The Top Ten 5.08.07: Smackdown Matches

Well I certainly screwed the pooch with last week’s list. I thought I had a pretty definitive list of some of the greatest upsets of all-time and then I received a ton of email reminding of some very historic upsets that I left off the list. Upsets that included the likes of Owen Hart, Barry Horowitz, The Hurricane, Ivan Koloff, Mikey Whipwreck, and others were brought to my attention. I can’t believe I left off some of those names and now I’m not so happy with my list, I may have to re-do it in the future.

Welcome back to The Top Ten people. I’m your apologetic host, Julian, and this week we’re going to take a look at The Top Ten Smackdown Matches. Smackdown’s been around for a little over 7 years and has had its fair share of ups and downs. Even though Smackdown is usually treated like the bastard stepchild of the WWE, it is often looked upon by fans as the “wrestling brand” due to the fact that SD usually trumps Raw in terms of in-ring quality. That was best showcased in late 2002 when The Smackdown Six (Edge, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero) were putting on MOTYC practically every show. You’ll definitely be seeing a lot of matches during that era on this list. No matter what obstacles are thrown in Smackdown’s way, it usually finds a way to overcome and build new stars and present quality programming. Now that Smackdown has celebrated it’s 400th episode, we’ll take a look back at some of their best matches to date. But first, feedback!

Reader Feedback

First up is 411’s own Mike Minotti who mentions a HUGE upset:

Hey, this Mike Minotti from 411. I enjoyed your Top Ten Upsets column, but I think you left out an important match; Owen Hart defeating Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X. Who would have thought that Owen would beat Bret on the company’s biggest show of the year? Add the fact that Bret would go on to win the WWE title that same night, and it’s even more of an upset.

I cannot BELIEVE that I forgot this match. What crack was I smoking that day? It must have been that Bobby Brown shit. This match definitely deserved to be on the list and should have probably been in the top three. A ton of you guys wrote in about this particular match and I cant blame you because this truly was a monumental upset. I remember being stunned when I was kid to see Owen beat my favorite wrestler at the time, Bret Hart, cleanly. I was in shock until the ladder match came on because the rest of the matches between Bret/Owen and the ladder match was a blur to me because I couldn’t get over the fact that Bret lost clean. Definitely one of the biggest upsets ever, that’s a HUGE miss by me. Now I know how Tracy McGrady feels.

Next up is Samer who mentions a few more noteworthy upsets:

Hello Jules this is Samer from lebanon, i’m a long time reader of ur
column,
but this is my first feedback..

So anyway, great column as usual but i just have a few matches to add
that u
might have forgotten about..

-The hurricane beating The Rock..
this was before Wrestlemania XIX when the Rock was heel and he was
feuding
with Austin, he also had some funny segments with the hurricane which
led to
this match.. The Rock was dominating and being a prick, playing the
heel
role perfectly when Austin came out, distracted him and allowed the
Hurricane to role him up for the victory.

-Rey Rey beating kevin nash
Well nash rarely jobs, but he was beateng CLEAN by mysterio who was far
from
being a main eventer in WCW… that was quite an upset.

-Tomko beating SAMOA JOE!!! do i need to say anything else???? yeah
maybe i
do, he pinned him after a clotheline!!!!!!

-K-fed pinning Cena.. well nobody cared but it was an upset.

Oh and just one funny note: “The victories that you never saw coming
and
made you realize why you love this sport we call professional
wrestling.”
Well i Dunno about you, but when David Arquette won the WCW
championship i
didn’t really realize why i love this sport we call professional
wrestling.
But besides that great column..

I also received a ton of email about Hurricane beating The Rock and I had honestly forgot that had even happened. I remembered all their great skits togethers, but I forgot that Hurricane did indeed pin The Rock. Foolish me. I never saw Mysterio’s upset of Big Daddy Cool, but I probably should have included that because I remember people damn near pooping their pants when it happened. Tomko’s upset was also a huge one, but I think it’ll be less thought of as an upset in the months to come as TNA seems to try to be building up Tomko as a legit badass. K-Fed pinning Cena was a huge upset also, but I think the IWC was so enamored with K-Fed’s awesome heelery that we tried to convince ourselves that he should have pinned Cena. I didn’t realize how absurd my teaser for the upsets column was until I read it over and remembered I had David Arquette on the list which in turn made me mumble, “Fuck sticks” and hang my head in shame.

