Rebellion - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester England, November 3rd, 2001

There is a decent video package to open this show as for the first time since Wrestlemania (with the exception of a single Stunner on Raw last week) The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin will interact on television. And it’s on an UK exclusive PPV! 

I’ve said it before that these shows are basically just fun house shows but in this case, it’s warranted as knowing no one in the US would know what did or didn’t happen on this event, the WWF loaded it with big matches. Big matches which JR and Paul Heyman run down at the start of the show because none of this card was pre-announced. 

I normally don’t mention the dark matches or untelevised bouts on these shows - there’s always something to warm up the crowd before the cameras are turned on - but in this case it was the debut of a new Tag Team. Chuck Palumbo was fired by the Alliance last week on Smackdown and he has seemingly jumped to the WWF and formed a Tag Team with Billy Gunn. That team was a fixture for most of 2002 and adopted a slightly problematic but ultimately quite good fun gay gimmick. If I’m able to cover 2002 on this website we’ll see a lot of them but I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the excuse to post their awesome theme song - one of my all time comedy favourites in wrestling.

Steel Cage match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Edge (WWF) © vs. WWF European Champion Christian (Alliance) 

So I know what you’re thinking - since when is Christian the European champion?! Well he beat Bradshaw for it on Tuesday at that week’s Smackdown tapings. For some reason, that match was missing from Smackdown and the fact that JR and Heyman acknowledge that he won it on Tuesday rather than on Thursday when Smackdown aired, makes me believe the match was edited off of Smackdown in 2001 too. It’s not on the line in this match either way.

Edge attacks his brother right away and wraps his ring jacket around his brother’ neck, throwing him around the ring. 

Christian reverses Edge into the cage and works him over with stomps and chokes, grinding his brother’s head and face into the metal bars of the cage. He tries to escape from the door but is dragged back in by his ankle. He tries to climb out but Edge stops him and brings him down off the top rope.

Christian quickly regains control with a slingshot sending Edge’s head into the metal cage and slows things back down with a sleeper hold.

Edge fights out and they fight to the corner. Christian maintains control with mounted punches but takes too long to pose and Edge shoves him off and then follows with a Spear. Edge finally starts to build some momentum with clotheslines and a spinning heel kick. 

The two are well matched (obviously) and go counter for counter, seeking their signature moves. Edge wins the exchange and tries to climb out to win the match but Christian follows and knocks Edge off and sends him back into the ring. Christian starts to climb down and in a creative finish, Edge catches his brother’s ankles and pulls his legs through the bars and into the cage! He uses his wrist tape to tie Christian’s ankles together leaving him suspended, sitting on the cage in a very uncomfortable position about 6 feet about the floor.

Edge climbs up and, dropping an elbow onto Christian on the way down for good measure, falls to the floor to win the match and retain his Intercontinental Championship. 

I thought this was decent but quite short. JR doesn’t sound too impressed as, with a bored tone calls the match unique and bizarre among other things. What’s his problem?

Backstage, Alliance member Chavo Guerrero Jr gets his first TV time since the Invasion started. He’s acting as a backstage interview and is about to burst into the women’s locker room for an interview. He’s stopped by fellow Alliance member Hugh Morrus who seems to think this is his job. They agree to be a team and walk in without knocking to find Trish Stratus topless (with her back to the camera). She is surprisingly politie considering the situation but asks them to leave and tells them to go and find Lita. 

The Hurricane (Alliance) vs. Scotty 2 Hotty (WWF)

Able to leap tall cruiserweights in a single bound, faster than a loco luchador, up there in the ring is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Hurricane! 

Hurricane doesn’t have his sidekick Mighty Molly with him as she’s in a tag team match later. 

Given all the talent like these two who fit into the weight class you’d be forgiven for (like me, constantly) wondering why they didn’t do more with the Light Heavyweight Championship or indeed the newly acquired WCW Cruiserweight title. I don’t know what to tell you. 

This is a competitive match where Hurricane focuses his attack on Scotty’s back with slams and then locks in a modified cobra clutch putting all the pressure on Scotty’s back. 

Hurricane puts on his cape and climbs to the top for a diving crossbody which is counted with a punch to the gut and a DDT. 

Scotty tries a suplex but his back is too sore and it’s counted with a slam. The Hurricane mocks Scotty by trying to perform the Worm but Scotty hops up and tries one of his own. That in turn is counted with a big superkick for a near fall. They’re very evenly matched. 

Scotty blocks a chokeslam attempt, takes the superhero down with a sloppy bulldog and connects with the Worm to win the match. One of the most ridiculous finishes in wrestling history but everyone loves it.

