WWE Backlash 2001

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

Backlash 2001 – April 2001

Chicago, Illinois

CHAMPION RUNDOWN: Heading into tonight's main event, the reigning WWE Champion is “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Rhyno is the Hardcore Champion, and Triple H holds the Intercontinental Champion. Chyna is the WWE Women's Champion, though she does not appear on the card. The Tag Team Championships are held by the Brothers of Destruction, Kane and the Undertaker.

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman

Tonight's broadcast kicks off with The Dudleys (including Spike) taking on X-Factor (X-Pac, Justin Credible, and Bull Buchanan). The Dudleys get a big reaction for their intro, while you can practically hear the sound of popcorn being chewed for X-Factor's entrance. Early on, Spike delivers a sloppy double stomp from the top, a maneuver that I genuinely forgot he did (and always credited Low Ki for being the first US worker to do it on TV regularly). The crowd chants for tables less than 90 seconds into the match but who can blame them? I wasn't a fan of the finish as Teddy Long just seemed a step behind in getting into position. Not a career high point for anyone, but the crowd was engaged and at least they kept things short. (2/5)

The Hardcore Championship is on the line next, with Rhyno defending the strap against former multi-time Hardcore Champion, Raven. After watching Raven wrestle for the title at No Way Out and WrestleMania XVII, I wasn't expecting much, but the WWE made the right call to keep this match 1-on-1. There is no psychology and very little in the way of selling, but if you want to see two guys slug eachother with a wide number of weapons, this match will be up your alley. Extra credit to some pretty cool spots involving chairs and a shopping cart. (3/5)

Next up, Chris Jericho challenges William Regal in a Duchess of Queensbury Rules match. The announcers make a point of noting how little they know about the rules of this bout, but we would learn them over the course of the contest. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of a more serious Regal, but even when he's in a comedic role, he's entertaining. Both guys work hard and the crowd plays along with the ridiculousness of the various false finishes, but it doesn't make this any more than a good-not-great match. The finish seems lazy, especially when it is essentially the same as the ending to WrestleMania XVII's main event. (3/5)

The Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit 30-Minute Ultimate Submission Match is next. At WrestleMania, these two put on a great match, so they have a high bar to meet in this one. Angle starts out by cutting a promo on Chicago, a cheap ploy to get the crowd behind the gimmick-less Benoit. I'm not sure it necessarily works, but it's not a bad idea, especially considering that fans are about to be given a full 30 minutes of submission-based wrestling. Five minutes in we get a false finish in which Angle taps on the outside and while it is a somewhat clever heel move, Angle doesn't gloat enough about outsmarting his opponent for me to buy that it was an intentional curveball thrown to the ref to break the hold. A few minutes later, we get the first proper submission, followed within a few more minutes by another. During this stretch, Angle sells elbow and shoulder pain, but at a certain point, these pains, which were enough to make him tap out minutes earlier, are ignored. In fact, Angle has no trouble locking in the Ankle Lock, dishing out suplexes, or literally dragging Benoit into the middle of the ring on multiple occasions - none of these maneuvers taxing his shoulder or elbow based on Angle's facial expressions. Personally, I didn't feel an overtime was needed but we get one anyway, furthering a match that simply wasn't "epic" enough to warrant extra minutes. While Angle and Benoit superfans will find much in this match to enjoy, to me it comes off as almost a "passion piece," a self-pleasing attempt for these two to prove, more to themselves than anyone, that they could work this match more than that they actually needed to work this match. (3.5/5)

Following a match all about technicality, we got a match all about brutality - Shane McMahon taking on the Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match. I enjoyed Shane attempting to utilize chloroform to take out his monstrous opponent, but there's really nothing else to novel or new in this contest. The final stretch is somewhat legendary for Shane taking a tremendous bump from high above the TitanTron. Sadly, the bump is produced as a well-planned stunt rather than an organic part of the match, an over baked attempt to surpass Mick Foley's legendary King of the Ring plunge three years earlier. Still, one of the most dangerous stunts in WWE history and a respectable feather in the cap for Shane O-Mac. (3/5)

Matt Hardy vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. Christian for Hardy's European Championship is next. I'm not usually a fan of triple threat matches, but with the energy all three men bring to the table, there is quite a bit to like in this one. In the first third there's a cool spot where Matt Hardy rolls up Guerrero after Christian attempts a Doomsday Device. A few minutes later, Guerrero rocks the champ with two brainbusters, one of my favorite maneuvers. Later on, all three men take part in a remarkable spot in the corner that, in a shock to today's viewers, doesn't end in the all-too-common "Tower of Doom" crash-and-burn. The arrival of Edge and Jeff Hardy leads, predictably, to the closing stretch, which is well-executed but not necessarily as thrilling as the match deserves. (3.5/5)

Main event time - WWF Tag Team Champions Kane and the Undertaker vs. Intercontinental Champion, Triple H, and his partner, WWF World Champion, Steve Austin, aka the Two Man Power Trip. Every title is on the line, so the stakes are high in this one and the crowd is red hot, especially for the American Bad Ass. The Undertaker does the lion's share of the work for the first half as Kane sells an elbow injury suffered in the build to the match. You don't get much technical wrestling here, but this isn't just a straight-up brawl either as Triple H and Stone Cold, especially for the initial stretches, do an excellent job of playing chickenshit heels who know they will have to outsmart their opponents if they stand any chance of defeating the two monsters. Again, the interference of Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon is predictable, but one can't argue with how much the crowd was enthralled by their involvement. Not a mat classic or even one I would recommend revisiting, but a solid main event that lived up to its promise. (3.5/5)

With its lean-and-mean 7-match make-up, Backlash 2001 doesn't waste time with comedy or diva drama. It also helps that, at the time, the WWE's midcard performers were very over. These things combine to earn the show a respectable average match/segment rating of 3-out-of-5. Regal/Jericho is funner than their straight-faced WrestleMania match, but that doesn't make it more essential. As much as the main event draws in the crowd, modern viewers will likely find its finish and action predictable. This show essentially delivered what its fans wanted...but years removed, Backlash 2001 is almost the wrestling equivalent of of your 5th favorite song on a really good album. It's not that the show ever sinks below average, it just it doesn't stay above it very along.  

FINAL RATING – Watch It…With Remote in Hand