Judgment Day

MAY 18, 2003 (CHARLOTTE, N.C.)

-Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler introduced the program. They then went to Michael Cole and Tazz at ringside for a few words, followed by a few words in Spanish from Carlos Cabera and Hugo Savinovich.

-Steve Austin came out. He complimented the enthusiasm of the fans in Charlotte. He said he was going to watch the show from “Redneck Heaven” in the stands in his own personal little skybox. “I’m gonna drink beer, raise hell, and watch every single match, and have a damn good time in the process.” He then said hi to Tazz and said, “Let the beer drinking begin.” He handed Tazz a beer before going through the crowd to his skybox.

1 – JOHN CENA & THE FBI vs. CHRIS BENOIT & RHYNO & SPANKY

John Cena came out with a rap. He got booed as he made various mob references for the FBI. Kendrick began by diving from inside the ring onto all the heels at ringside. Spanky is now wrestling in sparkly green loose shorts instead of the regular tights he wore before. Cena vs. Spanky began the match. At 1:00 the heels were taking turns tagging in and out against Spanky. Benoit got the hot tag and hit some suplexes. Spanky, though, ended up getting pinned pretty quickly afterward. He bled under his left eye.

WINNER: John Cena & The FBI at 3:55.

-Backstage in the Austin Suite, as Austin talked to a woman about ordering food, Eric Bischoff walked in. Austin asked him what he was doing in his suite. Bischoff said they’re co-GMs, “that means 50/50.” Austin said, “Can I make myself a wonderful host and give you this hotdog.” Bischoff declined. Austin took offense, so Bischoff bit into it. He then asked for mixed drinks. Austin said only beer. Bischoff accepted the beer. Austin toasted it, knocking it all over Bischoff which drew a laugh from the crowd. I like the idea of having skits with Austin throughout the PPV. The idea that he’s watching all the matches from a suite is a nice tough that makes the matches seem important.

2 — LA RESISTANCE vs. SCOTT STEINER & TEST (w/Stacy Keibler)

La Resistance complained about the American government promoted hatred toward the French. “It’s a fact that all you Americans are nothing but barbarians… Sit back and marvel at how we’re going to take care of those bullies.” Lawler commented on Stacy: “That’s a nice skirt she’s almost wearing.” Grenier tried to knee Steiner from the ring apron as he rebounded off the ropes, but Steiner no-sold it and knocked him to the floor. Dupree leaped off the top rope, but Steiner caught him. Both made tags, with Test cleaning up on both Grenier and Dupree. Test and Grenier botched a spot with Grenier lifting his boot and test sidestepping it and clotheslining him in the corner. At ringside Grenier whipped Steiner into the barrier. Dupree attempted to sneak in a pin on Test with his feet on the middle rope for leverage, but Test kicked out. Test powerslammed Grenier, but the ref was concerned with Stacy standing on the ring apron. Grenier surprised Test with a dropkick, knocking Test into Stacy who fell off the apron into Steiner’s arms. Test got upset, giving the heels a chance to take control. Steiner quickly entered the ring and went after both heels. Test went to give Grenier a big boot, but it hit Steiner by mistake instead. La Resistance cleared the ring of Test, then gave Steiner their double flapjack for the pin.

WINNERS: La Resistance at 6:20.

-They showed Mr. America entering the arena, shaking hands with “everyday people like backstage arena workers.” Gregory Helms approached Mr. America about his real identity. America turned the tables and said his sources say Gregory and Hurricane are the same person. They both agreed their sources are wrong and wished each other well.

-Josh Matthews interviewed Eddie Guerrero backstage. He said he had the right to find a new tag team partner to take Chavo’s place. He introduced Tajiri as his new partner.

-Another over-the-top vignette aired hyping the upcoming return of Kurt Angle to the WWE after neck surgery.

