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WWE REBELLION 2002 REVIEW

Kevan | Newark, DE | 02/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"HERE IS MY REVIEW FOR ENGLAND'S WWE SMACKDOWN PAY PER VIEW REBELLION.

BOOKER T VS. MATT HARDY
GREAT MATCH TO OPEN UP THE SHOW, THESE TO WORK WELL TOGETHER.
WINNER: BOOKER T
RATING: 8

INTERGENDER TAG TEAM MATCH
JOHN CENA & DAWN MARIE VS. BILLY KIDMAN & TORRIE WILSON
PRETTY GOOD TAG TEAM MATCH. CENA HAS SOME GREAT SKILLS HE SHOWS HERE.
WINNERS: BILLY KIDMAN & TORRIE WILSON
RATING: 7

CRASH HOLLY VS. FUNAKI
PRETTY GOOD CRUISERWEIGHT MATCH, BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.
WINNER: FUNAKI
RATING: 7

TRIPLE THREAT ELIMINATION MATCH
WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
REY MYSTERIO VS. TAJIRI VS. JAMIE NOBLE
GREAT CRUISERWEIGHT MATCH. TAJIRI IS OUT FIRST, THE NOBLE CHEATS TO ELIMINATE REY TO RETAIN.
WINNER: JAMIE NOBLE
RATING: 8

RON SIMMONS & D-VON DUDLEY VS. VAL VENIS & CHUCK PALUMBO
NOT A VERY GOOD MATCH, BUT ITS GOOD THAT THEY KEPT IT SHORT.
WINNERS: D-VON DUDLEY & RON SIMMONS
RATING: 6

KISS MY @$$ MATCH
RIKISHI VS. ALBERT
THANK GOD RIKISHI WON, IF HE LOST, I WOULD CRY. NOT VERY GOOD.
WINNER: RIKISHI
RATING: 5.5

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
EDDIE & CHAVO GUERRERO VS. KURT ANGLE & CHRIS BENOIT
AMAZING TAG TEAM MATCH. GREAT EFFORT FROM BOTH TEAMS.
WINNERS: KURT ANGLE & CHRIS BENOIT
RATING: 9.5

MAIN EVENT
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP HANDICAPT MATCH
BROCK LESNAR & PAUL HEYMAN VS. EDGE
AWESOME MAIN EVENT. EDGE'S FIRST WWE TITLE SHOT & PPV MAIN EVENT SPOT. WWE TITLE DOESNT CHANGE HANDS IN ENGLAND, BUT STILL GERAT.
WINNER: BROCK LESNAR & PAUL HEYMAN
RATING: 9

OVERALL, WWE REBELLION WAS WORTH 7.5 OUT OF 10 STARS. 4 STARS IS GOOD FOR THIS PPV. PRETTY GOOD PAY PER VIEW FROM ENGLAND."

Come on now

Kevan | 06/16/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Matt Hardy vs. Booker-T
Actually this match wasn't the worst it was pretty good this two are pretty good with each other
{6/10}

Dawn Marie, John Cena vs. Billy Kidman, Torrie Wilson
Well not really good since Cena wasn't all that good at that time
{4/10}

Funaki vs. Crash
Good match with this two little guys fightning it out
{7/10}

Triple Threat Match for Cruiserweight Title Elimination Rey Mysterio vs. Jaime Noble vs. Tajhri
Nice moves into this one probably one of the best of the night
{8/10}

Val Venis, Chuck Pulambo vs. Ron Simmons, ?
I forget who Ron's partner is anyways why have on a ppv this could probably be a main event for sunday Night Heat
{2/10}

Kiss My A** Match Albert vs. Rikishi
What a match pretty crazy I liked it though
{8/10}

Tag Team Titles Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle vs. Guereros
The best of the night! Real good match you have to watch this match
{10/10}

Main Event Handicap Match for WWE Championship Edge vs. Brock Lesnar,Paul Heyman
Well Taker was supose to wrestle anyways Edge did good
{9/10}

54/80 Not so good
"

Decent Show

ghv | 04/23/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Stephanie opened the show with a promo explaining that the Undertaker would not be on the show (he was shown in the opening credits, though) but as part of the Big Show trade, Booker T would wrestle on the show tonight - nice way of explaining that, or trying to. Steph also set the main event as Edge vs. Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman - if Edge pins either Brock or Paul, he becomes WWE Champion.

Booker T def. Matt Hardy Version 1
Matt's entrance video tonight told us that "Matt loves English muffins" which is always nice to know. Matt also showed off his new "Era of Mattitude" shirt in this match, which lasted about 14 minutes and was full of all the spots you'd expect - even a Book End thrown in by Booker. Guess while The Rock's away, The Book will play... Booker took the win in the end after an Axe Kick, and we got a post match Spinaroonie.

Heyman confronted Steph about `his' match, throwing every excuse at her - it's not fair, I didn't bring my trunks, etc. etc. Steph told him life wasn't fair, and Paul left muttering "you're so much like your father".

