaki before tagging in McManus. Funaki delivers a kick before tagging in Taka. Taka ducks a clothesline, but is met with a reverse DDT by McManus. McManus slams Taka and goes to the apron to hit a slingshot somersault leg drop for a two count. McManus dropkicks Taka coming off the ropes. Pawluk returns to the match and strikes Taka. Funaki decks Pawluk from the apron and Taka delivers a strike. Taka drop toe holds Pawluk and Funaki puts a chin lock on to allow Taka to deliver a quick dropkick to the face. Funaki knee lifts Pawluk followed by a double stomp a couple of times. Taka tags back in and gets out of a sunset flip to deliver a spinning heel kick. Taka drops Pawluk with a strike to the throat. Funaki enters the match and ducks a clothesline to deliver a double clothesline to Pawluk. Taka gets the tag as does McManus. McManus cleans house with clotheslines and scoop slams. Taka delivers a superkick to Pawluk, but accidentally hits Funaki with a spinning heel kick. McManus powerbombs Taka for a two count. Taka spikes McManus with the Michinoku Driver for the win. (**. McManus got way more offense than I expected. I’m convinced that Funaki and Taka will suffer a major upset loss on Metal at some point.)
3.) Test shoves Yates across the ring to start the match. Yates responds with a few right hands, but Test hits a tilt a whirl slam. Test decks Yates to the mat with a right hand and rams Yates into the corner a few times. Test hits a running clothesline in the corner a couple of times. Test hits a gut wrench powerbomb. Test backdrops Yates over the top to the floor. Yates drops Test over the top rope throat first. Yates slaps Test a few times, but Test dangerously drops Yates on his neck with a full nelson slam. Yates elbows Test in the corner, but runs into the big boot. (*1/2. I’d probably end it after the full nelson slam that looks far more devastating than the big boot. Test was fun beating up the enhancement guy.)
4.) Edge works over Vain with right hands and puts a hammerlock on Vain. Vain counters, but is met with an elbow strike. Edge decks Vain with a right hand followed by a stomp and chokes Vain over the middle rope. Vain hip tosses and arm drags Edge followed by a scoop slam. Vain dropkicks Edge to the floor. Edge nails Vain with a clothesline on the floor. Edge dropkicks Vain for a two count. Edge kicks Vain in the corner several times. Edge forearms Vain several times. Vain nails Edge with a spinning kick. Vain ducks a strike and hammers away on Edge. Vain plants Edge with a side slam. Vain works over Edge in the corner with a strike, but is dumped to the apron. Vain drops Edge throat first over the top rope. Vain hits a springboard clothesline for a two count. Edge avoids Vain in the corner to hit the spear. Edge hits a lifting DDT for the win. (*1/2. A solid enhancement match for Edge as Vain showcased a few bright spots. Edge is getting quite a bit of hype on commentary and appears destined for a push.)
Final Thoughts:
An enjoyable episode of Metal this week with some fun action throughout.
Thanks for reading.