Monday Night RAW | Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, New York | TV Rating: 3.9
The Good
We had to wait until the main event to get anything for this category. But Chris Jericho & The Rock had been tearing it up for weeks one way or the other and their WCW Title match delivers the business again. Quite why Rock had to win the match and the title is beyond me. Unless Jericho’s post match assault on him with a chair is supposed to continue the interminable “will they co-exist at *INSERT UPCOMING EVENT HERE* or not” storyline. And I know this is wrestling but if the Alliance is such a threat and there is a possibility that they could win at Survivor Series, why wouldn’t Rock and Jericho cease hostilities for a few weeks for the good of the company they are representing? See, even the “good” is “indifferent” on this show.
The Bad
Sometimes I think I’ve imagined that Hall of Famer Lita wasn’t exactly a good, never mind great, wrestler. Then I see matches like her one here against Ivory. And I realise I’m not the crazy one. Lita was over, and that’s all that really matters, but in terms of putting a match together… natch.
Christian defends his European Title against The Hurricane. A title he won on Smackdown against Bradshaw. Well, except for the fact that they didn’t have time to air the match on Smackdown. Which sums up what a nonsense the WWE title scene is around this time. Any Christian squashes Hurricane to boot. Pointless Invasion stuff.
The APA & Jackie against The Dudley’s & Stacy in a Tables Match is just utterly pointless. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. And not in a good way… Stacy came out on the table, which was a new way to come to the ring and Bradshaw slammed Bubba through that same table for the win. Pointless Invasion stuff to get Stacy on the show.
Where do I start with Rob Van Dam Vs Booker T? Just pointless invasion stuff. Why does William Regal book this match in the first place? Why does Jim Ross note after it’s started that Regal has made this for the Hardcore Title? Because once again that seems like an “Alliance” guy can book matches for the WWE’s titles. Why then if it is a Hardcore match do we get a DQ when The Big Show lumbers in to interfere? Any quite besides how Show is now apparently not only a WWE loyalist but totally unstoppable again (for this week at least) why does he interfere in a match where two Alliance guys are beating each other up? Just leave them to it! Stupid Pointless Invasion…
The Indifferent
Vince’s opening promo where he reveals that one of the Alliance will defect to the WWE at Survivor Series and then says that it is Steve Austin is one of the usual opening promo’s that achieves very little in real terms. The relative lack of reaction to Steve Austin giving him the Stunner says it all. The on-going storyline throughout the show of Austin insisting it’s not him and Angle being around just enough to make it perfectly clear that it’s going to end up being him (and that’s far from the intention of it all) passes some time I guess.
Test, who has just won the WCW Tag Team Titles on Smackdown, gets a shot at Intercontinental Champion Edge for no reason. And then wins the title. In a very average match. To little reaction. There’s no rhyme or reason to at least 99% of the random title changes we’ve seen on TV over the past few months.
Kurt Angle’s US Title defence against The Undertaker is decent enough but the DQ ending is telegraphed a mile off.
Overall
This is almost so “bad” that it’s watchable. The funny thing is that in isolation there’s not a lot that’s really awful on this show but it all just seems pointless invasion stuff. The only real push for Survivor Series is based around you paying for a PPV to see whether Vince is lying about Steve Austin defecting or not. And we’ve had so many defections and false defections who even cares anymore?