Next up is Chris who corrects me on a couple things and reminds me of some other great upsets:

Oh, I can’t believe you missed one. When I saw the
title of the column, the first match that came to my
head, and not a whisker of a mention. How about Owen
Hart defeating brother Bret at Wrestlemania X? Granted
if they were to do that sort of match these days then
most people would be calling the upset, but the same
can easily be said of any of the ones over ten years
old on your list. Fact is, at the time NOBODY had Owen
pegged as a credible contender, let alone beating a
guy like Bret. Some of the ones – the Steamboat one,
the Sheik one, the Simmons one, all upsets granted but
they had all been (and still were to a degree) title
contenders. Owen had never won a big match, in the WWF
at least, ever, unless you count the Skinner match…
yeah.

And what really made it, in my opinion, greater than
many of the ones on your list is that he did it clean,
fair and square, after matching him throughout the
match. There were a few in there that were as a result
of interference and whilst were surprises and not
necessarily bad picks in their own right, are negated
ever so slightly because anyone can win a match
through massive interference.

I also wouldn’t have the McMahon Rumble one there as I
remember the consensus on the internet at the time was
that Austin would be getting the Mania title shot but
wouldn’t win the Rumble since he’d already won the
last two. Everyone pretty much pointed to either
Undertaker (who ended up not being in it anyway),
Austin eliminating himself to collect the bounty and
somehow using that to get his title shot, or Vince
McMahon. OK, there was the disbelief that he would
actually book himself to win it (how little everyone
knew…) but I remember a lot of people thinking he
might do it at the time.

Just to wrap up, in the 1-2-3 Kid/Ramon match, which I
have on tape, you implied the match wasn’t a squash
and the Kid was showing signs of brilliance. The
moonsault he used to win was actually the only
offensive manouvere he got in during the entire match,
so yeah, it was a total squash up until the finish.

Still, I’d have included that one, along with
Bret/Owen. Arquette too, even though I don’t want to,
and Benjamin/Triple H was a really good call that I’d
totally forgotten. I’d throw on Mikey
Whipwreck/Pitbull #1 for the TV title while I’m at it.
His subsequent title wins were upsets in their own
rights but that was Mikeys first and the one that
particularly stands out. And I’m stuck for the others,
a combination of five others that you noted I guess.
Duane Gill winning the light-heavyweight title
perhaps. Oh, and Arn Anderson beating Hulk Hogan on
Nitro back in 1996, that one came totally out of left
field at the time, particularly considering Hogans
“creative control” clause in his contact. Yes, include
that one.

Very good stuff here by Chris as the Bret/Owen upset was an obvious misstep by me, but the Mikey Whipwreck and Arn Anderson ones were worthy of an honorable mention. I included the McMahon Rumble victory because even though many people in the IWC doubted that Austin would win three in a row, some still felt that they would make Austin win it or that he would lose it and just beat whoever won it in a #1 contender’s match. I remember their being a slight rumbling about Vince possibly winning it, but I don’t think ANYBODY actually thought Vince was going to win it. The initial gasp of shock and the silence that followed in the crowd after McMahon won was a definite sign that people were not expecting that to happen at all. I often get the first match between The 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon confused with a later encounter which The Kid also won, but actually got offense in. But Chris is absolutely right as the first match where The Kid upset Razor, he had zero offense until that final move. Good stuff here by Chris, I respect a man that calls me out on my shit and backs it up. Now me and Chris have to grow some 1920’s mustaches and duke it out in a back alley with suspenders on. Like REAL MEN!

Next up is Nick who lists off some other great upsets:

Good list Julian –

Here are some others I thought of…

Ron Garvin over Ric Flair for NWA title (1987)
Barry Horowitz over Chris Candido (Summer 1995)
Michael Hayes over Lex Luger for NWA US title (1989)
Mike Rotundo over Nikita Koloff for NWA TV title (1988)
Shane Douglas over Eddie Gilbert for UWF TV title (1987)
Ivan Koloff over Bruno Sammartino for WWWF title
Chris Jericho over Scott Hall (1997 Nitro)
David Arquette over anyone in the free world

And…

The #1 upset in the last 20 years – HonkyTonk man defeats Ricky Steamboat for the IC title! Still pissed off about that one after all these years.

