The Shimmy 7.22.07: Making Up Lost Time (Part Three) - 2001
Posted by Andy Clark on 07.23.2007
The Shimmy's throwback series continues as we take a look at the great year that was 2001!
Dedicated to the Memory of Brody Wax
Hello, boys and girls. This week I continue my look back at the greatest matches of my pre-411 years by tackling the tall task of 2001. This was such a hard year to narrow it down to just ten matches, I very easily could have done a 20 match column. I hope you all can agree with my choices here.
It's rare that an undercard match will overshadow the actual Royal Rumble Match, and it's even rarer still when the match is for the Intercontinental Title. The two Canadian Chrises had some great chemistry together and this was probably the icing on the cake for their 2000-2001 feud. Jericho delivered one of the stiffest chairshots I've ever seen and it was while Benoit was in midair no less. This was also the debut of the Walls of Jericho on top of the ladder spot, a staple of Jericho Ladder Matches. I was quite pleased that this match was added to the new Ladder Match DVD as now it is available for posterity to enjoy.
Despite the fact that the existence of this match prevented us from having a true Austin-Rock WrestleMania X-Seven rematch this was still the right call. This was the only time Kurt Angle was really good as a face and the paranoid heel Stone Cold was the perfect foil to the confident leader Kurt Angle. I'm one of the few people that actually really dug Austin's 2001 heel run and the InVasion angle for that matter. I remember hating the screwjob DQ ending to this match at the time, but rewatching it the other night I realized that they really pulled it off well. Even with the screwjob ending I actually think this should have been the main event, although I understand they wanted to promote The Rock's return to PPV. I would have preferred Angle win the title here instead of at Unforgiven but at least he got the hometown win.
8. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania X-Seven)
Angle and Benoit have had many great matches over the years, and in my opinion this was their second best. It's amazing that this match had next to no build and was only tacked on at the last minute and yet it is still one of the best matches of the year. I guess sometimes there doesn't have to be a great build to have a great WrestleMania match. Perhaps the best thing about this match (and really the event as a whole) is the commentary of Paul Heyman. Heyman really put over the technical dynamic of this match and broke down each wrestler's strategies throughout the contest. The rest of their 2001 feud didn't really live up to the standards set by this match, but they would pick things up in the SmackDown Six era the next year.
Man, I didn't remember just how over Rob Van Dam was in 2001 until I watched this match again. He could have turned into a true mega-star if he had been pushed to the moon upon his debut. Jeff also had a boatload of potential and in all honesty he still does if used properly. This match was a great hardcore affair, helping to bring the Hardcore Title some credibility following its 24/7 overload of the previous year. This was a high-risk fan's dream match and a rematch of the initial ECW invasion of 1997 so there was the added trivia factor to make the match even cooler. I love the Van Daminator out of nowhere in this match. You know this match has to be pretty brutal when they use two sets of video and audio clips from this match in the "Don't Try This at Home" video.
6. Street Fight: Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon (King of the Ring)
Speaking of the "Don't Try This at Home" video, this match is another contributor. This is probably Shane McMahon's greatest accomplishment and it proved he could really take whatever was dished out and then some. Shane took a world class ass beating in this match, and that was from two bumps alone. Twice Angle tried to belly-to-belly suplex Shane through a glass partition and it didn't break. After all that Angle just said screw it and tossed Shane head first through the glass instead. The finish came when Angle delivered the Angle Slam to Shane off a platform set up on the top rope. This is one of the most brutal matches of the last ten years and it's amazing that Shane wasn't badly hurt in there.
We go from one of the most brutal matches of the last ten years to one of the best tag team matches of the last ten years. This was one of the few big match tag matches in recent memory and for a while it seemed almost like a changing of the guard. Jericho & Benoit had come off a great three-falls showing the previous night in a Tag Team Turmoil Match (and Benoit had competed in another three falls himself as he met Kurt Angle in a 3 Stages of Hell Match for Angle's gold medals) and this was their big opportunity. The Two Man Power Trip of Austin and Triple H were seemingly an unbeatable combination and it would take another superstar team to take the belts away. This is the infamous match where Triple H suffered his first quad injury and he even took the Walls of Jericho for an extended period of time after his quad had already been torn. All four men busted their asses out there and it's a crock that this match wasn't nominated (and probably should have won) for Best Raw Match at the Raw X show in 2003.
Yes, two top five matches on free TV in the same week. Much like the Jericho-Benoit Ladder Match I'm glad this match made the Ladder Match DVD because it is a classic. Mr. McMahon had attempted to punish Jericho & Benoit for winning the titles from his team on Raw, so he stuck them in a TLC Match with the six TLC veterans. If there were ever a team that could more than hold their own in a TLC Match, though, it would be the Canadian Chrises. TLC Matches are known for their high risk offense, but with eight bodies in there instead of six there was even more high risk to be had. This is that match that caused Benoit to be out for a year with neck surgery as he ruptured a disc that fragmented into his spinal column (talk about something that was on the "Don't Try This at Home" video) as he delivered a diving headbutt from the top turnbuckle to an unoccupied table outside the ring. Truly a thing of beauty. When all was said and done the new tag champs managed to retain their titles, even in such a chaotic environment. TLC III is often considered the forgotten TLC Match and it's a real shame because it more than deserves credit for being a great match.