3 — TEAM ANGLE vs. EDDIE GUERRERO & TAJIRI

Team Angle went to ringside a minute into the match to try to find a ladder under the ring. When they grabbed the ladder, Tajiri dove over the top rope toward them, but his feet caught the top rope and Benjamin had to catch him and save him from landing on his head. Guerrero dove onto Haas, who sidestepped him for the most part. Not the smoothest sequence. Back in the ring Team Angle set up the ladder and climbed each side. Tajiri took the long route by doing a handspring elbow to knock the ladder over. Tajiri then put the ladder up against Haas’s crotch in the corner and then slidekicked it into him. Tajiri climbed a ladder. Benjamin yanked him down, but Tajiri’s chin or face caught a rung of the ladder and seemed legitimately hurt. He was slow to getup and grabbed at his face. Benjamin caught Guerrero in mid-air and powerslammed him against the ladder leaning in the corner. Team Angle then went to work on Tajiri at 5:30. They set Tajiri on the ladder as it leaned over the top rope and Benjamin leaped off the ladder in center ring and landed on Tajiri. Cool spot. Haas then climbed the ladder, but Guerrero knocked it over, knocking Haas over the top rope to the floor. Tajiri fought back with some shots with the ladder, then put Haas in his Tarantula. Benjamin countered by hitting the vulnerable Tajiri with a ladder shot to the head. Guerrero took control of the match and cleared the ring of Team Angle at 11:00. He set up the ladder, but Team Angle returned to the ring to stop him from climbing it. Guerrero dove off near the top of the ladder and splashed Benjamin which got the biggest pop of the night so far. Both Benjamin and Guerrero were slow to get up so Haas climbed the ladder. Guerrero began climbing the other side. He punched Haas just as Haas grabbed at the belt. Haas began knocking Guerrero off balance, but Guerrero sunset flipped Haas off the top of the ladder. He managed not to mangle his knees on the landing, although he easily could have. They replayed it from the roof cam which was a great perspective. I wish they’d use that view for more replays. Benjamin tried to stop Guerrero from climbing the ladder again at 13:45. Tajiri finally returned to the ring. Tajiri sprayed his green mist at Benjamin, knocking him off the ladder. Guerrero then unsnapped the belts (everyone always tries to yank them and it never works, so it was nice to see him wisely unsnap them first). They celebrated atop the ladder.

WINNERS: Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri at 14:10.

Steve Austin began to get Eric Bischoff drunk. He made fun of Bischoff sipping beer rather than chugging it. He asked the crowd if Bischoff looked like a sissy. They said, “Hell yeah!” Austin said if he didn’t chug the beer, he’d toss him out of the suite into the crowd.

Chris Jericho and Roddy Piper bumped into each other backstage. They weren’t especially friendly with each other. Piper took shots at Jericho ruining the interview segment gimmick. Jericho mocked Piper for ripping the leg off of the kid last week on Smackdown. He asked him what he did with the leg, asking if he ate it – a dig at Piper’s belly. They ended up promo’ing their matches.

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler talked about the history of the Intercontinental Title. A very nice historical feature aired on the history of the IC Title. Howard Finkle then introduced Pat Patterson who kicked off the launch of the IC Title battle royal.

4 — IC TITLE BATTLE ROYAL

Entrants: Val Venis (Sean Morley returning under the gimmick he had as IC Champion), Christian, Test, Rob Van Dam, Kane, Lance Storm, Goldust, Chris Jericho. Kane eliminated Lance Storm in the opening minutes. Everyone ganged up on Kane to eliminate him at 1:07, drawing boos. He returned to the ring and punched everyone to get revenge for them ganging up on him. Kane chokeslammed Test and his own partner RVD. Booker T eliminated Test.By 2:15 only four were left: Goldust, Jericho, Booker T, and Christian. Goldust gave Jericho and Christian his Golden Globe kicks in opposite corners. Booker did his Spinarooni in center-ring as Goldust watched. Goldust tried to eliminate Booker, but Booker reversed Goldust and threw him over the top. He looked out at Goldust and smiled. They shook hands. Goldust acknowledged Booker outmaneuvered him. That left Christian and Jericho against Booker. Booker fought back at 7:15. Jericho skinned the cat back into the ring after Booker threw him over. Jericho bled from the bridge of his nose. Christian held Booker as Jericho nailed him with a clothesline. At 8:20 Christian tricked Jericho and tossed him over the top rope as he went for the Lionsault. Jericho looked like his wife just kissed another man in front of him. That left Christian vs. Booker. Christian threw a dropkick at Booker T, but Booker moved aside and the ref took the kick. Booker went for the scissors kick in the ring, but Christian moved. Booker threw Christian over the top rope, but only one leg hit. Booker then knocked Christian off the apron to the floor to apparently win. His music played. Patterson got up from ringside to present Booker with the belt. Christian punched Patterson and brought the belt in the ring and hit Booker with it. Booker’s music stopped playing. Christian threw the belt out of the ring. He then dragged Booker up and threw him over the top rope just as the ref came to. The ref called for the bell and awarded the match to Christian.