These are some great picks here by Nick as I was thisclose to including the Garvin upset of Flair, but I liked the Steamboat one a little more. I also got a ton of email about Barry Horowitz beating Candido aka Skip of The BodyDonnas. Koloff’s victory over Bruno was another upset that a lot of readers were getting on me for not including. And Nick is 100% right about Honky’s victory over Steamboat. Honky should not defeat anybody. Ever. In the history of the world. Past or Present. Amen.

Next up is 411’s own Ron Gamble who puts me in my place and shows what a real upsets list should consist of

Man, I feel like Matt Brock from the old Inside Wrestling mags more and more every day…

Bruno Sammartino won the WWWF title from Buddy Rogers on May 17, 1963, and defended it for almost eight years. When I van Koloff won it on January 18, 1971, Madison Square Garden didn’t riot, because the crowd was stunned into silence.

When Harley Race beat Dory Funk, Jr, in his hometown of Kansas City to win the NWA titlke for the first time on May 24, 1973, he was seen by most of the world as little more than a pretty boy (Harley Race a pretty boy?). He even went by “Handsome Harley Race” for years in the AWA. His win over Funk, who had held the title for over four years, was another big shock.

For a couple upsets later than the seventies, Jake “The Milkman” Milliman beat Col. DeBeers in a “Great American Turkey Hunt” match during the AWA’s “Team Challenge Series.” Later, in the battle royal to determine the winning team, Milliman eliminated DeBeers to win the match and the series. Those were, I believe, Milliman’s only wins on television ever.

And, how could you forget the beginning of Mulkey-Mania? Randy and Bill Mulkey’s fluke win over the Gladiators on WCW Saturday Night was their first win ever, and put them into the 1987 Crockett Cup.

I tell you, I don’t know how anyone could have forgotten these. Worst. Upset list. Ever.

Ron

PS – Okay, I’m kidding about the “worst” comment. I know you can only have ten, and some deserving items have to be left off the list.

Ron is our resident wrestling historian so except for Koloff beating Sammartino, the rest of these upsets look foreign to me. But I trust Ron’s opinion because the man knows his shit when it comes to wrestling. I really need to step my old school wrestling game up. Any of you tape traders out there, holla at cha boy! I got a bootleg copy of No Mercy 2001 and some old episodes of WWF Metal. Bring it!!

And finally we have Andrew who mentions some other memorable upsets:

Hi Julian
What about these upset wins:

Eugene beats Kurt Angle in the Angle Challenge

Technically, Eugene didn’t beat Angle, he just lasted 5 minutes, but the stips of the match were that was all he had to do to win Angle’s gold medal

Eddie Guerrero beats Brock Lesnar to win WWE Title: No Way Out 2004

A five star match, a rabid Cow Palace crowd, and the end to a great story of coming back from the odds for Guerrero. Maybe the finish was given away a bit by the insistence of Tazz and Cole on commentary that Eddie had no chance of winning but it was an upset.

Shawn Michaels wins the World Title in the Elimination Chamber: Survivor Series 2002

I never saw this coming. HBK’s comeback was supposed to be just the one match, at Summerslam, but when he superkicked a bloody HHH to win the title in the first ever Elimination Chamber, I marked out just like the sold out Madison Square Garden crowd.

Danny Davis/Hart Foundation beat British Bulldogs/Tito Santana: Wrestlemania 3

And Davis, evil referee who’d cost the Bulldogs and Santana their titles with his cheating ways, got the winning pin??

Eddie Guerrero’s title win is one that I definitely am upset at myself about leaving off. That was one of the greatest and most emotional upsets ever. Everybody at the time thought that Brock and Goldberg were going to fight at WM20 over the WWE Title so nobody really gave Eddie a chance in hell of winning. So when he got the three count of Lesnar, that was truly one of the greatest days ever to be a wrestling fan. The rest of Andrew’s picks were great as I don’t think anybody expected HBK to win the title at Survivor Series, but he pulled it off and brought back memories of the old HBK. Good stuff here by ‘Drew and even more proof that I’m definitely going to have to do the upsets list over. Goddamn crack, why must you be so sweet?

