Freedom Hall – Louisville Kentucky | TV Rating: 4.1
The Good
Chris Jericho and The Rock’s backstage tête-à-tête is very funny stuff. And because we’re running REALLY low on stuff for the Good section tonight the show long storyline where we’re trying to guess who the defector may be at least keeps things interesting, more so than the McMahon’s Streetfight
Similarly, it’s nothing more than a decent match but the Chris Jericho & The Rock against Booker T and Test Tag Team match does at least spice up the “who will defect” storyline for a bit. Even if it totally cuts off the Alliance guys in the match.
The Bad
The Hurricane & Molly against Tajiri & Torrie Wilson is really bad. Mainly because Torrie can’t wrestle but they try and let her wrestle. Still, at least it goes less than three minutes. And it’s still better than the interminably bad Stacy Keibler / Lita match.
The DDP segment where he announces The Big Show is the traitor only for him to get the big chokeslam just seems designed to once again hammer home how DDP isn’t worth a spot in the WWE.
The Shane and Vince McMahon’s Streetfight main event is bad though in its defence, if we’re being really kind, it’s only a set-up for the “turn”. That that proves to be Kurt Angle is another huge disappointment. It’s illogical as a week to week thing (Angle has spent months feuding with Shane and Austin, he has screwed out of the World Title only a few weeks ago) but even in hindsight and knowing what happens at Survivor Series you then have to believe that the Alliance are such schmucks that they’d believe that Angle was trustworthy…well, ok. With the booking in general that’s believable at least…
The Indifferent
I mean it’s easy to go all-in on the interminable McMahon segments that invariably open the show over the past few months. This one does at least have Vince announcing his team for the Survivor Series Main Event before he’s interrupted by the kids who announce that one member of that team will defect to the Alliance tonight. Which at least keeps you tuned into the show. The whole idea though that Vince can’t let the slap from Stephanie on Linda last week go unpunished when there was no real storyline punishment for Vince mentally torturing his wife for nearly three months earlier in the year. But hey, we’re not supposed to think that far back are we?
Rob Van Dam against Edge is fine for a five minute TV match but RVD, who should be in a position to be a major difference-maker by now is jobbed out for no real reason.
Kurt Angle and William Regal could be good. But this is WWE in 2001. So it isn’t.
The Dudley Boys against Kane & The Undertaker probably couldn’t be good and it isn’t either.
Overall
It’s a poor show just about kept going/entertaining by the show long “who will defect” storyline that is pretty pointless anyway. There’s also zero wrestling on show that makes it past being “ok”.