WINNER: Christian at 11:55.

Austin had gotten Bischoff completely bombed backstage. Bischoff said he wasn’t feeling well. Austin gave him a slice of pizza out of his pocket, which Bischoff ate. He then asked if he wanted a pickle. Bischoff accepted it, but it turned out to be a jalapeno pepper. When Bischoff’s mouth burned, Austin gave him a drink, which turned out to be the jar the jalapeno came in. Actually well done and good for some laughs.

Sable approached Torrie backstage. She told Torrie not to be nervous. Torrie said she isn’t because the fans will decide the winner. Sable rubbed oil on her legs seductively and said how good it felt. Torrie watched, then walked away.

The video segment aired on the Torrie-Sable feud. Tazz m.c.’d the contest in the ring. Torrie danced behind some sheets with Lilian Garcia singing her theme song along side her live. Sable then came out. They both stripped to near nothingness. The crowd chose Torrie. Torrie said she wanted to show Sable she had no ill feelings, so he walked right up to her and gave her a kiss on the lips. No open mouths, but definitely seductive. It seems Sable’s mindgames are working on Torrie. Lawler’s facial expressions were what you’d expect.

Sean O’Haire gave Piper a pep talk. Vince McMahon walked in and in a funny moment, he looked at O’Haire and made it clear he didn’t even know his name, calling him “Big Man” instead. Good subtle dig. McMahon then gave Piper a pep talk, saying he is the epitome of ruthless aggression.

5 — MR. AMERICA vs. RODDY PIPER (w/Sean O’Haire)

After ring introductions, Mr. America welcomed Zach Gowen (a/k/a Tenacious Z) to ringside. Zach came out with a cane dressed in warmup pants and a t-shirt. The pale Piper wore just traditional black trunks, which caused Tazz to make him of his lack of tan. Everyone is pale compared to Tazz (well, except for America). In order to bite Piper, America lifted his mask briefly. Cole and Tazz got excited and wondered if McMahon got a good look at his face. At ringside, America choked O’Haire with his weight lifting belt. Piper then hit America from behind, threw him back into the ring, and whipped America with the belt. At 3:30 America began his superman comeback. McMahon then walked out toward the ring. Piper hit a distracted America with a low blow from behind. O’Haire mistakenly hit Piper with a pipe. America dropped his leg and scored the pin. Zach grabbed McMahon’s leg to prevent him from stopping the pinfall count. Zach then hid behind America in the ring. America posed as Zach leaned in the corner at watched. Zach didn’t seem phased enough by the entire situation to come across as innocent and sympathetic as he could have. He acted like he had been there before.

WINNER: America at 4:50.

-Stephanie approached Hunter backstage and quietly told him to be careful out there.

6 — TRIPLE H (w/Ric Flair) vs. KEVIN NASH (w/Shawn Michaels)