That’s all for the feedback this week people. Thanks for all the great feedback you guys sent me. If I didn’t respond to your email, I apologize and I will try to respond to you ASAP. Work keeps kicking my ass so by the time I get home, I just want to eat some grub, cuddle up with my lady, get some vagina, and watch some Scrubs repeats. Ohh that Janitor, he’s such a character.

The Top Ten Smackdown Matches

Honorable Mention: Kurt Angle vs. Booker T (7/26/01)
This was a match for Booker T’s WCW Championship and was an important match in the war between the WWE and the Alliance as the Alliance owned both World Championships (with Stone Cold holding the WWE title) and this was a chance for WWE to even the score. The match started with Angle immediately trying to hook in the Anklelock, but Booker was able to fight it off and soon both men were fighting outside the ring. They soon worked themselves back into the ring and Angle seemed to have the match won after delivering a top rope superplex, but the Alliance came down to distract the ref. That brought out the WWE superstars who fought off the Alliance and made sure that ringside was clear to ensure a fair match for Angle. But Chris “Who Betta Than Me” Kanyon was able to hit Angle with a steel chair behind the ref’s back before being cleared out and that seemed to give Booker the victory, but Angle was able to kick out at 2. Booker then tried to take Angle’s head off with a crescent kick, but Angle ducked and instead Booker hit the ref. That allowed Stone Cold to come down to the ring and hit Angle with a Stunner which made it seem like the match was truly over. Austin sauntered up the ramp, thinking he had just handed Booker T a victory, but Angle was able to pick Booker’s ankle and apply the Anklelock just as the ref got up and Booker tapped out to give Angle the WCW Championship and even the score. This was a great match that was one of the few shining moments of the Invasion angle.

Honorable Mention: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy (4/27/00)
This match is a guilty pleasure of mine as (I believe) it was the first time that Matt and Jeff squared off in a WWE ring and it was over the Hardcore title that Matt had won that same week on Smackdown. If you thought that the two brothers would take it easy on each other, you were sorely mistaken as Matt started the match by cracking a trashcan lid over his brother’s head. Jeff soon retaliated by whipping Matt head first through a bedpan sheet that was propped in between the turnbuckles. Jeff then followed that up by delivering a broom-assisted leg drop off the top rope onto his brother’s throat. Matt was able to regain control of the match and then deliver a sickening move where he placed his brother’s head in a trashcan and then crushed it with a top rope moonsault. It seriously looked like Jeff Hardy’s head might have been crushed because that can was absolutely FLATTENED. The two brothers then went to the outside and both got ladders which they brought into the ring. Jeff proceeded to dropkick one of the ladders into Matt’s face and then climbed the ladder and delivered a sick legdrop from the top of it. Matt was able to kick out of that and once Jeff tried to ascend the ladder again, Matt threw a trashcan in his face which made Jeff land on Perry Saturn and Tazz who were watching at ringside. Matt soon gained control of the match again, but when he went for a cover, Crash Holly ran in and cracked him over the head with a trashcan to pin Matt and steal the title under 24/7 rules. This wasn’t one of the most technically sound matches you’ll ever see, but it certainly was one of the most entertaining matches I’ve ever seen and that’s probably why I remember it so fondly to this day.

Honorable Mention: Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio (2/10/05)
This was a #1 contender’s match for the WWE Title which took place in Japan and the Japanese crowd certainly got a treat with this great match. These two always had great chemistry with each other and this match was no different as Angle dominated the majority of it, but Rey was able to fight back with some great moves including a headscissor from the top rope to Angle on the outside of the ring. After a bunch of near falls by Rey, the match ended when Kurt caught Rey with the Angle Slam out of nowhere and then slapped on the Anklelock for the submission. This is a forgotten classic and is definitely worth checking out if you can ever find it.

