WWE No Mercy 2002 - October 2002
North Little Rock, Arkansas
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Brock Lesnar is the WWE's Undisputed World Champion coming into the show, Triple H holds the less prestigious World Heavyweight Championship, Kane is the Intercontinental Champion, and Jamie Noble is the Cruiserweight Champion. The newly-created WWE Tag Team Championship will be contested tonight in the finals of a tournament, while the World Tag Team Championships are held by RAW's Christian and Chris Jericho. The Womens' Champion is Trish Stratus.
COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole and Tazz (SmackDown), Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross (RAW)
Backstage, Kane and the Undertaker start the show with a bit of comedy, Kane asking the Deadman, "So, how was your weekend?" and getting a weird look from the Phenom.
Cut to a video promo hyping tonight's Triple H/Kane match, built on the notorious Katie Vick angle where the Big Red Machine was painted as a murderer. Considered the low watermark for WWE Creative, the storyline, dubbed "The Necrophilia Angle," is fortunately swiped over pretty quickly before the video package transitions to hyping the show's true main event, Taker vs. Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell match.
Chris Jericho and Christian defend their WWE World Tag Team Championships against Booker T and Goldust in the opening contest. Jericho and Christian are natural tag partners, wisely using any trickery they can to cut the ring in half and keep Goldust from making the hot tag to Booker T. The crowd is firmly behind the face camp, which adds some pep to the match and makes the nearfalls matter. Not a great match, but at least a little bit of fun due to the unexpected ring break towards the end that forced the teams to improvise a bit. (2.5/5)
At the previous show, Unforgiven 2002, I criticized the WWE for the shameless HLA storyline, but what they ran with the next month was no better - the deplorable Al Wilson/Dawn Marie angle, in which Dawn Marie attempted to seduce Torrie Wilson's real-life father. Thus, we get to our next match - Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson. Surprisingly, Wilson and Marie put together a solid match. The crowd is engaged and there are actual at least 300% more wrestling moves than I expected to see, including a snap suplex out of Torrie Wilson and some decent submissions by Dawn Marie. While this one isn't without it's awkward pauses, one must give some credit to these two for delivering a match that went beyond the usual hairtoss and Lou Thesz presses of the era. (2/5)
At the previous show, Unforgiven 2002, I criticized the WWE for the shameless HLA storyline, but what they ran with the next month was no better - the deplorable Al Wilson/Dawn Marie angle, in which Dawn Marie attempted to seduce Torrie Wilson's real-life father. Thus, we get to our next match - Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson. Surprisingly, Wilson and Marie put together a solid match. The crowd is engaged and there are actual at least 300% more wrestling moves than I expected to see, including a snap suplex out of Torrie Wilson and some decent submissions by Dawn Marie. While this one isn't without it's awkward pauses, one must give some credit to these two for delivering a match that went beyond the usual hairtoss and Lou Thesz presses of the era. (2/5)
Backstage, Jonathan Coachman speaks with Rob Van Dam about his upcoming match with Ric Flair. As RVD walks off, The Coach tries to catch a word with the heels passing him by - Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, and Tracy Dali, who had revealed on SmackDown that she'd had an extramarital affair with the Undertaker. The Coach is brushed off, though, and we head back to the ring.
Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam was next, this match coming together based on Flair screwing Van Dam in his World Heavyweight Championship match against Ric Flair at Unforgiven. Despite their considerable differences in style, they show some decent chemistry at times, Flair seeming eager to prove that he can keep up with RVD's speed and stiffness. While far from a classic, the match does deliver a satisfying clean finish and doesn't needlessly overstay its welcome or rely on blood and table spots to keep the crowd engaged. (3/5)
Backstage, the Big Show complains to Stephanie McMahon and Eric Bischoff how he has been kept off PPV since July and is long overdue for a main event match.
We go to an Enya-soundtracked video package detailing the history of the Intercontinental Championship, which will be getting unified with the World Heavyweight Championship tonight in the Triple H/Kane match.