Michaels came out to his “Sexy Boy” song. I know it’s been his song forever, but it sound so dated and lame at this point. Couldn’t they remix it without the lyrics? Flair and Michaels fought to the back before the match. WWE officials (including Terry Taylor) separated them. Nash and Hunter brawled at ringside, then in the ring where Nash opened with some knees in the corner. Back at ringside, Nash rammed Hunter into the ringpost at 1:00. Back in the ring Nash punched away at Hunter. The ref scolded Nash, who shoved the ref. At 5:00 Hunter removed the turnbuckle pad. Hunter went to ran Nash’s head into it, but Nash blocked it and punched away at Hunter. He hit a sideslam. The ref went down when Nash bumped into him. Hunter came back and gave Nash a Pedigree at 6:30 for a near fall. Hunter set up another Pedigree, but Nash backdropped him over the top rope to the floor. Hunter grabbed his sledge hammer from under the ring. The ref yanked it away from him, so Hunter rammed him with the hammer. Nash then punched away at Hunter. The ref called for the DQ. “Hunter saved his ass, maybe, Hunter saved his title, for sure!” declared Ross. The crowd booed the DQ finish. Nash gave Hunter a post-match Jackknife. As reported in the WWE Newswire this week, McMahon is looking at a rematch between these two at the first Raw-exclusive PPV. As Hunter was helped to the back, Nash beat up the refs and officials and went after Hunter. Nash then Jackknifed Hunter through the Raw announce table on the stage. Ross screamed, “The World Champion has been destroyed, god almighty. We need medical people out here and we need them bad.” Nash left, his music stopped, and WWE officials tended to a completely knocked out Hunter.

WINNER: Nash via DQ at 7:22, so Hunter retained the title.

Back to the suite, Bischoff was leaning against the glass and looking very ill. He complained that Austin fed him too many hotdogs, hamburgers, and pizza slices. Austin asked him if he had jalapenos where he’s from. Bischoff said in Minnesota they’re all Sweedish and don’t eat that stuff. Austin gave him one. Bischoff ate it and then threw up on the fans outside the suite. They showed it in slow-mo twice from two different angles.

7 — JAZZ (w/Teddy Long) vs. JACQUELINE vs. TRISH STRATUS vs. VICTORIA – WWE Women’s Title match.

Jazz put Trish in a submission at the same time Jackie had Victoria in a submission hold. Trish reached the ropes to break the hold first. Jazz then kicked Jackie off of Victoria to keep her from winning. Jazz then went after Victoria. Trish dropkicked Jazz and roundkicked her for a near fall. Trish head-scissored Victoria off the top rope. Victoria tossed Trish over the top rope. Trish landed with a thud. Jackie went for a bridge pin on Victoria. Jazz splashed Jackie’s stomach while she was bridging and then hit a DDT for the win.

WINNER: Jazz at 4:47 to retain the title.

8 — BROCK LESNAR vs. BIG SHOW – WWE Title match

Brock attacked Show with a back board to start the match. Show fought back at ringside with big forearms. Show then threw Brock into a stretcher at ringside. Back in the ring at 2:30 Brock fought back, jamming his shoulder into Show in the corner. Show came back quickly with a chokeslam out of nowhere, then grabbed the backboard again from ringside to use as a weapon. Show put Brock on the backboard in center-ring and legdropped him, then dragged him to the ring apron. He brought a stretcher next to Brock and rolled Brock onto it. Cole declared that Brock’s title reign was in jeopardy. Show began wheeling Brock down the aisle, but Brock kicked Show. Show then clotheslined Brock off the stretcher. Brock fought back, swinging the back board against Show’s head. He then choked Show with cables at ringside. Brock swung from the entrance set and kicked Show as he charged at him in the aisle. Brock managed to bodyslam Show on a stretcher at 8:15. Show fought back and rammed Brock into the ringpost back-first at 10:15. Back in the ring Brock charged at Big Show on the ring apron knocking him off the apron and onto the stretcher below. At 11:45 Rey Mysterio’s music began to play. He showed up in the ring out of nowhere and gave Show the 619. Show nailed Rey with return fire that knocked Rey silly. Show then yelled and signaled for the chokeslam. Brock then drove a fork lift to the ring popping the crowd. Rey jumped on the distracted Big Show from behind and choked him. Brock stood on the fork lift. Show threw Rey off of him. Brock flew at Show with a crossbody block and showed great fire as he charged him in the corner with several consecutive shoulder tackles. He followed with a vertical suplex, and then leaped to his feet. Brock followed up with a F5 at 14:00. Brock put the backboard on the forklift. He then rolled Show onto the backboard, then drove the forklift out to win the match.

WINNER: Brock Lesnar at 15:27.

Source: Wade Keller