Backstage now that Trish is dressed, she leads Chavo and Hugh to Lita’s locker room for an interview. Like a pair of perverts they open the door early and catch her in her underwear.They giggle like teenagers and she chases them, throwing a shoe at them.

Before the next match, DDP has some comments for us. The people in Jolly Old England don’t seem Jolly - they seem depressed! But that’s not a bad thing! That is a good thing! Because when you’re as low as you can go there’s only one way to go and that’s up! Now we like ourselves because of DDP. 

The Big Show (WWF) vs. Diamond Dallas Page (Alliance)

JR calls Page false and disingenuous. That’s just as well as otherwise this incredibly optimistic gimmick where he always looks for the positive would make him a nice guy! He did have a run-in with Big Show on Raw as he called him a freak and tried to get him to join the Alliance. During his entrance, JR says that Big Show weighs 36 stone, which is the UK weight metric. That is massive. 

DDP tries to work on Show’s leg with chop blocks but this match only lasts about 3 minutes so there isn’t much to say. DDP actually does hit the Diamond Cutter but Show kicks out and easily finishes him with a chokeslam. An easy win for the 500lbs.

DDP gets on the mic and says that losing wasn’t a bad thing, it was a good thing because now he can leave England! 

The perverted adventures of Chavo and Hugh Morrus continue - they burst into another women’s locker room (it's pretty clearly the same one in every segment) and catch Mighty Molly fully dressed. She screams anyway because how DARE they walk in on a superhero without her cape! 

In a dark room, Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle and Stone Cold Steve Austin talk strategy for tonight’s matches. Austin fires up and says he’s going to kick The Rock’s ass. Kurt says he’ll win the WCW title. That would be the end of the segment but Kurt then notices they’re sitting at a round table…in England! They’re like the Knights of the round table. Stone Cold is King Arthur, Shane is Merlin and Kurt is Sir Gallihad. The Rock can be Lancealot. Austin starts yelling at Kurt calling him pathetic. “What what what?!” He’s trying to take Angle under his wing, apparently. I thought it was cool Kurt, don’t lose heart.

Three Team Elimination match for the WCW Tag Team Championships

The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) (Alliance) © vs. The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) (WWF) vs. The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) (WWF)

JR mentions that Stacy isn’t at ringside as she is also in the women’s tag match later. Between the mentions every time a woman is missing from ringside and all the backstage segments with Chavo and Morrus, that women’s tag is getting a LOT of hype. Lita isn’t with The Hardyz either for the same reason.

The two WWF teams work together initially with Bradshaw and Matt Hardy double teaming Bubba Ray but quickly turn on each other and Bradshaw almost steals a win with a DDT on Matt. That gets some boos as despite the ongoing “issues” between them, The Hardyz are still the most popular tag team in the company. 

The match breaks down to The Hardyz and APA with a double team on Bradshaw first but after Faarooq is in, D-Von tags himself in aggressively with a slap to Jeff’s back. That’s dumb as the match is elimination so you’re better served staying out of the ring and keeping your distance until you have to get involved.

It breaks down and after a back suplex/neckbreaker combo on Faarooq, Bradshaw takes out Bubba with a clothesline. Matt follows up with a Twist of Fate to pin Faarooq and eliminate The APA. Frustratingly, when the pin happens The Dudleyz theme song plays very briefly which gives away who’s winning this match. D-Von tries to introduce a table but it’s dropkicked back into his face by Matt. The distraction allows Bubba to take control and the WCW Tag Team Champions isolate and double team Jeff. 

After a hot tag to Matt and The Hardyz pouring on the offence, they might have the match won. Jeff aims for D-Von with a Swanton Bomb but misses when D-Von rolls clear and with him out of the way, a 3D on Matt Hardy wins it for The Dudleyz. 

It was mentioned a few times during the previous match when we got a look at the commentators, Paul Heyman is wearing Bubba Ray’s lensless glasses which gave me a laugh. He looked like he was trying not to laugh too. 

After a recap of Chris Jericho and The Rock losing the WWF Tag Team titles on Smackdown, live in the arena Vince McMahon has both The Rock and the WCW Champion sitting down with him. He pleads with them that they don’t need to be friends, they don’t need to team up, they just need to bury the hatchet and work together as we head into Survivor Series. After tonight, Jericho will be WCW Champion and The Rock will be WWF Champion. He demands they stand up and shake hands like gentlemen. They are both, obviously, reluctant to do so but Jericho extends his hand first. The Rock does shake his hand but after he leaves, Jericho calls him back and sarcastically wishes him luck and tells him not to try and lose another Big One tonight. The Rock says he appreciates it and has a gift for Y2J before punching him in the face! The two fight and brawl as referees fill the room to separate them. Team WWF is imploding! 