Honorable Mention: Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (1/6/05)
This is the match that started the dissention between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero that would lead to them feuding for the majority of 2005. The match featured some fast-paced action that saw both men counter each other on virtually every move. The ref was eventually knocked down and Eddie tried to use the opportunity to do a little lying, cheating and stealing by grabbing a title belt and throwing it to Rey to try to frame him. Rey was onto Eddie’s game, though, and threw the title back into the hands of Eddie and told the ref that Eddie hit him with it. Eddie tried to hide the title belt in his hand, but the ref caught him with it and that distracted Eddie long enough for Rey to try to set up a 619. Eddie was able to counter that into a rollup, but Rey countered that with his own rollup and got the three count. This was a fantastic and fun match and it helped set up the eventual heel turn by Eddie later that year.

10) John Cena vs. Eddie Guerrero (9/11/03)
This was the popular Parking Lot Brawl between these two men and they put on one hell of a memorable performance. This was an entertaining, brutal match that saw both men whipped forcefully into car doors and thrown onto and through glass windows. The match ended when Eddie delivered a frog splash from one car to another on top of Cena and this helped to cement Eddie as one of the most popular faces on Smackdown which would propel him into becoming WWE Champion.

9) Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit vs. Rey Mysterio (9/26/02)
This was a match in Rey’s hometown of San Diego so the fans were absolutely rabid for him. These three men went out and did what they do best which is put on kickass matches. Rey’s various high flying moves was a perfect combination with Angle and Benoit’s technical prowess. Everytime it seemed that Rey Rey was out of the match, he would fly in to break up a pin only to be thrown on his ass again by Benoit or Angle. The end saw Rey hit a West Coast Pop on Benoit after Angle got dumped on the floor. Needless to say, the hometown crowd went ballistic as their boy Rey had beat two of the best pure wrestlers EVER.

8) Edge vs. Kurt Angle (5/30/02)
This was a cage match that was during the great series of matches that Angle and Edge had after Wrestlemania 18 that included Kurt getting his head shaved bald. This match saw an Angle Slam from the top rope that covered ¾ of the ring, Kurt taking a cock shot on the cage door, a Hulk Hogan run in(or a run out since it happened outside the cage), and a spear from the top rope. Edge bled buckets and while I could of done without the Hogan interference, it was still a super hot match that had the crowd going insane.

7) Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Los Guerreros (10/17/02)
This was a semi-final match in the WWE tag team title tournament and it was a hell of a match that helped set the stage for future classic matches between these teams as well as Edge & Rey Mysterio. This match actually started off with Edge & Rey attacking both teams which left both teams stunned for a while. By the time the match was able to resume, Los Guerreros was in firm control but Angle was able to counter both with a pair of hiptosses and then tagged in Benoit who proceeded to wail on the Guerreros with some stiff elbows and suplexes. The match was even for the majority of it with both teams trading some high impact offense and displaying some great counter moves. The ending came when Eddie blocked a superplex with a frogsplash, but Benoit locked in the Crossface while Eddie covered Angle and all four men ended up on the outside where Eddie was able to lock in the El Paso Lasso on Angle which Angle reversed into an Anklelock. Chavo got a steel chair to try to hit Angle with, but Benoit fooled Chavo into thinking he was going to turn on Angle and instead smashed Chavo over the head with the chair which allowed Angle to hit the Angleslam for the 3 count. This was an action paced, exciting match that displayed the greatness that was The Smackdown Six.

6) Chris Benoit vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (5/31/01)
This was a match for Stone Cold’s WWE Championship and it was fought in Benoit’s hometown of Edmonton so the crowd was rabid for the Wolverine (see what I did there) from the start. Benoit was all over Austin from the very beginning and had the Rattlesnake on the ropes constantly and at one point locked in the crossface three times in a row and each time Austin had to use a tremendous amount of energy to make the ropes. Benoit dominated the majority of the match until Austin focused on Benoit’s injured ribs (which he suffered from an earlier attack) to try to regain control of the match. Austin was able to punish Benoit and introduce the title belt into the match, but Benoit was able to DDT Austin onto it and go up for the diving headbutt, but Austin put the title belt in the way and Benoit’s head came crashing down onto the title belt. Somehow Benoit was able to kick out after that and deliver some hellacious suplexes to Austin and even apply the Sharpshooter (which the crowd, of course, went nuts for). Austin was able to get out of that and apply the Boston Crab, which Benoit fought out of, and once Austin went for the Stunner, Benoit countered by delivering TEN German Suplexes in a row. Nope, that wasn’t a typo, it was TEN Germans in a row. Mr. McMahon, who was sitting at ringside, tried to attack Benoit with a steel chair, but instead Benoit took the chair from him and proceeded to beat the piss out of McMahon with it, but that allowed Austin to roll Benoit up from out of nowhere for the three count. This was an awesome match that is hard to find, but definitely worth the effort to see.

