Unforgiven 2002

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

Unforgiven

September 22, 2002

Staples Center

Los Angeles, California

News & Notes: Bischoff booked a #1 contender contest between Taker and Triple H after SummerSlam. Triple H succeeded, but everyone received a shock. Stephanie signed Brock Lesnar to an exclusive Smackdown contract. He wouldn’t appear on both shows. Since this left RAW without a champ, Bischoff split the championships and reinstated the World title. Then he handed it to the #1 contender, Triple H. The decision didn’t sit well with some superstars, especially Bubba Ray Dudley. He confronted Triple H, but Hunter told him to earn it. Bubba had to fight Steven Richards. He won, but Hunter still didn’t give Bubba a shot. Worse yet, Triple H laughed at Spike Dudley when the Un-Americans injured him. Meanwhile, that wasn’t the only change to the titles. Bischoff made Dreamer the final Hardcore titleholder so he could unify it with the Intercontinental gold. RVD defeated Dreamer in a unification bout.

In other news, Matt Hardy’s strange behavior continued. He tried to set an example of what he calls Mattitude for Moore and Hurricane by picking fights with Lesnar, Hardcore Holly, and Taker. This didn’t end well for him when he got too close to Taker’s wife, Sara. But it didn’t stop Matt from antagonizing Taker. Elsewhere, Fink faced Lilian in a Tuxedo/Evening Gown Match to determine the RAW announcer. Lilian prevailed, so Fink retreated to Heat and commiserated with Raven. Next, we have Jeff Hardy. Bischoff thought he was defecting, so he sent 3-Minute Warning after him. Once Eric learned Crash Holly was the defector, he apologized. Hardy warned him not to do it again. I should also mention Funaki. He named himself Smackdown’s #1 announcer and told everybody about it. And finally, Lesnar accidentally broke Hardcore Holly’s neck with a botched powerbomb. He will be gone for a while.

The PPV: The opening video focuses on the two championship matches. They show footage of old NWA and WCW champions while the narrator talks about the World title. Bischoff handed it to the assassin Triple H. He did this out of corporate spite, and Hunter accepted it out of personal greed. Now, he defends the gold against the poised and determined RVD. Triple H must succeed in earning what they gave to him. Then there is the WWE belt. Its current controller remains unscathed. He is ready to eliminate all that stands in his way, but his opponent has a decade of destruction. Taker teaches pain to those who walk too close to his yard. This is personal, so the Undertaker wants to take first blood. Lesnar seeks to dispose of another legend. Tonight, we bear witness to history. The mighty will rise, and the meek shall remain Unforgiven.

Next, “Adrenaline” by Gavin Rossdale plays while fireworks explode. JR welcomes everyone to the event. He says RAW and Smackdown have assembled under one roof, and four championships are on the line. Plus, we will get an inter-promotional tag encounter with major implications! With that said, JR and Lawler discuss the card as the Un-Americans arrive for their contest. They’re facing Booker, Goldust, Kane, and Bubba Ray. Kane returned with an updated look. He was slimmer and sported a new mask, so some fans thought this was a different guy. It was definitely still Glenn Jacobs.

Booker T, Goldust, Kane, & Bubba Ray Dudley vs. The Un-Americans (Christian, Lance Storm, Test, & William Regal)

Storyline: Christian lost to Booker, so Test had an idea to cheer him up. They attempted to burn the American flag, but a returning Kane, Booker, and Goldust stopped them. Then Kane performed a Kane-a-Roonie in celebration. This led to Christian & Storm vs. Kane. Test tried to join a beat down, but Bradshaw rescued Kane. As a result, Bradshaw and Kane got a tag title shot. Unfortunately, Regal joined the Un-Americans, using the brass knuckles to help them succeed. Regal said he didn’t change. He was always Un-American. Later, Booker, Goldust, and Kane faced Regal and Test in singles and tag encounters, ending with brass knuckles attacks or brawls. Meanwhile, Bubba and Spike competed for the tag belts, but the Un-Americans put Spike out of action by throwing him through a table.