Tajiri is up next, challenging Jamie Noble for his Cruiserweight Championship. Had the crowd been more interested in this one, I could see it being a Match of the Night contender. Honestly. There are a number of good sequences, Tajiri's offense really is ahead of its time, and Noble takes great bumps and knows how to draw heel heat with his expressions. Unfortunately, the match just doesn't seem to capture any of the crowd's attention save for a few high-impact spots here and there. While technically superior than Flair/RVD in almost every way, that match at least seemed to matter, which is ironic because this is a title match and the prior bout wasn't. (2.5/5)
Pretty funny backstage segment featuring Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chavo, and Angle.
A video package prefaces our next contest - the "Winner Takes All" battle Intercontinental Champion Kane and World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. The idea of Kane, who had won the IC strap from Jericho in an emotional contest on RAW weeks prior and was as over as he possibly could've been (he'd only recently returned to TV in September after 5 months gone), challenging the World Heavyweight Champion in his first high-profile crack at the title in well over a year should've sold itself...but Creative couldn't help themselves from tacking on a ridiculous storyline based on Kane murdering his girlfriend. It is important to note, however, that by this point in the feud, it did not yet include that infamous "necrophilia" flavor (that would get added on the next night's RAW), but it was still a dumb story to lead into a match that didn't really need the extra hook. Anywho, the match begins with Kane and Triple H trading blows, Triple H trying to bump his way into this match being worth watching. As things continue, it gets a touch more interesting as we get some ref bumps and all sorts of interference, as well as a special appearance from Triple H's trusty sledgehammer. I prefer the bells-and-whistles in this match over sticking to a straight storyline, but this isn't the best version of that kind of match either. Better than the storyline around it deserved, but ultimately an inessential match. (3.5/5)
Pretty funny backstage segment featuring Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chavo, and Angle.
A video package prefaces our next contest - the "Winner Takes All" battle Intercontinental Champion Kane and World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. The idea of Kane, who had won the IC strap from Jericho in an emotional contest on RAW weeks prior and was as over as he possibly could've been (he'd only recently returned to TV in September after 5 months gone), challenging the World Heavyweight Champion in his first high-profile crack at the title in well over a year should've sold itself...but Creative couldn't help themselves from tacking on a ridiculous storyline based on Kane murdering his girlfriend. It is important to note, however, that by this point in the feud, it did not yet include that infamous "necrophilia" flavor (that would get added on the next night's RAW), but it was still a dumb story to lead into a match that didn't really need the extra hook. Anywho, the match begins with Kane and Triple H trading blows, Triple H trying to bump his way into this match being worth watching. As things continue, it gets a touch more interesting as we get some ref bumps and all sorts of interference, as well as a special appearance from Triple H's trusty sledgehammer. I prefer the bells-and-whistles in this match over sticking to a straight storyline, but this isn't the best version of that kind of match either. Better than the storyline around it deserved, but ultimately an inessential match. (3.5/5)
Backstage, Stephanie invites Tracy Dali into her office. She tells Ms. McMahon that she had a relationship with the Undertaker (who she refers to as "Mark") in the past, but that Paul Heyman convinced her to say "whatever had to be said to get Mark back." The Deadman appears (via a door, not a plume of smoke), calls her a "lying bitch," and there you have it, the end of the Tracy Dali angle. I'm glad I wasn't watching this in real time.