5) Edge vs. Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit (12/5/02)
This was a match to determine the #1 contender for The Big Show’s WWE Title and this match was fought under elimination rules. Edge started the match with a disadvantage after being attacked in the back and having his knee pretty badly hurt. The first portion of the match featured the other three competitors in the match focusing on Edge’s leg to try to weaken it even more, but after Edge hit a desperation spear on Eddie, Benoit was able to lock in the crossface on Guerrero to get him to tap out. That of course angered Eddie and he came back in the ring to clock Benoit with a belt which allowed Edge to spear Benoit and eliminate him from the match. That left Angle and Edge and the awesomeness picked up from there. Angle immediately started to torture Edge by putting him in the Anklelock, but once Edge was able to escape that, Angle got frustrated and busted Edge open on the ring steps. Edge tried furiously to fight back, but kept on getting suplexed for his troubles. Angle tried to finish Edge off by applying a sleeper, but Edge was able to get a suplex of his own to regain control of the match. Angle proved resilient, though, by kicking out of a rollup and a spear. The final few moments were fast and furious as Edge hit a missile dropkick which only got a two count, Angle countered a spear with a kick to the face and an Angleslam which only got two, Angle applied the Anklelock which Edge countered with an enziguri and an Angleslam (which only got two), and finally Angle hit an Angle Slam from the top rope to finally pick up the three. This was an excellent match filled with a ton of near falls that kept fans on the edge of their seat during the entire duration.

4) Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar (9/18/03)
This was an Ironman match for the WWE Championship that saw Brock Lesnar absolutely desperate to try to regain the WWE Title. Brock decided to use some good old fashioned heel tactics to win the match rather than actual wrestling skill. Brock killed Kurt with a steel chair about 10 minutes in which gave Kurt a 1-0 advantage, but Kurt was so loopy at that point, Lesnar was able to hit him with an F-5 to even the score and then applied the Anklelock, which Angle tapped out to and allowed Lesnar to go up 2-1. Angle tried to fight back, but Lesnar delivered an F-5 to the floor and Angle was unable to make it back into the ring before the ten count which gave Brock a 3-1 advantage. All hope seemed to be lost for Angle until he hit an Angleslam out of nowhere to make the score 3-2. The ref was soon knocked down and Lesnar took advantage of that by knocking out Angle with the title belt and covering him for the pin and went up 4-2. Lesnar soon hit a superplex to go up 5-2 with about 20 minutes left and it seemed as if Angle had no chance in hell (cue Vince’s music). Lesnar began to get cocky, which enabled Kurt to F-5 Lesnar’s knee into the ringpost and left Brock in some serious pain. Brock tried to attempt a SSP from the top rope, but Kurt ran up the ropes to deliver a superplex and get the pin to make the score 5-3 with 10 minutes to go. Lesnar realized Angle was getting close to tying him up, so he delivered some German suplexes to try to slow Angle down, but Angle reversed that into some Germans of his own and then applied the Anklelock which forced Lesnar to tap out with 4 minutes left and made the score 5-4. Lesnar tried desperately to get away from Angle in the final few minutes, but Angle was able to catch up to him and hook in the Anklelock, but Lesnar was able to hold on until time expired and thus picked up the WWE Title. This match had great action throughout and I believe it is like a fine wine because people weren’t too enamored with it at the time, but everytime I watch it, it gradually gets more enjoyable for me to watch.

