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Dupp with promo and it was fine. Another decent studio match this week. Haas brothers look better to me and certainly easy to see how they were pegged as the higher prospect. Blade Bordeaux comes out with a teddy bear and says it is the Dupps in a lame angle. That causes Bo to go nuts and cause the DQ when he slings a chair against everyone. The show ends with Corey and Dave bailing from the set. That was pretty hilarious. *3/4

Spanky starts the promo and calls Lance Cade a Ken Doll Windham wannabee which was pretty funny. Jason gives a HBK impersonation again which isn’t bad. We also hear that Dragon is still injured. Please come back soon! Face team comes out and Cade talks and it is ok. Rob Harlem is out on commentary demanding air time. Bless Dave Brown pushing Pete Gas vs Steve Bradley as justification for why there isn’t a spot for Rob Harlem. He states they don’t know wrestling and Corey gets pissed and tells him to go to the back. A great back and forth here. No one is paying any attention to the match but it is decent enough too. Shooter in particular looks solid and carries a lot of the workload for the heels. Logan has size but not much else. Cade gets the hot tag and runs through all of the Kliq. Big schmozz at the finish and the Kliq 2000 interference allows Shooter to lock on the Shooter Clutch to gain the wain. **

Good enough match although with most taking SmackDown off, I thought we might have something more meaty. I see that Angle defended the title against Jericho on this show. Angle is a top heel too but looking at the heel side here, it was apparent that someone was going to have to turn. Benoit is already turning face based on SmackDown and was used simply as the loss post here. Rikishi is on the downswing. Haku is ok but was barely house show main event worthy in 1989, certainly not 2001. So that leaves HHH and Angle and they are currently feuding with each other. The TV and product for WWF feels hot so far and the build to Mania is remembered as great but it is easy to see looking at this why they did what they had to with Austin. The best part of this match was the ebbs and flows allowing the babyfaces to shine. Rock vs Benoit was my favorite pairing and Rock ends up winning with a Rock Bottom. *** (5.9)

Strong performance by Smothers was enough to raise this to a good match overall. Kid is certainly spots only and he has some weird charisma with the Indiana faithful but much of what he does doesn’t look impressive in 2020 eyes. Smothers is so great at being a name from before the indie boom but still getting legit heat from the crowd and his berating and antics throughout this match were highly enjoyable. Cheap finish for the win but that was predictable. ***1/4 (6.6)

An Ian staple as I guess Shank ran his mouth somewhere so Ian now has to defend IWA’s honor or some shit. This is a brutal beating and it isn’t the worst example of this type of match in the year as we still have the Peter B Beautiful match at KOTDM. Ian gives a chair shot two minutes in that may be the most brutal one I have ever seen delivered and doesn’t pull on his punches or his thumbtack bat shots either. Shank does get a bit of more offense in than either Beautiful or Mike Levy do in their beatdowns so overall it is a better match but your typical Ian vs. underneath death match guy affair. Comeback by Ian is brief and he puts Shank away with the double arm DDT. **1/2

This is a handicap whether officially or not as Shadow Kid is involved and takes the pin at the end. I don’t like Shadow or Trent so I didn’t have high hopes and those were realized. The opening brawl between Corp and Trent was fine and Corporal knows the general rules of how to look sympathetic as a face but overall this was a slog with some really poor execution and in true IWA style, it went about 5-10 minutes too long. *1/2

One of my favorite 10 minute and under matches ever. Satomura gives a great tenacious performer just not going to be denied and Kansai is more athletically gifted still than both Crush Gals in their match so she was able to be in better position and deliver punishment. As a result, it felt like more of a passing of the torch. It also helps that Meiko is still young and the Ozaki/Hokuto win is seemingly like if Jumbo Tsuruta beat Baba in 89 or something. The selling Kansai does here of being dazed but hanging on was great and gnarly at putting over the damage. 10 minutes felt like the perfect length for the story they were trying to tell. Overall, I am very high on GAEA coming out of this show. **** (7.9)