The Match: Bubba and Goldust fluster the Un-Americans with a double clothesline and a double flip, flop, and fly. Bubba also fends off Storm’s comeback, puts him in a tree of woe, and chops him. The Un-Americans almost rally when they pull Goldust outside for an attack, but Booker tags and hits heel kicks and superkicks. Booker even joins Bubba for a Wassup Drop on Regal before Bubba sends him to get a table. This leads to a momentum turn because Christian and Storm baseball slide the table into Booker behind the ref’s back.

Regal, Christian, and Test subdue Booker with double-teaming, suplexes, and chinlocks. Nevertheless, Booker rallies with a corner sunset flip and a spinebuster. Now Kane tags. He cleans house with clotheslines, a side slam on Test, and a tilt-a-whirl slam on Storm. The flurry causes a brawl. Kane boots Regal. Test gives Kane a pumphandle powerslam. Booker clocks Test with a scissors kick and does a Spinaroonie. And Christian plants Booker with a reverse DDT. When Kane fights back, Storm and Christian use a low blow and a superkick. Booker stops them, but he misses a sidekick. Before the Un-Americans capitalize, Bubba drops Christian with a Bubba Bomb, and Goldust performs Shattered Dreams on him. Next, Test knocks Goldust down with a big boot, but Kane nails a flying clothesline to Test. Finally, Kane chokeslams Storm and prevents Regal from using the knucks. With Regal down, Kane covers Storm for three.

Thoughts: This was fun, exciting, and chaotic. They had the crowd running hot, so this was exactly what an opener should be. Better yet, the crowd’s reaction to Booker T grew. He was gaining more popularity by the day. Booker and Kane got the best reactions.

Winners: Booker, Goldust, Kane, & Bubba (9:59)

Afterward, Kane sets off his pyro, and Bubba waves an American flag while they celebrate.

Backstage, Stephanie speaks with Billy and Chuck. She says when they face Rosey and Jamal, it isn’t only about her. It’s about Smackdown, pride, and redemption. Billy interrupts to say it’s also about making sure she doesn’t have to French kiss a lesbian. Steph says she’s serious, so Chuck assures her they’re serious. They will represent Smackdown tonight. After they win, if Bischoff doesn’t like it, he will kiss Stephanie’s ass! Steph says she likes the sound of that. Lawler agrees. They will get hot lesbian action, or they will see Stephanie’s butt!

Intercontinental Title Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Ric Flair

Storyline: Jericho unleashed his frustrations on Jimmy Snuka and Jeff Hardy after SummerSlam. To make matters worse, Triple H’s issues with RVD ruined Jericho’s planned Intercontinental title match. He had to team with Hunter against Flair and RVD instead, and Flair put Jericho in a Figure Four on the floor while RVD pinned Hunter. Later, Jericho competed against RVD, Jeff Hardy, and Big Show in a #1 contender’s contest, but RVD won. Before the bout, Ric Flair endorsed RVD. Next, Bischoff said RVD had to defend his Intercontinental gold before the PPV, so Eric booked RVD vs. Jericho. Triple H distracted RVD, and Jericho became the new champ! Afterward, Jericho told Bischoff he needed to fight Flair again for redemption.

The Match: They shove and slap each other until Flair sends Jericho to the apron. Then Jericho flies off the turnbuckles only to eat a punch to the gut. Plus, Ric catches a dropkick and attempts the Figure Four, but Jericho shoves him outside. Now, Jericho nails a triangle dropkick, a missile dropkick, and a body guillotine on the ropes. An ab stretch follows, which Flair escapes. So Jericho pokes the eyes and whips Flair into a Flair Flip, but Ric retaliates with an eye poke.

He launches Jericho over the post and drills Chris with knee drops. Ric even prevents Jericho from trying a springboard and attacks the leg. When Ric seeks another Figure Four, Jericho counters with an inside cradle. Jericho continues with the Lionsault and lands on his feet because Flair moves. This appears to injure Chris’s leg. He begs off and says he’s hurt, so he ref calls for help. Flair doesn’t believe him at first, but he relents. This is the opening Jericho needs. Once Flair turns, Jericho jumps him and puts him in the Walls for a submission.

