Survivor Series 2001

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Survivor Series

November 18, 2001

Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Greensboro, North Carolina

News & Notes: Vince revealed why he disappeared before No Mercy. He and Linda did couples’ counseling and seemingly patched their differences. Shane and Stephanie called this disgusting. Then they lured Vince away from the building and slapped Linda. This was enough for Vince. He said this had to end at Survivor Series with a Winner Take All Match. Next, Vince challenged Shane to a Street Fight, but Shane warned Vince somebody would betray the WWF. That someone was Kurt Angle! Austin welcomed Kurt into the Alliance and returned his gold medals! He even gifted him a Stone Cold hat, but he wanted it back after Vince spread distrust among the Alliance. Meanwhile, Vince filled out his team. He almost claimed Angle’s spot, but Vince suffered an injury, so Big Show replaced him. Taker and Kane also joined because they were feuding with RVD over the Hardcore belt.

In other news, Mick Foley tried to coexist with Regal as a fellow commissioner. He took over half of Regal’s office and challenged Regal to a game of Connect Four. However, this didn’t last. Soon they stopped bringing Foley to TV, which annoyed Mick. He sensed he might be out of a job no matter who won at Survivor Series, so Mick said he would tell Vince to stick it. But first, Mick announced title unification bouts for this PPV. Anyone who holds a belt after this show will still have a job regardless of the outcome of the main event. Elsewhere, Rhyno dropped the US championship to Kurt Angle before Angle betrayed the WWF. As a result, Shane suspended Rhyno indefinitely. (They wrote him off TV to get neck surgery. We won’t see him for a while.)

They use “The End is Here” again during the opening video. (I’m going to count how many times they reuse this theme.) The song plays over clips of WWF legends and classic WrestleMania moments. Vince talks about the most serious threat the WWF has ever faced. Shane tells the Alliance he will see them in hell if they don’t win. And Angle says there is no tomorrow. Then they show footage of Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman mocking a fallen Vince. Stephanie says they couldn’t wait for Vince to die, but Vince threatens to wipe the Alliance off the face of the Earth. Finally, Shane talks about destiny while Heyman speaks Latin and declares death to sports entertainment and the WWF.

Now fireworks explode around the strangely asymmetrical entrance set. JR welcomes everyone to the 15^th Survivor Series before he discusses the card with Heyman. They call this the most important PPV extravaganza of all time. Ross says he is alongside Heyman for the last time, but Heyman says this is the WWF’s final PPV.

This leads to the entrances for the first contest. It’s Christian vs. Al Snow for the European championship. JR says this resulted from a confrontation on Heat. Christian greets his friends in South Carolina, so JR calls him a goof and corrects him. While the fans boo Christian for his blunder, he asks if seeing the champion of Europe in person excites them. Christian calls Greensboro a fitting setting. After all, their hopes and dreams will die tonight, like the WWF.

European Title Match: Christian (c) vs. Al Snow

Storyline: The Hurricane lost the European title to Bradshaw because he tried to give Bradshaw the Clothesline from Hell. Bradshaw punished him for the blunder. Then Christian got a shot at the Euro championship after he couldn’t capture the US gold. He faced Bradshaw in a non-televised match and won with the help of Lance Storm, a chair, and the belt. Afterward, Christian called himself the greatest Euro champ of all time, but mild-mannered reporter Gregory Helms begged to differ. He said his friend the Hurricane would beat Christian, so Christian threatened to kick his Hurri-Ass. Once Christian vanquished the Hurricane, Regal rewarded him with an encounter against the Big Show. It was a trap. Christian and DDP helped the Dudleys put Big Show through a table. Elsewhere, Al Snow stood up to Tazz when Tazz continued to bully Maven and Nidia.

The Match: Snow takes Christian to the mat and gets the better of him with chain wrestling and suplexes. When Al looks for more, Christian pulls him into the corner. Now Christian subdues Snow with a Russian leg sweep, a suplex counter, and a chinlock. He even uses choking and strikes until Snow slides underneath him. This allows Snow to do captured headbutts and a sit-out bomb. Next, Christian scores a backbreaker after two tries, but Snow rolls him up while Christian argues with the ref. Al continues with the Snow Plow only for Christian to get a foot on the ropes during the pin. Once Snow realizes he didn’t win, he chases Christian around ringside. They return to the ring, but Christian kicks Snow as he enters and ends it with the Unprettier.

Thoughts: This was a solid bout. It wasn’t overly flashy, but it told a decent story. I also liked the finishing sequence. It made Christian look crafty.