I have liked AJW well enough in 2001 but the music video that starts this off show how much cooler and bigger GAEA feels at this point. A huge crowd for this match too as Hokuto/Ozaki still look like complete bad asses. This was a quick match and all action. Chigusa had an off night execution wise and overall the Crush Gals aren’t the bases they need to be for the offense that Ozaki/Hokuto were throwing at them. Chairs and double teaming were rampant but being more accustomed to the GAEA house style now, I went with it. On top of that, we get a truly shocking finish as the Crush Gals lose. I know cagematch isn’t the most comprehensive listing but I think this is only 1 of 2 times Crush Gals will lose a tag match in their revival so this felt like a big deal. A main event match of this caliber going less than 10 minutes is a ballsy choice as well. *** (5.9)

Sabu is having a good 2001 so far. He seems like he has gotten his timing under control. He is slightly less ambitious leading to less botches and he still has the prescience that makes him feel like a big deal. I wish he would have parlayed that into a longer run maybe in CZW or somewhere from what I have seen. This was a fun little brawl that had some plunder spots and Messiah hung in there. Some good punches when they were duking it out and Messiah has a nice blade job. The finish is convoluted shit but what do you expect with XPW. *** (5.8) @Loss I would seek this one out.

Slightly below the previous match but I thought this was a very good draw too. It had a frantic pace but seemed to work between the limitations of the time limit in that each woman knew the constraints put within the match with the time limit and seeked to win. Some good highspots and also some brutal shots. Hyaga, Apache and Hamada are the three joshi workers I am really interested to track throughout the 2000’s. They aren’t elite yet but do show signs and each bring different flavors to the table. ***3/4 (7.3)

A very strong match to start out for ARSION in 2001. Hamada is able to show grace as well as brutality and I liked the story of AKINO refusing the handshake at the beginning of the match and wanting to show that she can go toe to toe with Hamada and gradually realizing over the course of the match, she is our of her league at least on this night. ***3/4 (7.5)

Another fun CMLL match although it paled coming off the heels of the previous one. Tarzan Boy is nursing an arm injury so Violencia is filling in here and some of the heat and overall dynamic was taken down because of that. Still the tecnico side here is some of my favorite unheralded lucha workers that really never get brought up much in discussion. Niebla and Olimpico in particular did a good job in this match getting their highlights in when appropriate and then laying back and being fed into Ultimo and Rey when needed as well. An enjoyable trios match overall. ***1/4 (6.4)

I watched this last year and liked it but severely underrated it. I thought it was great this time. It starts with a great vignette of Emilio dyeing his hair platinum blonde to confirm he is 1000% guapo now. The match itself is pure chaos with Casas at his babyface best and Charles turning back the clock as they go to war with each other. Stiff slams onto the announce table and into the rows of chairs. Inside the ring, we get some great work from the other four individuals in particular the selling from Atlantis when he has the La Atlantida applied and gets his leg kicked. Rudos get the win and are just awesome in gloating over their victory. **** (8.1)

Nice spot for Kane and not a bad match. He seems to be working harder and it is refreshing as he is able to take the face role vs Angle and create sympathy well. Angle continues to stretch out as the ring general and overall this was a solid main event. They clearly positioned this SmackDown to keep everything moving without anything major happening. Finish was hot with Rikishi and Haku coming out looking strong. Again, it is a feud I am not bothered by. **3/4

Decent enough match after Christian gets some heel shtick on the Mobile crowd. Test hits a nice missed elbow drop that he gets a lot of air on. Still though, I just don’t find Edge or Christian all that compelling either on their own or with a team right now and am more interested in ancillary characters within WWE like the Acolytes more. *3/4

This is an interesting SmackDown in the fact that neither Austin,Rock or HHH are wrestling but they are all at the show even though Vince gave HHH and Austin the night off. Show has some energy here again and they essentially did a 4 minute sprint of what could have been a good 10 minute PPV match. The finish was a bit odd at the start as you see the seeds of Benoit’s face turn when he attacks Show due to receiving the chokeslam on Monday. Afterwards, Rock is on commentary and gets a receipt in as well including a big Rock Bottom on the floor. **

