[2000-08-24-WWF-Smackdown] The Rock & Lita vs Kurt Angle & Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley

[soup23]

Stephs promo to start out was great. She says she had to do everything in life on her own and earned everything that has happened. She demands a rematch. Kurt Angle comes out and talks about children. Well, he had Jason Jordan by this time right? Kurt gets in a potshot on New Orleans by saying it is ridiculous a vile and filthy city like that calls its football team the Saints. That as a Falcons fan has me saying It’s True. Angle says that one other person deserves blame and that is HHH. HHH comes out all pissed off and gets a face reaction as he goes after Angle. Foley comes out now. Foley has found some medals and states that Steph would now be attracted to him. I enjoyed the way Foley built up who would be Steph’s partner. Steph has to decide who teams with her. Steph suggests they need Angle to talk strategy and HHH gets hot headed at that idea. Kurt pleads his case to be Steph’s partner. HHH is now back with Steph and she tells him that Kurt talked about how hot headed HHH is and she agrees. Steph admits that she is considering Kurt being her partner. HHH storms at Kurt and they argue. HHH says that Steph doesn’t make the decisions right as Steph comes in. Steph is mad that HHH said that but she decides to flip a coin to make her decision. Now we get an interview with Rock. I don’t want to undersell Rock’s role in this whole angle as he has been integral but also taking the appropriate backseat when needed. Rock gives a pretty generic promo for him but it has all the highs from the crowd. We get the coin flip. It turns up tails which means Kurt is her partner. Kurt is all pumped and says now that they are partners, they have to get serious. Match starts with a brawl and Steph takes a pretty dangerous bump two minutes in off of a Lita rana. The big setup happens where Steph gets bumped from the apron and hits the steps. HHH leaves the backstage area and comes down to check on her. HHH takes her to the back and HHH says he is going back out to help Kurt. He tells the EMS to take care of her. The action in the ring spills to the entranceway and HHH comes back out and is ready to kick Rock’s ass. HHH/Angle double team Rock and HHH knocks out Hebner for the DQ. With Rock sent to the outside, Angle and HHH go after Lita until the Hardy Boyz come out. Rock is back and issues a challenge at Angle but Angle bails. It looks like Angle has left HHH high and dry and Rock gives him a Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow. Backstage, we now get the big payoff as Angle checks on Steph. He sends the EMS people away. Kurt tells her she cares about her. Kurt gives her a hug and then goes in for the kiss. Steph is reluctant at first but takes it in by the dn. Kurt has the biggest shit eating grin on his face while Steph is looking like she realizes what she has done. Holy shit this has to be the best WWF angle of all time. *1/2 for the match. ***** for the angle.

[Matt D]

Don't worry. They blow it, ending the boom.

[soup23]

I know this is probably the last truly great stuff from the feud and everything goes downhill once Angle gets concussed in the match but I have been surprised how well the angle has held up to this point.

[Matt D]

Anecdotally, it had a lot of mainstream appeal. You always hear that women were heavily into it. I remember it having a ton of buzz at the time and then people leaving in droves afterwards.

[Strummer]

Don't worry. They blow it, ending the boom.

 

 

do you think this ended the boom or Austin turning heel 8 months later?

[Matt D]

I think that this caused a ton of damage with a subset of casuals and maybe prevented an even further opening up of things and that hit at the base a bit more, if that makes sense?

[GSR]

A sombre Stephanie walks towards the ring looking like she’s about to break down at any second.  She claims that she was robbed of her WWF Women’s championship last Monday night on Raw and holds Mick Foley responsible.  He was hired by her mother to be a fair and just Commissioner of the World Wrestling Federation and had one assignment that night, to choose a fair, just and impartial referee, yet he couldn’t even do that, picking The Rock.  If it wasn’t for the Rock she would still be the WWF Women’s champion; a title that she held with dignity, honour and pride and which is now held by a tattooed, low life, low class bimbo!  She doesn’t want an apology or sympathy from Mick Foley, what she wants is a rematch and she isn’t leaving until she gets one.  Steph is joined by Kurt Angle and while he’d expect nothing less from a no class character like The Rock, shame on Mick Foley, as choosing The Rock as an impartial official is about as ridiculous as a disgusting, filthy city like New Orleans calling it’s football team ‘the Saints’!  That doesn’t go down with well with the fans and he gets some “asshole, asshole” chants aimed at him.  He tells Stephanie that while she is right to blame Mick Foley and The Rock, there is one person who deserves as much, if not more, of the blame and that’s her husband Triple.  If HHH wasn’t such a hot head, wasn’t so paranoid, insecure and was a better husband who would’ve just allowed her extra time...here comes the man himself and he’s hot!  Triple H shoves Kurt who goes flying through the ropes, out of the ring, and is getting a huge face reaction from the fans.  Both remove their shirts ready to fight when the Commissioner’s music starts.  Foley tells them to stop bickering as Summerslam is coming up and this is not about them, it’s about Stephanie.  While he didn’t think he was setting her up at the time, in retrospect, The Rock probably wasn’t the most impartial of referees.  She may not want an apology or his sympathy, but she’s getting both.  He heard he pleas for a rematch and is inclined to give her one, however he also understands that there is nothing more that Kurt Angle and Triple H would like than to get their hands on The Rock.  Therefore he’s booking a mixed tag team match but, because this night is about Stephanie, he’s not going to decide whether HHH or Kurt Angle teams up with her against Lita & the Rock, she is.