For the first time ever, SmackDown gets its own World Tag Team Championships - Edge and Rey Mysterio taking on Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the tournament's finals. The build-up to this match was all about "The SmackDown Six," as Los Guerreros were heavily involved in the tournament's final round and the "odd couple" pairing of Angle and Benoit, who arrive first. When the bell rings, Mysterio and Angle start things off, Angle overtaking Rey with his strength and wrestling know-how, demanding that he tag in Edge. Rey refuses to back down, though, outwitting Angle with his quickness and agility, hitting him with a hurricanrana, a drop toe hold, and some slaps before taking a breather out of the ring and letting the frustrated Angle lose his cool in the ring. Edge comes in and, soon after, Benoit steps in for his team. The reversals on display are lightning-fast and snug, Edge holding his own against the far more experienced Crippler. Edge takes control for awhile, but interference from Kurt Angle slows his momentum and allows the heels to start dishing out some punishment of their own. One would've expected Mysterio to be the face-in-peril, but where this match really shines is that it both meets the expectations one would have and also pleasantly subverts them. For example, the amount of "finisher spamming" in the last act would normally turn me off of a match as I find the practice a bit lazy and uncreative these days, but as the nearfalls stacked up, I found myself getting more and more pulled in. In another example of pleasant surprises, the build to this match played up the fact that Angle and Benoit are a solid team, but not necessarily trusting of each other based on their position as rivals over the previous year. In this match, they not only save each other a number of times, but there are some great moments where they show remarkable teamwork, attacking the same area of their opponent, cutting the ring in half, and wrestling with an attention to detail that you wouldn't expect out of two guys who are most known for their work as singles competitors. On the face side of things, when Edge and Mysterio put together their double-team efforts, they are breathtaking and vastly different than anything Edge did with Christian, showing that he might be one of the more underrated tag workers of not only his era, but any. With all four men giving their all, it's hard to find much to criticize about the match, as good a tag bout as I've seen in a long, long time. (4.5/5)
In a segment I can guarantee you wouldn't see in 2016, the Undertaker is backstage demanding that one of the WWE's doctors give him a shot directly into his injured hand so that he can make it through his Hell in a Cell match.
The WWE Women's Championship is on the line next, Trish Stratus defending the strap against Victoria. A "We Want Puppies" chant starts up within the first minute of this match, really showing just how little patience or respect the WWE audience had of the female talent 15 years ago. The action isn't too bad, either, Victoria hitting some respectable moves including a well-executed fireman's carry into the barricade and a follow-up legdrop into the ring. There's a botched monkey flip moments later, but it's not an egregious error and the women recover quickly, especially the more that Victoria takes control as she was obviously the ring general in this one. Unfortunately, the clunky finish (and Trish's offense leading up to it) is a bit harder to overlook in rating the match as it is clear Stratus still had a ways to go towards being the division's ace. (1.5/5)
Michael Cole and Tazz are at the desk, hyping Rikishi's appearance at the WWE's restaurant, The World. They air a clip of Rikishi getting tossed off the cage at Armageddon two years earlier, one of the more overlooked "craziest spots ever" in WWE history. Rikishi predicts that the Undertaker will be victories tonight as the match stipulation favors the Deadman.
Main event time - Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell with the Undisputed World Championship on the line. Early on, Lesnar shows some of his inexperience, trying to outwrestle Taker but not utilizing the cage for his benefit. The wise veteran, though, turns the tables and immediately starts taking advantage of everything he can - including using the cast on his right hand, busting Lesnar open. Meanwhile, on the outside, Heyman gives himself laryngitis, doing some masterful manager work well before he was getting called a top 5 greatest manager of all time. The action from here is just awesome - Undertaker tossing Lesnar to and fro on the outside, hitting him with a perfect guillotine legdrop on the apron and following it up with a huge knee from the top rope, and Paul Heyman getting lacerated from a big boot and getting pulled face-first into the steel wall by his necktie repeatedly. When Lesnar takes over, things get even better, the Beast turning a corner mid-match by starting to embrace the brutality of his surroundings, attacking the Phenom's injured right hand with some violent chair shots. Lesnar is relentless in his attack on Taker's damaged right hand and the injury is sold well for the remainder of the match, too, a touch that is too often lacking in the epics of today. Lesnar's dominance of Taker is incredible - not only because of the Deadman's mythos, but because of how effortlessly and easy it comes across, as if Lesnar himself didn't know what he was capable of until he found himself on the Undertaker's home turf. Lesnar finally utilizes the cage, hanging from it to hit some big kicks before ultimately falling prey to a low blow. The fight goes to the outside and the violence amps up even higher, with Lesnar bashing Taker's head in with two