Thoughts: This was good, and I enjoyed the finish. They told a nice story. Jericho outsmarted the dirtiest player in the game with his own tactics. The length was the only problem. This felt rushed, so I wanted more.

Winner: Chris Jericho (6:16)

As Jericho leaves, he taunts Flair for falling for his ruse. Flair looks disappointed with himself.

Meanwhile, Bischoff laughs at Flair’s misfortune before speaking with 3-Minute Warning. He says tonight is their first official match as a tag team, so he wants them to remember some things. They represent Eric Bischoff and RAW. Therefore, Eric stacked the deck by bringing in the one guy who knows Billy and Chuck better than anyone. It’s Rico. Rico says he knows Billy and Chuck inside and out, but he clarifies once he realizes how that sounds. Then Rico says he prepared Rosey and Jamal for Billy and Chuck. Bischoff can relax. Rico tells him to grab some Vaseline and watch Stephanie perform hot lesbian action! Eric says he loves HLA.

Now Cole and Tazz take over commentary while they show Shaq in the crowd with his son. The boy playfully punches Shaq on the chin. Afterward, Eddie Guerrero arrives, and the camera shows a fan’s sign that says, “Eddie moed my lawn.” What an idiot. Also, Cole says Eddie gave Edge a mild concussion with a chair shot. This happened three days ago, but Edge is here to fight. It was a different time.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge

Storyline: Stephanie held a #1 contender series, and Eddie defeated Edge in the first bout. However, Eddie lost to Rikishi, so Benoit helped him beat up Rikishi until Edge saved him. Later, Eddie, Benoit, and Angle faced Edge, Rikishi, and Taker. Before the contest, Eddie stirred the pot between Benoit and Angle, but it backfired. Their fighting left Eddie to take a Stink Face and the loss. Next, Eddie and Chavo fought Edge and Cena, and Eddie wanted to shove Edge’s face into Chavo’s ass. Unfortunately, Chavo tripped, and Eddie’s face wound up in Chavo’s ass! Afterward, Eddie vowed to make sure Edge never disrespected him again. Eddie and Chavo wrestled Edge and Rikishi. Chavo took the Stink Face this time but pinned Rikishi after hitting him with a TV camera. Edge tried to save him, but Eddie busted Edge open with a chair.

The Match: Eddie lures Edge into a trap with a chase, but Edge responds with a backdrop, a flapjack, a powerslam, and a suplex. This flurry ends when Eddie scores a tornado DDT and focuses on Edge’s head. He uses a modified head vice, a back suplex, a front facelock, and a cravat. After fending off a comeback, Eddie continues the assault on Edge’s head. He even stands on it. Eventually, Edge rallies after a double-down.

Edge hooks an inside cradle before landing a swinging neckbreaker, a Manhattan drop, a face plant, and the Edge-O-Matic. Plus, Edge counters a step-up hurricanrana into a sit-out bomb and turns a victory roll into an electric chair hotshot. Now Eddie avoids a spear but eats an Edgecution, yet he gets a foot on the ropes during the pin. When Edge misses a missile dropkick, Eddie exposes a turnbuckle. It backfires because Edge reverses him into it and nails a corner spear. He places Eddie on top, so Eddie rams Edge’s head into the exposed buckle. This opens the door for a sunset bomb, and Eddie pins Edge with a handful of tights.

Thoughts: This was great. It was much better than their SummerSlam encounter. Eddie’s work on Edge’s head made sense, and Edge sold it perfectly. Also, I loved that finish. It was brutal and crafty. On a side note, the fans warmed up to Eddie. This match earned Eddie chants.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero (11:55)

A smug Triple H walks into the RAW locker room and confronts RVD. While this happens, Ric Flair stews over his loss in the background. Hunter says RVD looks too calm and collected, so he accuses him of having no passion or desire. He says there’s no way RVD will win the title. Then Hunter points at Flair and says that man used to have desire and a craving. He disdained his opponents, but not anymore! So it’s appropriate a Zen master like RVD would warm up with a loser like Flair. When Flair hears this, he approaches Triple H, but RVD holds him back. RVD asks Hunter if he came all the way down there to tell him that. He would rather associate with a so-called loser like Flair than an alleged winner like Hunter any day. This makes Triple H laugh and walk away.