3) The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian vs. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit (5/24/01)
This was the third ever TLC match and it was made by Mr. McMahon as a way of insuring that Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho would lose their newly won tag team titles after defeating the Two Man Power Trip of Stone Cold and HHH. This match featured some absolutely insane spots including Jeff Hardy delivering a leg drop from the top of a ladder through Bubba Ray Dudley on an announce table and Chris Benoit landing sternum first through a table after attempting a diving headbutt. After that bump, Benoit’s ribs were injured and he had to be taken to the back, leaving Jericho alone to fight for their tag team gold. Jericho put on a valiant effort, but it seemed as if the numbers were going to be too much for him. Suddenly, Benoit came back out to the ring with his ribs taped up and showed some tremendous courage by fighting off members of the opposing teams, but once E&C gave him a conchairto to the ribs, it seemed as if Benoit’s night was over. Jericho was able to stave off the teams long enough for Benoit to recover and climb the ladder to retain their tag team gold. This was a great match that lived up to the insanity of the previous TLC matches and what made it even better is that we got to see it for free.

2) Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio (11/7/02)
This was a 2/3 falls match for the WWE tag team titles that was a rematch of their No Mercy encounter, which was perhaps the best pure tag team match of the 21st century. These men had a lot to live up to following that classic performance and they delivered with this instantly memorable exhibition. The action in this match was way too fast to try to recap, but the first fall came after an alley-oop hurricarana by Edge & Rey onto Benoit which was followed up by a double-team powerbomb which put Benoit down for three and gave Edge & Rey a one fall advantage. A few minutes later, Edge got clocked with a title belt after attempting a spear and got caught in the Anklelock and had no choice but to tap which evened the match at one fall a piece. The next few minutes featured both teams desperately not trying to lose the deciding fall until Rey was able to roll up Angle for the three count, but Angle had his feet in the ropes which created a controversy. After a few minutes of deliberation, it was decided that the match must continue and that there would a fourth fall which would determine the winner. The match ended when Edge countered an Anklelock by rolling through and Rey hit Angle with a 619 from the floor which enabled Edge to hit him with a spear for the three count. This was a fantastic match that I could watch over and over again and never be bored of it.

1) Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero (9/22/02)
This match was the culmination of the Edge/Eddie feud that included a fantastic match at Summerslam 2002. This match was No DQ and saw these two men beat the absolute crap out of each other. Some of the highlights of this match included Eddie delivering a hilo while Edge was sandwiched in between two ladders, Eddie delivering a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of a ladder, Eddie getting backdropped upside down into a ladder, and Edge hitting Eddie with an implant DDT from the top of a ladder which was enough to end the match. This was an absolutely insane match and one of the best matches I’ve seen on free TV EVER!

Drive-By Pimpin’

Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:

-Andy Clark’s “Shimmy”
-Ari’s “Column Of Honor”
-Sean, Alex and David’s “Triple Threat”
-Bayani’s “Truth B Told”
-Weyer’s “Shining The Spotlight”
-Byers’ “Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People”
-Larry and Geoff’s “3R’s”
-Fact Or Fiction
-O’Dog’s ” Goodness”
-Sat and Uncle Trunx’s “High Road/Low Road”
-Phill Feltham’s “Quick Talkdown”
-Sarnecky’s “Piledriver Report”
-Slimmer’s News Report
-Hidden Highlights
-Carapola’s “That Was Then” and “Friendly Competition”
-The Fink’s Payload
-Gamble’s “Just ‘Spose”
-Cook’s “Ask 411”
-Meehan’s “Meethinks”
-Sforcina’s “Evolution Schematic”
-Prag’s “In Defense Of?.”
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Sullivan’s “Crystal Ball”
-Randle’s “Wrestling News Experience”
-Joe Boo’s “Ringside Or Cheap Seats”
-Linkous’ “WWE vs. TNA”
-Double M’s Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn’s Rawtopsy, Smackdown Breakdown, & ECW eXperience
-Cook’s “News From Cook’s Corner”
-Mike LaFave’s “Getting Over”
-Your News, Larry’s Views
-Zac Calhoun’s “The Ripple Effect”
-Joe Estee’s “Keys To The Game”
-Buy……OR SELL!!

The Sign-Off

That’s all I got for you this week people. But be sure to send in all your feedback and come back next week when we continue to celebrate Smackdown by looking back at The Top Ten Smackdown Moments. Until then, go wash your ass!