William Regal (Alliance) vs. WCW Cruiserweight Champion Tajiri (WWF)

Torrie Wilson isn’t with Tajiri because - say it with me - she’s in the women’s tag team match later. Jeez. I’ve already talked about William Regal’s theme song during the Survivor Series preview but it does really annoy me that he has the rubbish version here. Before the match, Regal has some comments for his fellow countrymen. He gets himself with his own joke saying he appreciates that they all spent their dole money (welfare money for the Yanks) to see him and then laughs away to himself. 

Tajiri demanded this match after Regal’s actions on Smackdown, turning on him and traumatising his girlfriend Torrie. 

Regal bullies Tajiri around ringside, throwing him against the ropes whiplashing his head and then clubbing him with forearms as he lays on the apron.

Tajiri fights back with a backdrop and a standing moonsault in the ring but Regal quickly recovers and continues to show off his new, mean attitude with elbows and forearms. 

Regal catches a running crossbody and places Tajiri crotch first on the top rope. In truth, he did that same spot in their match on Smackdown - this is in fact almost move for move the same match they had on Smackdown.

Tajiri misses a moonsault and is locked in the Regal stretch to give the Alliance Commissioner a submission victory. 

Tajiri gets some payback as after the match he spits his green mist in Regal’s face and knocks him out with a kick to the head! 

Michael Cole interviews the newest Alliance member, WCW US Champion Kurt Angle. He starts by mocking the crowd, saying that they look like escapees from Strangeways Prison (which is local to the arena). He mocks Chris Jericho next - Y stands for yellow, which runs down his back. 2 like the number 2 someone takes in the bathroom. J stands for Jerk. He’s not especially clever here but does end by telling Jericho that he’s going to win his title tonight. 

WCW Championship

Chris Jericho (WWF) © vs. WCW United States Champion Kurt Angle (Alliance)

JR has mentioned it a couple of times but this is the first time (and only time) the WCW Championship was defended on Sky Box Office. How prestigious. 

I remember watching this show as a kid and my mum commenting that Kurt Angle “looks like a gorilla”. She wasn’t wrong. His proportions have changed so much since his debut as he’s packed on muscle. 

The two start fast with wrestling exchanges and Jericho coming out on top for the first near fall after a string of vertical suplexes. Kurt rallies quickly with a German suplex and goes for a very early Angle Slam which is counted into a very early Walls of Jericho, with Kurt getting quickly to the ropes. 

Y2J attacks Angle’s arm and shoulder sending him into the ringsteps and ring post but Kurt rallies with an overhead belly to belly suplex and turns his attack to the champion’s leg wanting to soften him up for the ankle lock.

They go back and forth with Kurt trying his own Wall of Jericho, and then blocking an attempted axehandle off the middle rope with another overhead belly to belly throw.

Kurt continues to suplex Jericho out of his boots and pick up near falls and grinds the champion down with a long side-headlock. Y2J rallies with a roll up but Kurt kicks out and goes right back to a long sleeper hold. 

Jericho battles out of it and with a string of running forearms and clotheslines and a hurricanrana into a rollup for a near fall gets himself back into this match. He rolls into an attempted Walls of Jericho but as Kurt kicks to block it, Y2J surprises him with an ankle lock instead! Kurt gets to the ropes and ducks a Jericho punch to grab a waist lock and drive the WCW Champion to the match with three German suplexes for a close near fall again. 

Kurt locks in his ankle lock but Jericho rolls through it and manages to get the challenger into the Walls of Jericho. The Olympian just barely gets to the ropes. Jericho follows with a running bulldog but his Lionsault attempt is blocked by Angle getting his knees up. He tries to capitalise with an Angle Slam but Jericho slides down his back into a roll up which is enough for the three count and Chris Jericho retains the title.

He doesn’t get time to celebrate as Kurt attacks him from behind and pummels him with an Angle slam. He gives Jericho a second one for good measure and while he lost the match, Kurt Angle has the last laugh tonight. 

Michael Cole interviews The Rock and asks him how he can focus on tonight’s WWF title match given all the issues he’s had with Jericho lately. The Rock turns this into one of his jokes about pie and strudel. You know what? It’s been a while since I’ve done it and I talk a lot about the pie and strudel jokes without giving much detail so, you lucky people, here is The Rock’s promo in full. 

Lita and Torrie Wilson (WWF) vs. Mighty Molly and Stacy Keibler (Alliance)

Special Guest Referee: Trish Stratus (WWF)

This match has had a LOT of hype tonight between JR mentioning it every two minutes and the backstage segments with Chavo Guerrero and Hugh Morrus. I’ve been holding off on mentioning it all night too but after several weeks of increasingly referring to the women’s division as “the divas”, this match has all night been called a Divas tag team match. That branding for the WWF/WWE’s women’s division stuck until 2014, eventually giving us the Divas Championship. It’s not a new thing - they released their Divas in Hedonism video earlier on in the year but it seems like in the past month the company has fully doubled down on the women no longer being “women”, they are Divas. 