3-Minute Warning (Rosey & Jamal) (w/ Rico) vs. Billy & Chuck

Storyline: Chuck proposed to Billy after SummerSlam! They scheduled a commitment ceremony for the next week, and Rico asked Stephanie to be a witness. The wedding happened despite D-Von and the Godfather trying to stop it. However, Billy and Chuck got cold feet. They thought it was a publicity stunt, but Rico tried to force them to go through with it. Worse yet, Bischoff disguised himself as the old minister. He had 3-Minute Warning destroy everyone with Rico’s help! Bischoff rewarded Rico for his involvement by bringing him to RAW and giving him a contest against Flair. Meanwhile, some women were protesting Bischoff’s hot lesbian action segment. Stephanie was one of them, and she set up an ambush with Billy and Chuck. Afterward, Bischoff suggested this encounter with some stipulations. If B&C wins, he’ll kiss Steph’s ass. But if 3MW succeeds, Steph has to perform HLA!

The Match: They brawl until Rico gives Chuck a cheap shot. This enables Rosey to nail a back suplex and hold Chuck for Jamal’s attack. Then 3MW uses a ref distraction to double-team Chuck, and Jamal hits a running kick. Frequent tags, cheap shots, and headbutts follow. Plus, they deck Billy to cause a diversion for more double-teaming. Eventually, Rosey misses a second-rope moonsault, and Billy makes a hot tag. He cleans house with knockdowns, but a double noggin knocker doesn’t work. 3MW answers with a double headbutt. With Billy down, Jamal climbs, but Chuck slams him off the top rope. Now Rosey turns the One and Only into a full nelson slam. Chuck superkicks Rosey. Jamal superkicks Chuck. And Billy reverses a gorilla press into a Fameasser! Sensing trouble, Rico interferes, which allows Rosey to whip Billy into Jamal’s press Samoan Drop. It’s enough for a three.

Thoughts: This was solid and fun. It had a simple structure, but that’s fine. They kept it exciting and had a hot finish. Also, I liked the counters toward the end. This made 3-Minute Warning look strong, so it served its purpose perfectly. On a side note, Cole said 3-Minute Warning grew up in Sunnydale, California. Did he mean Sunnyvale, or are Rosey and Jamal Buffy the Vampire Slayer villains?

Winners: 3-Minute Warning (6:38)

A gleeful Bischoff says he knew Rosey and Jamal would come through for him. Now, Stephanie has to perform hot lesbian action in front of the crowd! He loves this. Coach asks if Bischoff has decided who he will send out. He has quite the selection. Bischoff asks the ladies for a volunteer, so they raise their hands and say, “Me!” Instead of choosing, Bischoff asks for a HLA chant, which they give him. Lawler likes this.

World Title Match: Triple H (c) vs. Rob Van Dam

Storyline: Flair confronted Triple H after Bischoff handed him the championship and challenged him. Hunter won, and Jericho attacked Flair. When RVD came to save Ric, Triple H jumped him, but RVD fought back. This led to Hunter & Jericho vs. RVD & Flair, and RVD pinned Triple H! We got RVD vs. Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show in a #1 contender’s elimination contest because of the win. Van Dam defeated Jericho to earn his shot. Later, Triple H called RVD lucky, so RVD claimed Hunter was jealous of his cool moves. RVD even mocked Hunter’s water spit. Meanwhile, Bischoff said RVD and Triple H had to defend their belts before the PPV. RVD faced Jericho, and Hunter cost Rob his title! Then Triple wrestled Jeff Hardy. Hunter succeeded despite RVD jumping him beforehand. Afterward, RVD gave Hunter the Five Star and held up the gold.