These two start out SmackDown and it seems like they have been feuding for years now. Rikishi did eliminate Taker from the Rumble so I guess there is a legit gripe there. Quick enough match with Rikishi looking more even than in the first part of the year. As soon as Taker seems to take the advantage, out comes Haku. Haku and Rikishi beat down Taker a bit until Kane makes the fiery save. As a bridge feud heading into Mania, I am not bothered by this feud and the Brothers reuniting was cool to see. *1/2

A great showcase of the cruiser talent in the company currently and showing there is room for more. Yank and Karagias continue to be the weak links and Yang in particular had a shaky night with a couple of botches. The Helms/Kidman and Kidman/Noble segments were my favorite and were great mini matches. Once Rey entered, the match really accelerated and everything was kept to a minimum of getting in and then a pinfall happening immediately when the match would normally slow down. Perfect popcorn wrestling. ***1/2 (6.8)

First, fuck this crowd as they were terrible. These guys really worked hard and emptied out the kitchen sink to impress. The botch from Daniels was an all timer as he lands right on his dome but he recovers nicely and shows grace on the rest of high risk maneuvers. Modest is someone that really doesn’t get a whole lot of chances after 2003 or so in the indie landscape so I am interested to see if it is a case of wrestlers passing him, him losing interest or just an unfortunate event. He looked good here and was solid in 2000 with what we saw. A fun debut and WCW definitely had an opening to infuse their product with a lot of these guys in 2000 but by now we know it was too little, too late even though optimism is in the air with the Fusient deal. *** (6.1)

Everything was done well here in this match. In some ways, it is about the best possibility for Luger given his terrible physical determination. His body is betraying him rapidly and his attitude isn’t helping in the latter stages of his career but he seems to give a damn on this night, so the match is fine overall and the psychology is sound. There is a great moment in Flair’s opening promo when he announced Alex Wright as the #1 contender and Luger does the Das Wunderkid dance. Finish here was predictable bullshit but Jarrett actually hits a good guitar shot that shatters leading right into the torture rack. **1/2

Best thing about this is Luger as referee. Buff sucks as a worker and Nash as the major face is very lol worthy. After years of playing the N W O numbers game to his advantage, it is tough to get too sympathetic about the deck being stacked against him. Finish is also sad as it is a light version of the Over the Edge 98 finish where DDP gives Luger the diamond cutter and by his own hand he makes the count. We get our big SuperBrawl Main Event but this is the worst ongoing stuff in WCW at the moment. *1/2

