SummerSlam 2001 Thoughts
Summerslam 2001 was the 14th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWF. It took place on August 19, 2001 at the Compaq Center in San Jose, California. Attendence was said to be 15,293 with a PPV buyrate of 570,000. It was the last SummerSlam of the WWF name and some may refer it as the last of the Attitude Era. Reason for that is though WWE tells the present that the AE ended at WrestleMania 17, in terms of style and writing, Wrestling wasn't much different until the next year which was the Ruthless Agreesion rise of new stars.
8 matches took place at the event. WWF purchased WCW and later ECW and it took things in a new direction where the Invasion storyline happened. Every wrestler, ref, manager, represented a promotion under a McMahon's control (Kayfabe wise). Unfortunately this storyline didn't go as great as many would dream about as later learned behind the scenes Vince didn't quite have control of everything.
The Good - I thought the WWF Championship match sold really well. The cheap finish unfortunately ruined its chance as an instant classic but the match was tremendous as Angle worked really well with Austin as both were tearing up the joint. Angle's face run was brief but he did well with the crowd over him. This could arguably be Austin's biggest booed reaction on PPV as Austin was hard to get booed as he was too badass to be hated. Jeff Hardy vs. RVD was a great ladder match as the chemistry was good and continued to get better as years gone by. Also felt the main event was great. It was a great way to close the show.
The Meh - Questionable booking also had some scratching their heads. Not exactly bad booking but some were odd choices. The Rock would be part time starting his Hollywood film career which gave him a leave of absence and many felt it would have been a cool idea to see Booker T beat The Rock. Angle too despite winning by DQ was clearly for protection of Austin who many felt didn't have the same vibe he had since returning from injury late 2000. The undercard card was decent and all were worth watching again.
The Bad - Nothing was really bad. However DDP being booked as a stalker and getting tortured was disrespect to the WCW legend. DDP at the time was said to have attitude problems backstage but he still didn't deserve to be used like trash.
Overall - An excellent show despite the Invasion storyline never working out. WWF had some stars out of action like Triple H, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero (released), WCW contracts still under hold option had the N. W. O, Flair, Sting & Goldberg not in action yet, as well as ECW stars either refusing to sign or also in the same boat with WCW. Still all above decent matches made a great PPV card and possibly the second best PPV of 2001.
Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good
0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:
1. Edge vs. Lance Storm - WWF Intercontinental Championship - 3/5
2. Spike Dudley and A. P. A vs. Test and The Dudley Boyz - 2/5
3. Tajiri vs. X-Pac - WCW Cruiserweight Championship & WWF Light Heavyweight Championship - 2/5
4. Rhyno vs. Chris Jericho - 2/5
5. Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy: Hardcore Championship (Ladder Match) - 4/5
6. Kanyon & DDP vs. Undertaker & Kane: WCW Tag Team Championship & WWF Tag Team Championship (Steel Cage) - 2/5
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle: WWF Championship - 4/5
8. The Rock vs. Booker T: WCW Championship - 3.5/5
Best Match - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle
Worst Match - Undertaker & Kane vs. Kanyon & DDP
Most Memorable Moment - Booker T spinaroonie then Rock Bottom by the Rock
Top 5 Performers
1. Kurt Angle - Great Performance
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Great Performance
3. Rob Van Dam - Great Performance and big bumps
4. Jeff Hardy - Same with RVD
5. Booker T - Looked good hanging in the WWF ring in early start.
Summerslam 2001 was the 14th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWF. It took place on August 19, 2001 at the Compaq Center in San Jose, California. Attendence was said to be 15,293 with a PPV buyrate of 570,000. It was the last SummerSlam of the WWF name and some may refer it as the last of the Attitude Era. Reason for that is though WWE tells the present that the AE ended at WrestleMania 17, in terms of style and writing, Wrestling wasn't much different until the next year which was the Ruthless Agreesion rise of new stars.
8 matches took place at the event. WWF purchased WCW and later ECW and it took things in a new direction where the Invasion storyline happened. Every wrestler, ref, manager, represented a promotion under a McMahon's control (Kayfabe wise). Unfortunately this storyline didn't go as great as many would dream about as later learned behind the scenes Vince didn't quite have control of everything.
The Good - I thought the WWF Championship match sold really well. The cheap finish unfortunately ruined its chance as an instant classic but the match was tremendous as Angle worked really well with Austin as both were tearing up the joint. Angle's face run was brief but he did well with the crowd over him. This could arguably be Austin's biggest booed reaction on PPV as Austin was hard to get booed as he was too badass to be hated. Jeff Hardy vs. RVD was a great ladder match as the chemistry was good and continued to get better as years gone by. Also felt the main event was great. It was a great way to close the show.
The Meh - Questionable booking also had some scratching their heads. Not exactly bad booking but some were odd choices. The Rock would be part time starting his Hollywood film career which gave him a leave of absence and many felt it would have been a cool idea to see Booker T beat The Rock. Angle too despite winning by DQ was clearly for protection of Austin who many felt didn't have the same vibe he had since returning from injury late 2000. The undercard card was decent and all were worth watching again.
The Bad - Nothing was really bad. However DDP being booked as a stalker and getting tortured was disrespect to the WCW legend. DDP at the time was said to have attitude problems backstage but he still didn't deserve to be used like trash.
Overall - An excellent show despite the Invasion storyline never working out. WWF had some stars out of action like Triple H, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero (released), WCW contracts still under hold option had the N. W. O, Flair, Sting & Goldberg not in action yet, as well as ECW stars either refusing to sign or also in the same boat with WCW. Still all above decent matches made a great PPV card and possibly the second best PPV of 2001.
Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good
0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:
1. Edge vs. Lance Storm - WWF Intercontinental Championship - 3/5
2. Spike Dudley and A. P. A vs. Test and The Dudley Boyz - 2/5
3. Tajiri vs. X-Pac - WCW Cruiserweight Championship & WWF Light Heavyweight Championship - 2/5
4. Rhyno vs. Chris Jericho - 2/5
5. Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy: Hardcore Championship (Ladder Match) - 4/5
6. Kanyon & DDP vs. Undertaker & Kane: WCW Tag Team Championship & WWF Tag Team Championship (Steel Cage) - 2/5
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle: WWF Championship - 4/5
8. The Rock vs. Booker T: WCW Championship - 3.5/5
Best Match - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle
Worst Match - Undertaker & Kane vs. Kanyon & DDP
Most Memorable Moment - Booker T spinaroonie then Rock Bottom by the Rock
Top 5 Performers
1. Kurt Angle - Great Performance
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Great Performance
3. Rob Van Dam - Great Performance and big bumps
4. Jeff Hardy - Same with RVD
5. Booker T - Looked good hanging in the WWF ring in early start.