The Match: RVD flusters Triple H with multiple headlock takeovers and arm drags until Hunter regroups. Then RVD calls for a water bottle and mocks Triple H’s water spit. When Hunter retaliates, RVD scores more takedowns, so Hunter bails again. This time, RVD splats on a missed somersault plancha. He reaches the apron by a nine count, so Hebner shows him leniency. After fending off pin attempts, Hunter lands a neckbreaker before they fight around the announcer’s table. Back inside, Hunter nails the high knee and climbs the corner. He pauses to mock RVD’s taunt, so RVD throws him.

Now RVD does kicks, a cartwheel moonsault, a rolling monkey flip, and Rolling Thunder. Hunter rolls outside, so RVD performs a slingshot plancha and a flying kick. Triple H’s answer is a face crusher, but he wipes out the ref as RVD evades his next attack. While Hebner is down, RVD counters a Pedigree and hits the Five Star, but there’s no official. This allows Hunter to throw a low blow and fetch his sledgehammer. RVD thwarts him with a wheel kick as Ric Flair arrives. Ric grabs the hammer and makes Triple H beg off. Shockingly, Flair turns and drills RVD in the gut with the weapon! This opens the door for a Pedigree while Flair rolls Hebner into the ring. Hunter covers for the victory.

Thoughts: This started slowly, but that’s fine because they kept it entertaining and never lost the crowd. They built to a nice finish, which I also liked. This didn’t bother me because of the benefit of hindsight. People at the time were mad that Triple H prevailed, but Triple H wouldn’t drop the belt in his first defense. What did people expect?

Winner: Triple H (18:17)

Afterward, Flair grabs the title and hands it to Triple H. JR doesn’t understand why Flair would do this, but Lawler says he came to his senses. Flair realized Triple H deserved to be the champion. While Lawler says this, Hunter hugs Flair and raises the belt.

Backstage, D’Lo and Kidman discuss Flair’s actions. They can’t believe what they saw. While they speak, Eric Braeden from The Young and the Restless appears. He says this proves you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. D’Lo almost gets Eric’s name wrong, but he still greets him. He says he loves Eric’s character, but he has a question. D’Lo wants to know if Eric gets any side action with the women on the show. Braeden says he can’t talk about it. He’s a married man. Then D’Lo asks Eric why he is there tonight. Before he answers, Dawn Marie joins them. She says he’s with her, and they walk away. D’Lo says some men have all the luck.

Women’s Title Match: Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly (c)

Storyline: Nowinski continued his mission to take Molly’s virginity. Regal and Nowinski faced Bubba and Spike, and Nowinski saved Molly from going through a table. He carried her backstage, so she asked if there was anything she could do to repay him. He said he could think of something. Then Molly and Nowinski fought Trish and Bubba in a Tables Match. Nowinski said he would burst through Molly’s hymen after bursting Bubba and Trish through tables. However, Bubba powerbombed Molly on a table to win. Later, Nowinski grew excited when he heard Bischoff was presenting hot lesbian action, so Regal had enough. He slapped some sense into Nowinski and told him to act like a Harvard graduate. Meanwhile, Molly defended her belt against Jacqueline and pinned her with her feet on the ropes.

The Match: They do chain wrestling and trade takedowns and pin attempts until Trish scores a neckbreaker. Then Trish gets her knees up on a corner charge but misses an elbow drop. This allows Molly to land a snap suplex before sending Trish outside. There, she rams Trish into the steps and the barricade. Back inside, Molly locks Trish in a straitjacket chinlock and drives her knees into Trish’s back. She even twists Trish around into different positions. Once Trish escapes, Molly floors her again with a low dropkick.

Now we get another pin exchange before Molly hits a drop toe hold into the ropes. Trish answers by countering a side slam into a bulldog. She also nails a Chick Kick after avoiding a clothesline. This leads to fighting on the top rope, and Trish tries the handstand headscissors, but Molly puts her in a tree of woe. She bends Trish against the turnbuckles and does a handspring squash in the corner. When Molly looks for more, Trish uses a wheelbarrow bulldog for the three.

