Smackdown | October 4, 2001 |
Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama | TV Rating: 3.7
Again it’s slim pickings really, but the non-title match between Rob Van Dam [RVD] and Kurt Angle is the best thing about the wrestling on this show. At least until the overbooking, which was necessary, I suppose to fulfil the stipulations that if the Alliance member won Stone Cold would get his rematch with Angle. We soon get a great RVD Vs. Austin Vs. Kurt Angle match is a highlight of this month.
The Bad
His former trainer Tazz practically “hazing” Tough Enough winner Maven in the latter’s in-ring debut on WWE TV is pointless. Fine, it proves the point that doesn’t need proving about how tough proper wrestlers are but also makes you wonder what the point of the entire Tough Enough series was.
With a stacked roster of talent to book, the WWE put Mike Chioda and Nick Patrick in the Smackdown main event as part of a six-man tag also including The Rock & Chris Jericho and The Dudley’s. I’ve seen worse matches, no doubt, but it definitely shows how wrong the WWE’s priorities were in October 2001. Poor old RVD.
The Indifferent
After what seems likes weeks of not bothering to portray the Alliance as some form of a collective entity, Shane McMahon resurrects them in his opening promo. The verbals between him and William Regal are fun and the stuff about automatic rematches and contracts is almost logical for once. But it’s the usual “spend ages talking about something to then suddenly make some matches” stuff that was getting passé even twenty years ago.
The six-man tag set up on Monday between Edge & The APA and Christian, X-Pac and Albert are at least short. Similarly, The Big Show & Spike Dudley against Hurricane & Mike Awesome is short. And buries WCW guys again, but what’s new there?
Booker T beats Kane in short order which makes a change. That it’s courtesy of Test’s outside interference is par for the course. WWE Bikini Contests are what they are/were what they were. I can’t be offended by Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler contesting one. But it doesn’t mean it’s particularly enthralling… at least not on this Wrestling show.
Overall
Well, it’s not as bad as Raw. But it’s the same curious mix of nothing really happening because there is absolutely no tension left in the WWE Vs The Alliance storyline. It seems like we’ve had two weeks of killing time and filling in TV slots until we get to the Austin/Angle rematch. At least with that booked now for Raw on Monday things might pick up…