Winner: Christian (6:30)

Austin and Debra enter the Alliance locker room and receive a cold reception. Stephanie wonders where Austin has been and questions his behavior on Smackdown. She wants to know if he will turn on the Alliance. Austin says hell no. Why would she think that? She says Austin returned Vince’s smile, but Austin tells her that doesn’t mean he’s going to betray them. Shane explains everyone’s concerns about their jobs. He and Stephanie put everything into this! Austin is their leader, but he’s acting suspect. This leads to an argument about who should lead. Angle and RVD offer to do it, so Austin tells them to shut up and stop being paranoid. His watch says it’s time to whip some ass, even if he has to do it by himself. With that said, Austin tells everybody to leave, and he warns Booker T to not look at him funny.

Meanwhile, Vince and Linda arrive, but Vince wants a word with Linda. He says she can’t have it both ways. She can’t worry about winning and about everyone’s well-being. This is about business. Linda says she’s concerned about someone getting seriously injured, but Vince reminds her of an old saying. Shit happens, so she should prepare herself for what will happen. As he says this, Cole interrupts them. Vince teases Michael about his job concerns, but he tells Cole to give him credit. He built an empire through calculated risks, not foolish games. Vince says he has an ace in the hole. His six team members will defeat the Alliance’s four.

Upon hearing this, Regal confronts Vince. He says he won’t buy into Vince’s hogwash and mind games. Austin is part of the Alliance, so he’ll take great pleasure in watching the Alliance flush the WWF down the toilet. They will humiliate the WWF the same way Regal will do to Tajiri. Then Regal will look forward to the first Alliance RAW. Regal leaves after saying this, so Vince says this proves shit happens.

William Regal vs. Tajiri

Storyline: Tajiri defeated Kidman to become the Cruiserweight champion, so Regal offered him a place in the Alliance. He said he missed hanging out with Tajiri. However, Tajiri rejected the offer. Since Tajiri wouldn’t join, Regal beat him up and told Tajiri to meet him in the ring. Regal won the match, but he continued to attack Tajiri. Then Regal made Tajiri submit at Rebellion and tried to assault him again. This time, Tajiri sprayed the mist in his face. Tajiri also scuffled with Regal at the announce desk on RAW, so Regal powerbombed him on the floor. Later, Regal told Christian to take out Tajiri, and Christian succeeded. Afterward, Torrie confronted Regal. She called Regal a pompous ass, so Regal insulted her. This led to Tajiri & Torrie vs. Regal & Ivory. During the bout, Regal powerbombed Torrie and put her in the Regal Stretch.

The Match: Tajiri bloodies Regal’s nose with strikes, so Regal gives him a rolling Samoan Drop. He adds a running knee, but Tajiri surprises Regal with a low dropkick. Now Tajiri scores the Tarantula after two tries. When the ref makes him break it, Tajiri nails the handspring elbow. Tajiri attempts more, but Regal puts him in a hangman spot and pulls on Tajiri’s body. Back inside, Regal taunts the fans and looks for a butterfly suplex, but Tajiri counters with an arm drag. The buzzsaw kick follows only for Regal to duck it. This allows Regal to win with a Tiger Bomb.

Thoughts: This was short and explosive, but it had an abrupt ending. Did they end it early because of Regal’s busted nose? It sounded like he had trouble breathing. If this is the case, I can understand, but this disappointed me either way.

Winner: William Regal (2:59)

JR says the WWF needs to stop the bleeding, but he didn’t intend the pun. Meanwhile, Regal almost heads to the back, but he returns and gives Tajiri another Tiger Bomb. This draws Torrie to the ring, so Regal turns around again. He grabs Torrie by the hair and drops her with a Tiger Bomb as well! JR calls this despicable. He says, “Why!?” Heyman responds, “Why not?”

Backstage, Jan the makeup lady sprays oil on Test, but he tells her she’s doing it wrong. She has to rub it in properly or the light won’t hit it right. How else can he show people his muscle definition? While he says this, Stacy Keibler appears. She agrees with Test, so Test has an idea. They should party with the Dudleys after everyone wins their unification matches. Then he can unite with Stacy later. She says maybe and rubs his ass as she walks away. Test says she wants him.

Elsewhere, Coach interviews Test’s opponent, Edge. He says Edge could become a unified champion and gain job security. But if he and the WWF lose, he might be unemployed. Edge says this is true. He also calls his match with Test evenly matched. After all, they are both tall and they have long blond hair and unique first names. The only difference is, every chick on the planet has dumped Test. Edge says Test won’t hit him with the big boot. (He slaps his thigh as he says this.) However, Edge will hear Test say, “I lost. What’s that all aboot?” After saying this, Edge makes a funny face and leaves.