Thoughts: This was solid, but they sadly had no heat. The promise of HLA made the crowd disinterested in a normal women’s contest. Worse yet, this had almost no build, and that’s a shame. Trish and Molly performed well. They did them a disservice.

Winner: Trish Stratus (New Champion) (5:46)

Coach interviews Trish in the aisle. He calls this a hard-fought victory. She is the Women’s champion again, so it must feel great. Trish says she goes into the ring every night for moments like this. She loves this moment, the title, and the fans.

Meanwhile, Bischoff celebrates with 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and the lesbians. They throw a party backstage. Eric says he loves these guys. He couldn’t have done it without them. Bischoff also sees Rico enjoying the fringe benefits of staying on his good side. Rico asks if they can leave with the ladies, so Eric says he must be reading his mind. There’s no need to ask. He tells them to have a fun time in Hollywood on him. They can use his name to get what they want anywhere they go. As they exit, Bischoff stops two ladies and asks them to help with the HLA.

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

Storyline: Benoit also competed in the #1 contender series. He defeated Rikishi to reach the finals. Steph added the Undertaker to make it a triple threat between Taker, Benoit, and Angle. Angle gave Taker an Angle Slam, but Benoit threw Kurt out of the ring. Then Eddie stirred the pot, and Angle took a Stink Face, so Benoit laughed at him. This only escalated the tensions. Meanwhile, Angle had a rematch with Mysterio. He compared Rey to a little boy and said he likes to play with boys. (That’s not what he meant!) After beating Rey, Angle interrupted Benoit vs. Rikishi and helped Rikishi give Benoit a Stink Face. Later, Angle started trouble with Billy and Chuck, so Steph made him team with Benoit against them. Angle said that was hard to swallow. (He didn’t mean that either!) Afterward, Benoit and Angle put each other in their submissions.

The Match: They do some amateur wrestling and pin attempts before almost locking each other in their finishers. This makes Kurt regroup before they brawl outside. Angle drops Benoit on the barricade and takes him into the ring for a bear hug with a bodyscissors. Benoit twists Kurt’s ankle to escape. Now Kurt hurts his shoulder on a missed corner charge, so Benoit targets it with knockdowns and takedowns. Kurt ends this with a belly-to-belly, which leads to rolling Germans from both men. They alternate back and forth until Benoit lands a release German.

While Kurt is down, Benoit climbs, but Kurt does his run-up throw. A collection of counters follows, which culminates with a shoulderbreaker by Benoit. He continues with a flying headbutt, but he is slow to capitalize. Since it didn’t earn a three, Benoit grabs a Crossface. Kurt hooks an anklelock while in the submission, so Benoit releases the hold and reapplies it. However, Kurt rolls through into another anklelock. When Benoit secures a rope break, Angle puts him in the Crossface! He uses his foot to push the rope away from Benoit’s hand. So Benoit reverses Angle into a cover with his feet on the ropes for leverage.

Thoughts: This was amazing! They had the crowd in the palm of their hands with incredible technical wrestling. This got applause and even a holy shit chant. People always talk about their Rumble 2003 encounter, but this one might be slightly better.

Winner: Chris Benoit (13:55)

Angle throws a fit while Benoit celebrates in the aisle. Benoit sees this and smiles because he knows he pulled one over on Angle.

Meanwhile, Marc Lloyd interviews Lesnar and Heyman. He says Brock will defend the WWE title against the Undertaker in a moment, but he is sure they know this is about more than the belt. This has gotten personal. Heyman says it hasn’t gotten personal. It has been personal. Any time you try to take the championship away from Lesnar, it’s personal. He worked his entire life for this. If Taker wants to get personal with Brock, they will be personal with him! When Heyman finishes, Brock says he isn’t sorry for what he did to Taker’s wife. And he isn’t sorry for what he will do to Taker. When you have no remorse, you are unforgiven.

