RATING LEVELS:
Curt Hennig – A
“GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible
Watch It – A
consistently good show worth watching in its entirety
Watch It…With Remote
in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings
High Risk Maneuver –
Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches
DUDleyville –
Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch
Rebellion – November
2001
Manchester, England
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN:
Coming into the show, the Dudleys hold the WCW World Tag Team
Championships, Booker T & Test are the recognized WWF Tag Team Champions,
Christian is the European Champion, his “brother” Edge holds the IC Title, and
Tajiri is the Cruiserweight Champion. Chyna holds the Womens’ Championship (but had left the company),
while Rob Van Dam holds the Hardcore Championship. Kurt Angle is the United
States Champion, Steve Austin is the WWF World Champion, and Chris Jericho is
the WCW World Champion. That’s 10 championships, folks. 10.
COMMENTATORS: Paul
Heyman and Jim Ross
Back in the day, the WWE used to run yearly PPVs in the
United Kingdom, unavailable to American audiences. This is one such show,
essentially a companion piece to the previous month’s No Mercy and a
prelude to the next major show, Survivor Series.
Kicking things off, European Champion Christian challenges Intercontinental Champion Edge in a cage match. These two delivered a very
physical ladder match at No Mercy, and like that match, this one is filled with
some very clever, very painful spots. Unfortunately, also like that match, the
sum of the parts doesn't add up to more than the individual moments. I did like the finish, which is unique, but for a match that goes a
fair number of minutes, it's a bit underwhelming. (3/5)
Next up, Scotty Too
Hotty vs. The Hurricane. This one outright confused me. The Hurricane is
the fresher talent, the one with a gimmick that wasn't completely played out
yet, and the guy that seemed to be getting the push...but Hotty gets in a ton
of offense and eventually scores the victory. This is a Heat or Velocity match at best. (1.5/5)
Diamond Dallas Page
vs. The Big Show is our next match-up. DDP was so poorly cast in his WWE
run, but is undeniably entertaining in his new "self-help
psycho-babbling guru" gimmick. The Big Show is also impressive in this
match, not only with his offense (he makes tossing around the 250+ pound DDP
look effortless), but with his selling. This one doesn't go a minute longer
than it needs to either. (2/5)
At this point, it is also worth noting that there are a
number of "skits" featuring Bill DeMott and Chavo Guerrero barging in
on divas backstage in an attempt to see them naked. This makes for some of the
worst "comedy" I've ever seen. Awful stuff.
In the build-up to this show, Kurt Angle had shocked the
world and joined the Alliance, alligning himself with WWF Champion Steve Austin
and Shane McMahon, the guys he had been feuding with for the previous 6 months.
While it didn't make much sense, it did provide some moments of comedy,
including a backstage segment here where Angle talked up the idea of them being
the Knights of the Round Table. We also get the first PPV appearance of Austin's last great catchphrase - "What?"
WCW World Tag Team Champions, The Dudleys, come down the aisle next. By this point, they'd been
holding the straps for a good while, serving as the company's most
dominant team the whole year. Their opponents are The APA and the mega-popular Hardy Boyz in a three-team elimination
match. Around minute 4-5, the crowd starts chanting for tables - not a good
sign, but not surprising either, as the match was short on big bumps at this
point. As things go on, the chants continue, but it is remarkable the way
the Dudleys and Hardys tease a table spot, never use it, and still hit enough
"classic" sequences to deliver a great match that the crowd ends up
caring about. The more I watch of the Dudleys/Hardys work, the more I'm
recognizing that the liberal use of tables, ladders, and chairs was only one
factor in their chemistry and strong output. (3/5)
The Rock, Chris Jericho, and Vince McMahon are in the back.
McMahon makes them shake hands, but Jericho makes a jerky comment and they end
up brawling.
William Regal
arrives next and cuts a promo, referencing David Beckham, Manchester United,
and Strangeways. I'm not sure what he means, but it sounds rude. His opponent
is Tajiri,
the WCW Cruiserweight Champion. There are some hiccups, moments when you can
tell there has been a miscue or times when one or the other is clearly leaning
into the other man's attack, but when this match clicks, it is excellent.
How could it not be? (2.5/5)
United States Champion Kurt
Angle cuts a promo, building up the next match - Angle vs. WCW World
Champion Chris Jericho. This is the
type of match that scores high marks despite how dull extended stretches of
it are because when it gets good, it gets very good. The finisher steals and high-impact moves are thrilling, even if the the roll-up finish is a bit anticlimactic. This is a quality "house
show" main event, a match that lives up to the standards they had set in previous matches, but does not surpass it. (3.5/5)
The Rock cuts a promo backstage with Michael Cole to the
delight of the audience.
In action next is Lita
and Torrie Wilson taking on "Mighty" Molly Holly and Stacy Keibler, with Trish Stratus serving as the
guest referee. In theory, this match might've worked - you have Lita and Holly
do the heavy lifting and Wilson and Keibler stand around to make sure nobody confuses
this with an actual wrestling match…But in execution, this is as a lame
as it sounds. Keibler and Wilson are completely inept, stumbling around the ring,
while Lita and Holly don't raise their games to make up for it. The best thing going for this is its brevity. (1/5)
Main event time - The
Rock challenging Steve Austin for
the WWE Championship. This is a unique match in the history of these two as
it is one of the rare occasions when Austin goes into the ring as the clear
heel and Rock goes in as the clear babyface. The reversal of roles allows both
guys to have a little fun as Austin does everything he can to keep the audience
booing and The Rock spends a majority of the match fighting from underneath.
Move-for-move, this one doesn't differ from the showdowns they had years
prior - there is ample brawling outside of the ring, finisher thefts, and other
trademark spots - but that by no means makes it a bland retread. Their chemistry was always remarkable, though, a stronger, more definitive ending
would've certainly helped this one register more with me. (3.5/5)
With an average match score of 2.50-out-of-5, WWE Rebellion is not a show worthy of high praise.
It is not as consistently great as the previous month's No Mercy show, though the Manchester crowd is certainly engaged. The two World title matches are above average, but not classics. Big
Show/DDP and the WCW Tag Team Championship matches are better than I expected
they would be, with Tajiri/Regal not quite living up to my expectations. Sadly, what really hurts this show's overall rating is the
irredeemable divas match and the Scotty Too Hotty/Hurricane match. Not a terrible show, but not one I'd recommend.
FINAL RATING -
High Risk Maneuver
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