U.S. & Intercontinental Title Unification Match: Edge vs. Test

Storyline: Angle won the US title from Rhyno after Rhyno gored Edge backstage. Meanwhile, Edge began a rivalry with Test when they battled to a double count out and Test cost Edge a match against RVD. However, Test had other things to worry about. His partnership with Booker faltered. Booker eliminated Test from a battle royal for a WCW championship opportunity. They also had a few miscommunications, but they still briefly captured the WWF tag titles from Jericho and the Rock. Later, Edge and Test had a rematch, and Test pinned Edge with his feet on the ropes to take the IC belt. Undeterred, Edge challenged Angle for the US gold once Angle betrayed the WWF. During the bout, Kane distracted Kurt, so Edge speared Angle to become the US champion! Finally, Test and the Dudleys fought Edge and the Hardys. Edge scored the pin, but Test attacked him.

The Match: They tussle into the corners for clean breaks until Test uses a cheap shot. This leads to brawling outside around the barricade. They ram each other into it before heading back inside. Now Edge scores a swinging neckbreaker, but Test answers with a hotshot and chinlocks. Once Edge escapes, he hits a diving dropkick. He goes for more, but Test responds with a powerslam and avoids a flying crossbody. Fighting on the turnbuckles follows, and they block each other’s top-rope moves. When Test knocks Edge down again, he flies off the top and eats a dropkick! More back-and-forth brings us a series of reversals. Test misses a big boot, but he nails a spear and the pumphandle powerslam. Neither gains a three. Afterward, Test blocks an Impaler, but Edge turns a full nelson slam into a roll-up for the victory.

Thoughts: This started slowly, but they built to a great finish. The closing minutes turned this into an enjoyable encounter. They had some good nearfalls and counters, which made the slow build worth it.

Winner: Edge (11:19)

Stephanie paces backstage, so Kurt Angle approaches her. She says Austin’s words and Test’s loss stressed her out. She put all her money into this. If they lose, she will become a regular person! Does Kurt understand what that means? She will have to buy her own groceries, wash her own car, and clean her bathroom! Stephanie says she cannot become a regular person. Kurt tells her to calm down and not to worry. She isn’t a regular person. He calls her special. Besides, Angle thinks Austin is telling the truth. He is with the Alliance. But if he isn’t, Kurt will make sure Austin doesn’t screw them. Stephanie thanks Kurt for this.

Elsewhere, Lita talks to Jeff about the Hardys’ upcoming contest. She also wants Jeff to explain Matt’s strange behavior. While she says this, Matt exits the locker room behind them. He hears Lita, so Matt confronts her. She’s worried about his actions when she should think about the match. They will be out of a job if the WWF fails. Matt doesn’t want to lose his dream because of something that is out of his control. However, if they win tonight, they will have employment regardless. They will keep their dreams because they are Team Xtreme! Lita agrees and wishes Matt luck with a kiss. Then the Hardys leave while Trish walks out of the dressing room. She tells Lita good luck and says she will see her out there later. As Trish walks away, Lita looks confused. Why was Trish in there with Matt?

This leads to the entrances for the Hardys vs. the Dudleys in a cage. They dub over the Fink’s original introductions, yet they are incorrect. Finkel introduces the Dudleys as the WWF tag champs and calls the Hardys the WCW champions. It’s the other way around. How did they change this in post-production and still get it wrong?

Cage Match to Unify the WWF & WCW Tag Team Titles: The Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler) vs. The Hardy Boyz

Storyline: Matt Hardy’s wandering eye caused problems in his relationship with Lita. He found himself in compromising situations with Trish and Stacy. Worse yet, Stacy used the distraction to help the Dudleys capture the WCW tag belts from the Hardys. When Matt tried to make it up to Lita, he only worsened the situation. Matt accidentally hit Lita and cost her a match. Then Matt backed out of a mixed tag with Lita for an IC title opportunity, but he lost. However, it wasn’t all bad news. The Hardys defeated Booker and Test to win the WWF tag team championships. Afterward, they announced this unification bout in a cage, so the Dudleys and Test faced the Hardys and Edge. A wild brawl erupted, and Matt caught Stacy when she fell off the apron. Lita yelled at Matt, so the Dudleys seized the opening to give Lita a 3D!