The action here is disjointed - Stacy and Torrie start things off, trading headlocks and Torrie gets isolated in the Alliance corner, Keibler and Molly working together to double team her while distracting the referee to allow it. 

There’s a good spot with Molly and Stacy locking in a tandem submission hold on Torrie while Trish is distracted with Lita. The women are working hard here but the fans are chanting “we want puppies”.

Molly misses her Molly-Go-Round and that allows Torrie to finally tag out to Lita. 

Lita dominates and with a Twist of Fate on Molly picks up the win for the WWF team.

Sore loser Stacy Keibler gets in Trish’s face after the match criticising her refereeing. She’s slapped in the face and taken down with a messy running bulldog for her troubles. 

This main event gets a video package but it’s a slightly dishonest one as they use a lot of soundbites and clips from other feuds. I was impressed they managed to make it feel like this feud has been ongoing since Wrestlemania. You’d swear these two have been interacting and feuding the whole time which is very much not the case. The Rock and Stone Cold haven't so much as mentioned each other since The Rock’s first return promo on Smackdown in July.

WWF Championship

Stone Cold Steve Austin (Alliance) © vs. The Rock (WWF)

Stone Cold enters first and while The Rock is posing for the fans, he’s attacked from behind. Austin’s early advantage doesn’t last long as The Rock fights back and we’re off to the races. They fight on the outside and around the announce table, driving each other into the table and throwing punches. This is a brawl which for these two is second nature. They work so seamlessly together. 

The brawl leads up the ramp and to the top of the stage which is the same metal grating they use for Raw. Austin takes a vertical suplex and lands with an almighty thud on his lower back which looked like it hurt like hell. He tries to fight back and piledrive The Rock but he’s backdropped and lands on the steel again. The Rattlesnake is taking a beating but he was always more giving in his matches with The Rock - you can tell these two were good friends off camera.

Back at ringside Stone Cold manages a comeback with a slingshot sending The Rock head first into the ring post and then a bodyslam and with the match finally in the ring, the WWF Champion has the advantage. 

Austin pours on the aggression, taking regular breaks to taunt the fans with middle fingers and screamed abuse. He pummels The Rock with punches and kicks and gets a near fall off his big rebound elbow, mocking the People’s Elbow as he does it. 

I didn’t notice it all show long but during this match the classic staple of all of these UK shows - the endless, non-stop and very very annoying airhorns make their appearance.

The Rock fights back and gives Austin his own rebound elbow, mocking the Rattlesnake in return. He’s quickly shut back down with a long sleeper hold.

While they lay there, they’re obviously discussing the next part of the match. JR covers for them and says Austin is taking trash.

After a long, long sleeper the referee checks The Rock’s arm three times but he stops it from falling to keep himself in the match. He fights to his feet and runs Austin off the ropes and into a sleeper of his own but it’s quickly reversed with a back suplex for another near fall.

Austin locks The Rock in a long Boston crab but The Rock powers to the ropes to break the hold. Austin intimidates the referee in the corner but that distraction backfires as The Rock rallies with punches and they both go down off a big double clothesline. 

The Rock is finally back in the fight and gets a near fall with a Samoan drop and with an overhead belly to belly throw. They reverse a whip in and out of the corner and first Austin squashes the referee in the corner and then Rock runs into him with a clothesline. The Rock drops Austin with a spinebuster and locks him in the sharpshooter but there’s no referee and so Rock releases the hold to go and revive him. He turns around into a sharpshooter by Austin - he struggles to apply it. 

The Rock powers out to break it and locks in one of his own. That brings Kurt Angle down to the ring and he hits The Rock in the back to break the hold. Chris Jericho runs down and fights off Kurt, sending him packing but when The Rock stands up all he sees is Y2J holding the steel chair. He assumes that HE hit him with the chair and so he punches Jericho to the outside. 

Austin tries a Stunner but The Rock counters into a Rock Bottom! There’s still no referee to count. Kurt Angle breaks it up but he’s fought out of the ring too. The Rock drops the Rattlesnake with a spinebuster and goes for the People’s Elbow but Kurt Angle AGAIN is there to stop it.

He hits The Rock with the WWF title belt and he staggers into a Stone Cold Stunner! Austin covers and the referee is finally awake and counts the three. Austin retains his title in a great match.

Kurt goes into the ring with the title belt and Austin actually uses Angle’s body to pull himself to his feet and hugs him. These UK shows usually end with a happy ending but in this case, Austin and Angle quickly leave together as The Rock lays in the ring. At least the air horns stopped.