Triple H and Stephanie are in their dressing room and he thinks this is the perfect scenario; he gets to kick the Rock’s ass this close to Summerslam and she gets to beat on Lita.  Hunter wants to talk strategy, but Steph thinks that Kurt should be here.  He’s fed up of hearing about Kurt Angle but, even though she knows he’s going to regain the WWF World Heavyweight title at Summerslam anyway, believes it would be better if they were getting along and that way it would be two on one against the Rock and even easier for him.

Stephanie goes to see Kurt and he’s putting himself over as the more suitable partner, what being an Olympic champion and the best wrestler in the world and all.  He saw the rage and anger on Triple H’s face, says that he’s a hot head and how a man that angry is going to make mistakes.  He believes that he should be her partner and will figure out a plan so that they can defeat the Rock and Lita.  Ol’ indecisive Steph can’t make a decision and tells him that she’ll think about it.

After Steph lets Triple H now that she’s considering Kurt as her partner “consideration my ass” and he storms off…

…to Angle’s dressing room, laying down the law that he’s Stephanie’s partner tonight, her partner in life and to get that into his head.  Kurt says he wants to do what’s best for the match and doesn’t want people to make mistakes due to high emotions.  Hunter responds that they have to co-exist until Summerslam, but if he keeps pressing the issue he’s not going to make it to Summerslam.  Right at the moment he’s telling him how “my wife doesn’t make the decisions” in Steph walks, “oh yes I do make the decisions”.  Unable to make a decision though, she decides she’ll flip a coin.

Backstage interview from the Rock who runs through some catchphrases and tells Kevin Kelly that it doesn’t matter who Stephanie chooses as her partner as he’ll whip their monkey ass all over the arena.

Steph flips that coin, tails it is and that means Kurt Angle is her partner.

Triple H is watching on a monitor backstage and the match gets underway with all four participants fighting it out at ringside.  The women make it into the ring first and Kurt has to duck inside to break up a pin attempt after a Lita flying headscissors.  Just as he’s about to powerbomb Lita, Rock with a clothesline saving his partner.  ‘Samoan drop’ on Angle for a two.  ‘Dragon screw’ leads into the Scorpion Deathlock and Stephanie is in there slapping Rock across the face.  He lets go of the hold but before he can gets his hands on her is nailed from behind by Angle.  Rock reverses the Irish whip sending Kurt crashing into Stephanie and she falls from the apron to the floor, hitting her head on the ring steps in the process.  HHH runs out to check on his wife and carries her to the back.  The action continues in the ring at the same time as Angle gets a near fall on the Rock after a suplex.  We cut back to the dressing room to see Stephanie all groggy and Triple H calling for the EMT’s.  She says that she’s okay, wanting to carry on with the match but ‘the Game’s’ having none of it, telling her to stay here and he’ll go help Kurt.  As Rock and Angle fight on the ramp way, Rock is ambushed by HHH with ‘the King’ saying how he was the one who whipped Kurt into her.  The pair of them double team the Rock and when Earl Hebner tries to pull Hunter off, he shoves him to the mat.  That’s the DQ, for the shove not for the blatant interference I may add.  Angle clotheslines Rock over the top rope to the outside and they then turn their attention to Lita, HHH dragging her into the ring.  The Hardyz rush out to her aid and Rock is also quickly back to his feet.  A right hand takes care of Kurt sending him out to the floor, Rock with a DDT to Triple H and he’s trapped between the three of them.  Three becomes four as Lita is only too happy to put the boots in.  Kurt looks as though he’s going to help HHH but when Rock gestures at him to “just bring it”, he decides against it and goes to check on Stephanie.  He apologises profusely to her, saying how he didn’t mean to do it and that he really cares about her.  When he says she doesn’t realise how much, he leans in for a kiss, one that Steph fights a little at first but then seems to enjoy.  As they separate Kurt has got the mother of all grins on his face while it dawns on Stephanie what she has just done.