The Match: The Hardys take control early with double-teaming until the Dudleys score a sidewalk slam and a reverse DDT. Then the Hardys answer with the same and perform Poetry in Motion to both men. An attempt at climbing leads to moves off the top rope. Matt gives D-Von a Russian leg sweep while Bubba lands a Bubba Bomb on Jeff. Now the Dudleys continue with a double flapjack on Matt and a Dudley Device to Jeff. They add the back suplex/neckbreaker combo before squashing Matt against the cage wall. This onslaught continues until the Dudleys miss stereo flying attacks.

With the Dudleys dazed, the Hardys take them down and land a flying splash and a guillotine leg drop. Next, Matt and Jeff climb, but Bubba hangs Matt in a tree of woe on the top of the cage! This enables the Dudleys to do the Wassup Drop to Jeff before telling Stacy to fetch a table. She has to flirt with Nick Patrick to steal the key to the cage door, which allows her to slide the table into the ring. Back inside, the Dudleys look for a 3D on Jeff, but Matt blocks it and climbs the cage. He escapes, so Heyman calls this a mistake. Matt left Jeff alone. Nevertheless, Jeff fends off the Dudleys and reaches the top. Before he climbs down, Jeff spots D-Von on the table. He goes for the Swanton and crashes when D-Von moves. Bubba covers Jeff for the three.

Thoughts: This was good, but not great. They had some nice spots, and I liked the stuff with Stacy and Nick Patrick. The problem was, the finish didn’t work as they intended. At first, I wondered how D-Von got on the table, but then I realized he tricked Jeff. That was amusing, but I’m unsure if it translated well to the viewer. I didn’t get it until a moment later. Also, it kind of made Jeff seem dumb.

Winners: The Dudley Boyz (15:44)

EMTs arrive with a stretcher for Jeff Hardy, so Lita comes to check on him. While this happens, JR admires Jeff’s courage, but he says Jeff made a mistake. Jeff couldn’t resist the adrenaline rush from doing a Swanton off the cage. As JR says this, the EMTs drag Jeff out of the ring in a way I’m pretty sure isn’t safe for an injured person.

Meanwhile, Mick Foley is at WWF New York, so JR wonders why he isn’t at the PPV. Mick calls this a great question. The WWF commissioner should be there, but he has to answer to Vince McMahon. Vince ordered him to go to New York, so he ran up a big bill on Vince’s dime. Then Mick calls the commissioner’s job a joke because Vince has the real power. Next, Mick says he will root for the WWF. If they win, he will come to Charlotte tomorrow. Mick says he has some words for Vince McMahon. Once Mick finishes, Heyman calls him out for calling the commissioner’s job a joke.

Back at the arena, Test approaches Scotty 2 Hotty in the stairwell. He asks Scotty if he’s in the Immunity Battle Royal. Scotty says yes, but what is it to Test? Instead of answering, Test attacks Scotty and beats him up. JR wonders what this is about, and he gets his answer. Test says Scotty isn’t in the match anymore.

Now it’s time for that battle royal. They cannot fire the winner for a year, no matter who wins the main event. The Alliance members enter to “Bodies” by Drowning Pool while the WWF guys use some generic rock. This is probably a network dub.

Participants: Test, Bradshaw, Faarooq, Lance Storm, Kidman, DDP, Albert, Tazz, Saturn, Raven, Billy Gunn, Chuck Palumbo, Crash, Justin Credible, Shawn Stasiak, Steven Richards, Tommy Dreamer, The Hurricane, Spike Dudley, Hugh Morrus, Chavo Guerrero, & Funaki.

Immunity Battle Royal

Storyline: This has a few storylines behind it. First, Shane and Steph punished members of the Alliance for failing. The Alliance fired Morrus, Chavo, and Palumbo. Afterward, Chuck got a tryout to join the WWF. He pinned Raven, but the Alliance beat him up until Billy Gunn saved him. Then Billy and Chuck formed a team. Billy called Chuck athletic and good-looking, like himself! Meanwhile, Albert and Scotty 2 Hotty also created a new pairing. They feuded with Alliance members and performed a double Worm together. In other news, DDP antagonized other wrestlers with his not-so-helpful pep talks. He pissed off Kane, Edge, and Big Show and received beatings for his troubles. Big Show even dressed as DDP and mocked him. And finally, Tazz had enough of Austin and Heyman. He challenged Austin and put Heyman in the Tazmission after Heyman insulted him.