And we go from one TLC Match to another. This was the last true TLC Match of the Dudleyz, Hardys, and E&C saga. If you look at these matches they all build on one another. The Triangle Ladder Match added the Dudley Boyz to the mix, the first TLC Match added the table and chair elements, and this one added the three teams' seconds. For this match The Hardys brought with them Lita, the Dudley Boyz brought Spike Dudley, and Edge & Christian brought in Rhyno. In essence this was a nine person match because each of the three seconds played an important role in the match's outcome. Rhyno even carried Christian up the ladder to secure the belts and win the match for his team one more time. Like most of these TLC Matches it's hard to really do them justice with words, you just have to see them to believe them. Of course there is also the prophetic statement of JR that has become somewhat legendary in and of itself as he makes the call that "Lita is jerking Edge off…of the ladder!" Give it a few years, JR.
2. 3 Stages of Hell Match (One-Fall-to-a-Finish, Street Fight, Steel Cage): Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H (No Way Out)
In many people's minds this is the real Match of the Year (I seem to recall saying that about last week's No. 2 Match as well) and I can't really argue with that opinion. This is a great match that was part of a great feud and on a great PPV. In fact, I think the run of Royal Rumble 2001, No Way Out 2001, and WrestleMania X-Seven has got to be the best string of PPVs in company history. To my knowledge this was the advent of the 3 Stages of Hell Match, a 2/3 Falls Match where each fall carried a different stipulation. I was puzzled at the time the though process of a lot of people that felt that Triple H would win the regular match and that Austin would win the Street Fight. There was no way Austin would lose clean to the Pedigree but I could very easily see Triple H losing to the Stunner, and Triple H would have to have the advantage when he'd be able to use weapons (see: Street Fight vs. Mick Foley, Royal Rumble 2000). Sure enough I was right and everyone else was wrong, you gotta love that. The ending kept both men strong as they had beaten the hell out of each other and finally each hit the other with their weapon of choice (that would be a sledgehammer and a barbed wire 2x4) and they both feel to the mat. Unfortunately for Stone Cold, Triple H fell on top of the prone Rattlesnake and managed to score the 1,2,3. This was a classic match and really helped secure Triple H's spot (at the time anyhow) of being the best wrestler in the world.
While I've been doing research for these columns I've had the opportunity to rewatch my favorite match triple threat of the RVD-Eddie Guerrero Ladder Match, the Triple H-Chris Benoit-Shawn Michaels Triple Threat Match from WrestleMania XX, and this match. I think that after all these years it's time to reorder my favorites because after five years of RVD-Eddie claiming the top spot I think I'm going back to this match as my all time favorite. It's just too perfect. The following is from my participation in this year's WrestleMania X-Seven Roundtable Discussion as I feel it expresses my thoughts on the match quite well.
And now for the maaaaain event. This is for my money the greatest WrestleMania match ever. The buildup, the atmosphere, the match, everything worked together perfectly. Having Paul Heyman on commentary for this match was also a blessing. I could teach a class on the nuances of this match and the epic storytelling. You've got to start off with the great video package leading up to the match, one of my favorites and I believe a favorite of some of my fellow panelists. Then you get the entrances, with the backdrop of the picturesque Astro Dome. Stone Cold, the returning hometown and company hero, who battle back from a career threatening injury is now back at WrestleMania in the main event. A lot has changed since he left and The Rock, the man that once played second fiddle to Austin 3:16, has now lapped Austin in terms of popularity. The Rock didn't just keep the seat warm, he claimed the seat for himself and used Austin's year off to cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats as well as use it as a launching pad for his Hollywood career. Throw in the injury to Austin and the question needed to be asked: could Stone Cold still beat The Rock? After a year of healing up and wondering Austin needed validation which he even said in their sitdown interview. "I need to beat you, Rock. I need it more than anything you could ever imagine." Austin NEEDED to beat The Rock, for his livelihood, for his legacy, and for his very sanity.