Now it’s time for HLA. Bischoff arrives with the lesbians. Eric teases everyone with a sneak preview but stops them from kissing. He wants to save that for Stephanie, so he calls her to the ring. Bischoff has the ladies remove their tops and Steph’s jacket. Then, he tells them to give Steph a body massage. When they almost kiss, Eric prevents it again and sends them backstage. He has a better plan. Eric says he found the ugliest lesbian in Los Angeles. He invites a large woman, who is obviously a man in drag and possibly blackface! Eric calls her Hildegard. Steph looks worried, but then she kisses the woman and grabs her ass. This confuses Eric until the woman reveals she is Rikishi in disguise! He superkicks Bischoff into the corner and gives him a Stink Face. Rikishi and Steph dance as Bischoff retreats.

Next, they show a commercial for WWE’s live tour. It features fans talking about the memorable moments they witnessed.

WWE Title Match: Brock Lesnar (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. The Undertaker

Storyline: Since Lesnar screwed Taker out of a #1 contender opportunity, Steph signed Taker to Smackdown to get revenge. He won the triple threat #1 contender encounter and met Brock face-to-face. Taker said Brock hadn’t been in a real fight yet. Lesnar countered by talking about Taker’s pregnant wife. He asked how Taker would provide for Sara after he beat him. Later, Taker brought Sara to the show to see some friends. He left her in the locker room to wrestle Matt Hardy, so Lesnar and Heyman interfered in the contest. When the official ejected them, they went to find Sara. Taker got counted out to stop them, but Lesnar ambushed Taker and intimidated Sara. Afterward, Heyman hired security to protect Lesnar from a reprisal. Taker and Brock still brawled, but Matt Hardy helped Lesnar escape to protective police custody.

The Match: After feeling each other out, Taker frustrates Brock with knockdowns. He keeps sending him to the floor until Lesnar regroups. Then Taker scores a jumping clothesline and Old School before booting Heyman off the apron. This distraction allows Brock to target Taker’s ribs. He rams him into the post, lands a powerslam, and puts Taker in a grounded bear hug. Taker flings Brock through the ropes to break it, and they scuffle around the announcer’s tables. Sensing trouble, Heyman distracts the referee while Brock busts Taker open with the belt. He focuses on the cut to widen it before blocking a chokeslam. Nevertheless, Taker does Snake Eyes and two big boots but wipes out Brian Hebner on a reversed Irish whip!

This draws Matt Hardy out to interfere. He fails, and Taker gives Matt the Last Ride, but Brock surprises Taker with a spinebuster. Taker fires back with a jumping DDT but can’t land a Tombstone. Brock drops behind Taker and shoves him into the referee again. When this happens, Heyman throws a chair into the ring, but Taker kicks Brock and steals it. He bends it over Brock’s head with two shots, which leaves Lesnar bloody. Taker even goes outside and sends Heyman over the barricade. Back inside, Taker punches the cut and nails Brock with a big boot and leg drop. They aren’t enough. Next, they evade each other’s finishers, and a wild brawl erupts. The ref attempts to stop it, but both men shove and knock him down, so Hebner disqualifies them.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this. They had good action and drama. Sure, this had a disappointing finish, but the benefit of hindsight makes me appreciate it more. The feud continues with a great rematch, so I’m fine with this. Plus, I liked the post-match chaos.

Winner: Double Disqualification (20:27)

The fans chant bullshit while the melee continues. Brock and Taker shove the officials when they intervene. This allows Taker to hit two low blows and a chokeslam on Brock. Heyman convinces Lesnar to leave, but Taker chases him down the aisle. They fight toward the entrance, where Taker throws Brock through the Unforgiven sign!

The Good:

• The main event

• Angle vs. Benoit

• Triple H vs. RVD

• Flair vs. Jericho

• Eddie vs. Edge

The Bad:

• The lack of build and heat for the women’s match

• Rikishi’s blackface disguise

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Angle and Benoit. They stole the show with their amazing match.

Final Thoughts:

This was another solid PPV. None of the action was bad. Plus, this contained some great matches and entertaining moments. Some content hasn’t aged well, but it didn’t ruin this.

Thank you for reading. My next review is No Mercy 2002, which means we’ve reached the Katie Vick nonsense. Oh, joy! Look for my review next Sunday!