The Match: Tazz joins the fray while Bradshaw flings Stasiak out of the ring. This pisses off Heyman. He says Tazz has no business there. While this happens, Hurricane dons his cape and flies, but the APA sends him to the floor. Now Albert press slams Saturn to the outside and Test dumps Faarooq. As more eliminations happen, Chavo and Hugh Morrus sneak into the contest. Heyman says the Alliance fired them. It doesn’t matter because they don’t last long. Gunn gets rid of Chavo. He even tosses Tazz, much to Heyman’s delight, so Tazz threatens Heyman. Later, it comes down to Bradshaw, Storm, Gunn, and Test. Bradshaw and Storm scuffle, so Test knocks them over the ropes. What Test doesn’t realize is Gunn avoided elimination. Billy jumps Test and attempts a Fameasser, but Test evades it. Test wins by eliminating Gunn with a big boot.

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad for a battle royal. They included storyline developments and good commentary to make it decent. This served its purpose and set up Test’s angle going forward, so I didn’t mind it.

Winner: Test (7:37)

Booker T wants to talk to Shane about something. He doesn’t trust Austin. After all, you don’t trust anybody. Booker says he has been there since day one. He’s all about the Alliance, but he won’t lose his job because of Stone Cold Steve Austin! Does Shane understand? Shane says he does. He put everything on the line. The Alliance is his life, but he trusts Austin. Shane says he looked into Austin’s eyes. He knows Austin is with the Alliance. Booker has to trust him. If they don’t work as a team, they don’t have a shot. Booker says he hopes Shane is right. Shane says he knows he is right.

Now it’s time for a Six-Pack Challenge to crown a new Women’s champion. JR says two women will start in the ring. The rest will remain on the apron, and they can tag at any time. Also, the Alliance has a surprise entrant. It’s Jazz! She goes after Lita when she arrives.

Six-Pack Challenge for the vacant Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Ivory vs. Jazz vs. Jacqueline vs. Lita vs. Mighty Molly

Storyline: The women’s division is back, but they vacated the championship after Chyna left. In the meantime, Trish, Lita, Molly, Ivory, and Stacy have been feuding. Trish and Lita defeated Molly and Ivory in a tag encounter. Then Trish beat Molly in a one-on-one bout. Next, Trish refereed Lita & Torrie vs. Molly & Stacy at Rebellion. Lita gave Molly the Twist of Fate to succeed. Later, Lita fought Ivory. Matt tried to help, but the distraction cost Lita the win. However, Lita pinned Ivory in the mixed tag match Matt abandoned for his IC title shot. Lita teamed with Jeff instead. Finally, Regal announced this contest and promised a surprise entrant for the Alliance. This pissed off Ivory.

The Match: Jazz suplexes Lita, but Lita turns a side slam into a headscissors. Then Molly and Jackie tag and have a test of strength. This leads to leapfrogs and shoulder blocks until Jackie and Ivory face off. They trade pin attempts before Trish and Jackie take turns catapulting Ivory into the ropes. This pisses off the Alliance ladies, so they triple-team Trish, but the WWF women stop it with a double clothesline. Now everybody hits their finishers in rapid succession. We see the Molly-Go-Round, a Chick Kick, Poison Ivory, and a Twist of Fate. Lita even lands a moonsault, so Jazz and Molly interrupt the cover. Afterward, Lita and Trish clear the ring, which leaves Trish against Ivory. Trish nails the Stratusfaction for the victory.

Thoughts: This was decent, but you could tell they rushed it. They used this as a cooldown before the main event, so time was never on its side. I’ll give the ladies credit for packing as much into this as possible. Unfortunately, the lack of length meant Jazz got little time to shine. The fans weren’t familiar with her. She didn’t get a reaction, so she needed to stand out in this.

Winner: Trish Stratus (New Champion) (4:23)

Backstage, Vince gives Team WWF a pep talk. He has confidence in them, but he could be looking at a group of losers. The WWF fans will never forgive them if they fail! Vince says their family and their peers will rightfully ridicule them for losing. And what would it say about those who preceded them? Vince mentions Buddy Rogers, Jerry Graham, Gorilla Monsoon, Andre the Giant, and High Chief Peter Maivia. He looks directly at the Rock when he says the last name. Then Vince tells them to not think about the Austin rumors. They should consider them to be BS and focus on surviving. He chose them to lay it on the line and honor the WWF, so they should go do it!

This leads to the entrances for the main event. The WWF and Alliance locker rooms watch on as everybody arrives. Once everyone is there, the Rock and Austin brawl.

