[2000-08-21-WWF-Raw] Lita vs Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley

[soup23]

Kurt is heading out again and gets run down by Steph. Steph tells Kurt that he is wanted and to forget HHH. She needs him which gets a big ohhhh from the audience. I love this storyline. Angle says if she wants him to stay, he will stay. Angle is showing Steph submission moves and tells Steph that this has been a wonderful night. Kurt shows her a go behind and HHH barges in and tells Kurt he has been showing her too many moves. He calls Kurt the slowest teacher of all time. For fucks sake, Lita is walking to the ring and all King can talk about is her underwear. Lita takes over on Steph right away. Angle distracts Rock and HHH decks Lita. The Hardy’s come down to help her out. Steph hits a DDT and King goes nuts. Kurt shows Steph the title belt and gets brought into the ring by Rock. HHH attacks from behind. Kurt gets the belt but Rock ducks and HHH gets hit. Rock Bottom gets rid of Kurt. Now Steph has the belt and she gets spinebustered by Rock. Lita hits the moonsault and wins the title to a huge pop. Good fun here. *1/2

[TonyPulis'Cap]

This match has a lot of smoke and mirrors with it, given The Rock as the ref, Triple H, Angle and the Hardys all at ringside, but, considering that this is Steph's first real match, this is lots of fun, with her giving as good as she gets against Lita. There's lots of great moments with all the interactions of the guys at ringside, and the pop Lita gets when she wins the title is great. A lot of people crap on the period when Steph had the belt given she never defended it, but coming off the period of Ivory and Jackie having it and no-one caring, then all the terrible stuff with Miss Kitty and Harvey Whippleman and it being defended in pudding matches and swimming pools, putting it on Steph, at a time when everyone wanted to see her get her comeuppance was a really smart move and rehabilitated the title even though that sounds crazy. If Lita had just won it from say Jackie on a random Smackdown the reaction would never have been as big. The few real matches she's had over the years are clearly very cleverly agented and practiced beforehand but I'm always impressed when Steph actually steps into the ring, they are always matches that over deliver.

[GSR]

Kurt Angle is about to leave the building when Stephanie runs up to him and asks what he’s doing.  He says how Triple H left him high and dry out there and he’s not going to stay anywhere he’s not wanted.  Steph tells him that he is wanted, to forget HHH and that she needs his support during her match with Lita.  That’s enough for him to change his mind telling her that he’d “love to stay” then.

Kurt is teaching Steph some moves in the dressing room and right at the moment he demonstrates the go behind, in walks Triple H.  He thinks he’s shown her enough moves and when Angle replies that he’s only shown her three, says that he must slowest damn teacher of all time as they’ve been in there half an hour!  Despite Steph saying how the holds really work, Triple H isn’t putting up with any more and drags her away.

Steph is flanked by Triple H and Kurt Angle and looks confident of her chances as she walks down the aisle.  ‘The Rock’ is the special guest referee and he immediately orders ‘the Game’ and Kurt out of the ring as he looks to make this a more even field for Lita to compete on.  Double leg take down by Lita who then throws some terrible looking punches from the mount.  Huracanrana but Steph kicks out of the cover.  Angle is up on the apron and as Rock goes over to him, Hunter trips Lita from the opposite side of the ring behind his back.  That brings out the Hardy Boyz who attack Triple H and then decide to stick around to prevent any more interference.  Steph with some forearms and a monkey flip.  After a DDT only gets her a two she’s in Rock’s face complaining about the slowness of his count.  Lita counters the side slam with a headscissors and hits a tornado bulldog.  She climbs the turnbuckles when Angle shoves her backwards to the mat, leading to all hell breaking loose on the outside.  Kurt reverses a whip on the floor sending Matt crashing into the ring steps as Hunter then hot shots Jeff across the barricade.  The Rock catches Angle trying to pass Stephanie the belt to use and beels him into the ring.  Triple H comes to help but gets accidentally clocked by Kurt with the title belt.  ‘Rock Bottom’ on Angle and when Steph runs at him with the belt, he gives her a spinebuster.  Rock signals for Lita to go upstairs, she lands the moonsault and we have a new WWF Women’s champion.

A complete smoke and mirrors show as the actual wrestling here was pretty bad, but with The Rock, Angle, Triple H and the Hardyz here’s so much else going on that it’s a fun ride.  Lita is so awkward in her movements and I’d actually say that Steph looks better than her here.  I was also very surprised to see her taking a huracanrana, a flying headscissors and a tornado bulldog.