On the flip side you had The Rock, who had become accustomed to life on the top. No longer was he seen as the company's No. 2 babyface, he was the guy. While he respected Austin there was no way he was giving up his top spot without a fight. The Rock was also heading into hostile territory as the Houston fans were not only cheering Austin more, they were actively booing The Rock. Jim Ross even seemed to turn on The Rock on commentary, cheering on his good buddy Austin. The Rock knew he would have to do everything in his power to stave off Austin, and Austin would have to do the same thing. As with all the Austin-Rock matches both men would use each man's finisher in an attempt to put the other away. Austin would show his desperation by pulling out the Million Dollar Dream, hoping that that could put down the People's Champ. In a throwback to Bret Hart-Roddy Piper from WrestleMania VIII, The Rock used the turnbuckles to turn that into a pinning combination and forcing Austin to release the hold. That wouldn't be the only WrestleMania moment that Rocky would lift from the Hitman as he would lock a bloody Austin in the Sharpshooter, attempting to force the Texas Rattlesnake to tap out. Austin managed to fight back and soon the homecrowd advantage seemed to help him. I remember watching the match in my living room and screaming at the fans in attendance and a biased JR that were turning on the man that had carried the company on his back while Austin was out licking his wounds. I cheered every heelish act The Rock did, and I was damn near giddy when The Rock blasted Austin in the head with the ring bell.
This was a nice little comeback for Austin to be sure. He managed to turn the people against the People's Champ, he got to bust out some old maneuvers, and he took every unfair advantage that he could. But it still wasn't enough. Stone Cold really couldn't beat The Rock anymore and everyone knew it. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Austin had one more trick up his leave, one nobody saw coming: Vince McMahon. The Chairman of the Board would stroll down to ringside and eventually help his longtime rival Stone Cold Steve Austin defeat The Rock and once again become WWE Champion. McMahon had promised we'd see something shocking earlier in the evening, and this was damn sure that. As JR would repeatedly say, Austin had sold his soul to the devil himself in order to regain the title. How appropriate that six days after the Monday Night War officially ended that WrestleMania would end with Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon shaking hands in the center of the ring. This was a phenomenal match and an amazing piece of storytelling that has not, and I doubt ever will be, duplicated.
That does it for 2001. Next week is 2002 and I think I'll have an even harder time narrowing my top ten down than I did this week. Wish me luck.
Andy! Andy! At Last You Have Some Feedback!
Chris Jacobs weighs in on a variety of subjects:
I cant think right now for some reason, but as good as Rock and HHH were together, other than the fatal four way, have they ever fought at Wrestlemania for the title? The only WM main events I can think of with the Rock was Austin and Hogan.
Rikishi's cell fall I thought was impressive not only from his size, but the fact that falling NOT in the middle of any truck would have killed him, but this truck had railings on the side that more than likely would have cut that man right in half.
worst and best WM question, sorry I keep spacing these out, but I keep getting ideas with each one. My favorite WM of all time was 14, it had an awesome cruiserweight match, a tag team battle Royal, Shamrock vs. The Rock, HHH vs. Owen, New Age Outlaws vs. Cactus and Funk in that nasty dumpster match, pete rose's first kane encounter, Undertaker vs. Kane was AWESOME and I think the best match of both of there careers honestly, then the Austin vs. HBK match was tremendous, ecspecially since HBK was so badly hurt. Then the worst one in my opinion was the very next year, WM 15. I hated the hell in a cell with Taker vs. Bossman, Butterbean killin Bart Gunn, Show vs. Mankind, and I really thought that whole event felt more like just a Monday night Raw event.
You are correct in your note about The Rock and Triple H having not met one-on-one for the title at WrestleMania. I will point out that Rock-Hogan was not the main event that year despite the fact that in retrospect it probably should have been. I hadn't thought about the railings on the truck and you make a good point about them making the fall even more dangerous. I have yet to see WrestleMania XIV (I have seen Austin-HBK though) but I really want to. The tag team battle royal fascinates me. As for WrestleMania XV, I know most people don't like it, but it brings back fond memories for me. It was the first PPV I ever ordered and I remember being so into the storylines then. I watched the show again a few months ago on WWE 24/7 and I still loved it.
Harry has a question about the whereabouts of Undertaker:
I was wondering if you have any inside info whether The Undertake will be coming back any time soon?
Is he out due to injury?
Yep, Taker is out due to injury. I believe it's a torn triceps but don't quote me on that. Something in his arm tore and rolled up farther onto his arm to the point where you could supposedly see it, so that's not good. His projected return would be November which would allow him to be back just in time for Survivor Series although if I ran WWE I'd keep him off TV until 2008. If they go through with the rumored Edge-Taker match at WrestleMania (personally I'd prefer Edge-Kennedy, but I'll take either) I could see Taker playing a similar role as he did leading up to his match with Kane at WrestleMania XX. Then again that's contingent on Edge making it back from his injury as well and he's said to be returning in November as well.
The Shimmy Likes It Raw!
What will be the fallout from The Great American Bash? We should be on the road to WrestleMania 23 ½ (that would be SummerSlam for the uninitiated), will there be anything big on the horizon?
That does it this week. Next week I'll look at 2002 and I'll share my Great American Bash thoughts. Have a good week everybody. Clark…out.