Winner Take All Match: Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Big Show, The Undertaker, & Kane) vs. Team Alliance (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, & Shane McMahon)

Storyline: The Rock and Jericho couldn’t coexist. However, they won the WWF tag titles from the Dudleys. This didn’t quell the tensions. They accused each other of being traitors and got into fights. Then they lost the tag belts to Booker and Test after Jericho struck the Rock by mistake. As a result, Rock challenged Jericho for the WCW championship. Vince hoped this would get the aggression out of their systems, but things grew worse when Rock beat Jericho for the gold. Jericho brutalized him with a chair. Sensing trouble, Vince tried to sow discord among the Alliance. He claimed Austin was going to return to the WWF. Austin denied this, but the plan worked. It caused trust issues between Austin and Angle. Unfortunately, Austin didn’t help matters when he shared beers and sang songs with the Rock. But Austin and Rock still attacked each other.

The Match: Shane keeps breaking up the WWF team’s pins and running away. This allows the Alliance to keep fighting until they gang up on the Big Show. Everybody hits their finishers on him and Shane nails a flying elbow to eliminate Show. Sadly for Shane, the WWF team does the same to him. Now Kane cleans house and dominates until he runs into RVD. Rob lands a Five Star, but Kane grabs him by the throat when he covers. When Kane attempts to chokeslam him, a brawl erupts, and RVD vanquishes Kane with a flying kick. Kane is out, but Taker is in. He hands out corner clotheslines and gives Angle the Last Ride, so Booker distracts Taker with a chair. This enables Austin to score a Stunner and pull Angle on top for the pin.

The Rock and Booker fight once more. This time, Rock whips Booker into Angle and rolls Booker up for a three. With Booker gone, RVD faces Jericho. Chris blocks a split-legged moonsault with his knees and ousts RVD with the Breakdown (Full Nelson Facebuster). Next, Rock and Angle tussle and Rock makes Angle tap to the Sharpshooter. This shocks Heyman, but the Alliance rebounds. Austin reverses a roll-up to send Jericho packing. The problem is, Jericho doesn’t leave. He takes out his frustrations on the Rock and drops him with the Breakdown! It only earns a two, so Jericho almost goes for more, but Taker confronts Jericho. He yells at Chris and sends him backstage.

Back in the ring, Rock and Austin trade Sharpshooters. After Rock is slow to release him, Austin tries to use the WWF belt and fails. Meanwhile, Nick Patrick sneaks down the ramp while the Rock does the Stunner. He pulls Hebner outside to stop the count. This causes an argument between Rock and Patrick, which opens the door for Austin’s Rock Bottom on the Rock. It only gets a two, so Austin knocks Nick out and fetches Hebner. They wipe Earl out again within seconds. He isn’t available when Austin stuns the Rock. As Austin checks on Hebner, Angle returns and grabs the WWF title. He gets in the ring and clocks—Austin! The shot knocks Austin into a Rock Bottom, and Rock pins him.

Thoughts: I liked the finish and large chunks of the bout, but this was too long. It didn’t need to be forty minutes. They could have shaved fifteen off of it and been fine. The women’s contest could have used the extra time. With that said, this was still mostly enjoyable.

Survivor: The Rock (44:57)

Heyman looks shocked and the Alliance locker room reacts in horror. Jazz has a look on her face that says, “Man, I just got here!” Meanwhile, JR tells Heyman he’s out of a job again because Angle screwed the Alliance! While he says this, Stephanie cries in despair, as she watches the Rock pose on the turnbuckles. Then Vince appears on the stage and raises his arms in victory. He gets so excited he throws his jacket on the ground.

The Good:

• Most of the main event

• Edge vs. Test

• The opener

The Bad:

• Regal vs. Tajiri disappointed me

• The lack of time for the women’s match

Observations & Extra Notes:

• Tazz’s booking confused me. They portrayed him as a bully with Maven and Nidia, but they also had him rebel against the Alliance and stand up to Austin and Heyman. The WWF sent mixed signals.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Austin. He was great in the main event. Plus, he busted his lip pretty badly and kept wrestling. His face was a mess.

Final Thoughts:

This was another solid PPV, but it wasn’t as nice as No Mercy. Again, none of the matches were bad, but a few disappointed me. With that said, I’m glad to see the end of the invasion storyline. It was an exercise in wasted potential. Now the WWF can reset and move on to better things. Good stuff is coming, especially on the following night’s RAW.

Thank you for reading. My next review is Vengeance 2001. Look for it next Sunday!