HHH comes out for a promo. We really see the evolution of HHH in the next few weeks as he has the theme song he still uses to this day and during this promo he brings out his sledgehammer and says he is going to wait for Austin to arrive. Angle interrupts and gets some one liners off on HHH but HHH says he doesn’t have a sense of humor tonight. Angle asks HHH why he cant beat anyone on natural ability. HHH says after he is done in the back with his sledgehammer, he will put that down and then beat Angle’s ass for the WWF title. Trish’s music starts and Stephanie gives her an ugly look. Trish challenges Stephanie and says they could have been the best of friends. She challenges her to a match tonight. Stephanie accepts and says its no secret she is a bitch, but tonight she will be hers in the ring. Vince arrives and Cole catches up with him about the two big matches book for tonight. Vince says last he checked hes the boss. In the interest of fairness, these matches may happen or they may not. After Test becomes the European champion, HHH invades Vince’s office. HHH says he was screwed last night and no is taking away his opportunity. Vince says he is taking it under advisement. HHH questions whether he is thinking in Trish’s fairness interest and asks what head he is thinking with. Vince tells him to get dressed but it is still under consideration. HHH and Steph meet up and Steph is mad that her match vs Trish didn’t even come up. She goes to talk to daddy. Once she meets with him, she compliments Vince on dressing hipper. Vince says he is concerned about her safety and that she is daddys littler girl. Steph calls out his bluff and Vince gets mad at that. Vince gives same advice to Steph as he did Hunter. Kurt is freaking out backstage but Trish tells him to relax and she will handle it. She will give Vince all the advisement he needs. A few minutes later we see her knocking of Mr. McMahons door and entering in. After a Rikishi vs Kane match where the Brothers of Destruction reunite for good, we see Trish leaving Vince’s office sweaty and almost forgetting her cowboy hat. Cole is outside the office and says we will have a main event announcement momentarily. We are 1:45 in the show mind you. Vince makes the main event tag match in the interest of fairness and he has lost a cufflink. We get to the match and HHH attacks Angle right away going after the leg that was worked over in the Rumble match. Good continuity there. Trish makes a tag and goes for a crossbody but HHH catches her. Angle gives a dropkick to complete the move. Steph comes in and in a bit of rage, Angle shoves Steph down. She recovers and slaps Kurt. Angle hits a belly to belly but when Trish climbs to the top rope, Stephanie catches her and sends her down. All four are brawling now with Trish and Stephanie inside the ring getting top billing. King is losing his mind of course. After steph gains dominance, HHH comes in and pedigrees Trish. Steph gets the pin to win the match. A pretty abrupt main event here. Angle and HHH are still jawing at each other when Austin comes in from behind and attacks HHH as the show goes off the air. **1/4

Rock gives a sit down interview where he talks about a multitude of things while also blasting Big Show about his return last night. Rock is doing a ton of different variety promos in 2001 and all are working well given some of his 2000 stuff didn’t hold up as well as watching it in real time. This is a really strong tv match and behind Austin vs Angle as the best one we have seen so far this year. Big Show all of a sudden looks fresh and a monster and uses his size to dominate Rock and Jericho sending Jericho out of the match with a chokeslam on the floor. Rock and Benoit had great chemistry together as we saw in 2000 and that continues here. Jericho makes his triumphant return and the finishing stretch is really enjoyable. The action was frantic, violent and still felt engaging and fresh which shows how smart it can be at some points to send someone away for a bit even if you don’t call it “fat farm” as it isn’t like these four haven’t matched up a lot over the years. ***1/2 (6.8)

This is a weird show as I feel my opinion changes every time I watch. I had always had this one lower than consensus but really enjoyed it this time. Stuff like the hardcore section and the beefy section from #16-#23 didn’t bother me near as much. I think most would say the lull from Bradshaw to Big Show’s return is the down point of the match but they really did some big power man offense and actually were stretching out the stiffness in the Rumble more than usual. The surprises from Drew Caray and Honky Tonk Man were played for comedy. Big Show coming back and chokeslamming Rock through a table was a big moment for him and Haku is such a what the fuck moment since he was just on Sin. That may be the last big moment in the Monday Night War until Shane appears on Nitro. Kane gives a spirited performance and shows a bunch of personality and the star power overall of the individuals focused on leading to the build helped carry the match to a dramatic finale. **** (8.1)

This is a match I always go into expecting to hate and end up pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy it. The finish is overbooked to hell but did help progress HHH vs Austin which feels appropriately heated and intense if you clear out the ridiculous stuff at Survivor Series and just pretend that the feud began at the onset of HHH interfering in the match with Angle. They also get Trish and Stephanie involved which was inevitable given the amount of time devoted on tv to that. Beyond the extra curricular stuff, I continue to be really impressed with Angle so far this year. A lot was made and observed by me about him in 2000 not working long matches for much of the year and them really beginning to stretch their legs out with him towards the end of the year and how credible he felt. So far in 2001 he has been paired with HHH and Austin and he’s held his own for sure inside the ring. I thought he outworked HHH here which over the course of HHH’s career may not sound like much, but HHH is clearly not at the peak he was at the start of 2000 so its interesting to observe from a tiering standpoint. ***1/2 (7.1)