staircase blasts. The bladejob Undertaker pulls off here is stomach-churning, more akin to what you'd see in a horror movie than in a pro-wrestling match. The action moves back into the ring and one would expect the finisher-trading to begin, but in this match, everything is earned, both guys pulling out counters in order to deliver what they both know will be the final blow. There's a great nearfall from the Last Ride, but the best spot in a match full of best spots is Lesnar's reversal of the tombstone, a counter he performs swiftly without a single second of readjustment. While one might find a few flaws here and there in this match, including its obvious reliance on extreme gore to raise drama and the fact that at no point does Brock attempt a submission when forcing Taker to submit from the punishment he suffers to his broken hand would make plenty of sense, it is also hard to find a match more gloriously brutal in the WWE canon. (4.5/5)
No Mercy 02' would be the best SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view ever if it was a Smackdown-exclusive pay-per-view. With a fairly strong score fi 3.00-out-of-5 on the ol' watchability meter, No Mercy offers the best wrestling action WWE would offer on PPV since the stellar SummerSlam show and, prior to that, the last year's No Mercy show (which earned an identical 3.00). While the show starts off a bit slow, things pick up with the first title match, considerably more watchable and entertaining than I would've expected based on my not-so-hidden dislike for Trips and Kane. The second half of the card is nearly perfect, though I would've flipped the women's matches as Wilson/Dawn Marie, with its abbreviated running time and the respectable amount of heat it garners, is shockingly better than the Stratus/Victoria title match. The tag match and Lesnar/Taker cage bout are Match of the Year-caliber efforts, well worth seeking out.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
Main event time - Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell with the Undisputed World Championship on the line. Early on, Lesnar shows some of his inexperience, trying to outwrestle Taker but not utilizing the cage for his benefit. The wise veteran, though, turns the tables and immediately starts taking advantage of everything he can - including using the cast on his right hand, busting Lesnar open. Meanwhile, on the outside, Heyman gives himself laryngitis, doing some masterful manager work well before he was getting called a top 5 greatest manager of all time. The action from here is just awesome - Undertaker tossing Lesnar to and fro on the outside, hitting him with a perfect guillotine legdrop on the apron and following it up with a huge knee from the top rope, and Paul Heyman getting lacerated from a big boot and getting pulled face-first into the steel wall by his necktie repeatedly. When Lesnar takes over, things get even better, the Beast turning a corner mid-match by starting to embrace the brutality of his surroundings, attacking the Phenom's injured right hand with some violent chair shots. Lesnar is relentless in his attack on Taker's damaged right hand and the injury is sold well for the remainder of the match, too, a touch that is too often lacking in the epics of today. Lesnar's dominance of Taker is incredible - not only because of the Deadman's mythos, but because of how effortlessly and easy it comes across, as if Lesnar himself didn't know what he was capable of until he found himself on the Undertaker's home turf. Lesnar finally utilizes the cage, hanging from it to hit some big kicks before ultimately falling prey to a low blow. The fight goes to the outside and the violence amps up even higher, with Lesnar bashing Taker's head in with two staircase blasts. The bladejob Undertaker pulls off here is stomach-churning, more akin to what you'd see in a horror movie than in a pro-wrestling match. The action moves back into the ring and one would expect the finisher-trading to begin, but in this match, everything is earned, both guys pulling out counters in order to deliver what they both know will be the final blow. There's a great nearfall from the Last Ride, but the best spot in a match full of best spots is Lesnar's reversal of the tombstone, a counter he performs swiftly without a single second of readjustment. While one might find a few flaws here and there in this match, including its obvious reliance on extreme gore to raise drama and the fact that at no point does Brock attempt a submission when forcing Taker to submit from the punishment he suffers to his broken hand would make plenty of sense, it is also hard to find a match more gloriously brutal in the WWE canon. (4.5/5)
No Mercy 02' would be the best SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view ever if it was a Smackdown-exclusive pay-per-view. With a fairly strong score fi 3.00-out-of-5 on the ol' watchability meter, No Mercy offers the best wrestling action WWE would offer on PPV since the stellar SummerSlam show and, prior to that, the last year's No Mercy show (which earned an identical 3.00). While the show starts off a bit slow, things pick up with the first title match, considerably more watchable and entertaining than I would've expected based on my not-so-hidden dislike for Trips and Kane. The second half of the card is nearly perfect, though I would've flipped the women's matches as Wilson/Dawn Marie, with its abbreviated running time and the respectable amount of heat it garners, is shockingly better than the Stratus/Victoria title match. The tag match and Lesnar/Taker cage bout are Match of the Year-caliber efforts, well worth seeking out.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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