Billy Kidman & Torrie Wilson def. John Cena & Dawn Marie
Very short mixed tag match, with Cena playing his new heel role very well, even slamming Torrie! Shock! Horror! The end came in 5 minutes, as Kidman pinned Cena, after allegedly hitting a Shooting Star Press, even though it looked like it missed, so much so that Tazz and Cole tried to cover it by claiming that the SSP is so devastating, you only need the slightest glance... shyeah, right! After the match, Torrie and Kidman played Tonsil Tennis - what is it with the WWE putting these real-life relationships on screen now?

A pretty pointless Edge interview came and went, using the usual "boyhood dream" and "since he was 9..." lines, and the next match was upon us.

Funaki def. Crash Holly
Funaki told us before the match that not only was he Smackdown #1 announcer, but tonight in Manchester, he was #1 top man. O.....K. Didn't know what to expect with these two, but what we got was a pretty good cruiserweight match up - lots of counterholds and reversals, and a funny spot where Crash pulled out a Karate Kid headband and did a lot of Karate-style poses. Funaki's response? He kicked him in the face. Nice try, Crash. Funaki eventually took the win in about 5 minutes when he blocked and reversed what looked to me like Crash's version of La Magistral and won the three count.

Backstage, after sniffing a security guard (don't ask) Nidia decided that she wanted to go home. Jamie Noble agreed, and said as soon as he won his match, they'd head back to West Virginia - "God's Country".

Meanwhile, Rey put his mask on and breathed a bit.

WWE Cruiserweight Title Three Way Dance
Jamie Noble (c) def. Tajiri & Rey Mysterio
Contested under ECW style Elimination rules, Tajiri was eliminated first in just under 3 minutes. Further enhancing the ECW style of this match, the crowd got on Nidia's back with classic chants of "she's a crack whore" and "she's got herpes" - nice and friendly welcome from the Manchester crowd. From there we had a superb match - I would love to see a feud with these two if this is the standard of match that they put on. Noble retained his belt (surprise!) just short of 13 minutes after he blocked a Rey victory roll and Nidia helped him stay on top for the 3 count. Rey hit a double 619 on Jamie and Nidia after the match as they celebrated.

In a locker room, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit argue some more about who the team captain should be, Benoit pointing out who won at Unforgiven AND Smackdown. Angle went to leave and told him that he was the captain of the team and that's true "bloody freakin' damn true" actually. Kurt rules, he really does.

D-Von & Ron Simmons def. The Big Valbowski and Chuck Palumbo
Well, not much to say about this match. At 5 minutes, it was just about right, and D-Von won with a roll up, holding the tights in a heelish manner. Chuck really needs to tighten his trunks as D-Von pulled them down. Most frightening move of the night...

Eddie and Chavo gave their thoughts on the upcoming tag team title match, and their surroundings. Eddie said he was so impressed with the welcome he'd got that when he got home he would tell Grandma that he loved Germany, until Chavo pointed out that they were actually in Ireland. Close, but no cigar. Chavo then started on a promo about how Mexicans rule - "You remember the alamo? I do - we won!" - and Eddie went as far to say that "fish and chips and English muffins suck". Now when a man insults fish and chips, then that's fighting words, brother.

Fans of quality entertainment, skip the next 2 paragraphs.

Kiss my Ass match
Rikishi def. Albert
Every bit as bad as it sounds. Not even the shock of Albert with the mic before the match could make this better. For the record, Albert claims he is "wicked sexy" and his hair is all natural. Now there's an image. Rikishi thankfully shut him up by taking the win in 8 minutes with a Banzai Drop, (although Cole called it a Rump Shaker) and Albert tried to avoid the asskissing. The referee told him to get back and face hit, so Albert came back and Baldobombed Rikishi, before attempting a stinkface of his own, but Rikishi blocked and got his own in.

But the fun doesn't stop there - oh no! Rikishi then went to do his dancing thing, but insisted that Tazz, Michael Cole and even Tony Chimel don the hat and do the dance. Lucky for us it didn't last long. Let's just say Tazz is as good at dancing as Albert is at shaving...

WWE Tag Team Titles
Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit def. Eddie and Chavo Guerrero
Absolutely incredible match, easily on a par with their Smackdown bout a couple of weeks ago. Angle was supremely over as a face for some reason, the crowd chanting "We Want Angle" nearly all the way through the match. Angle looked like he loved it. Huge suplexes for anyone named Guerrero, including a synchronised suplex spot that looked awesome. Hell, Benoit even wheeled out the Powerbomb - first time in a while that's been seen!

Slightly worrying moment for Eddie, he went out of the ring, and referee Brian Hebner flashed the dreaded "X" sign as Angle and Chavo covered in the ring - thankfully Eddie recovered and finished the match with no problems. Don't know what happened, but everyone looked worried for a moment. Angle took the popular win after he Angleslammed Eddie just after the 16 minute mark, and we got another episode of the "Tag Partners who hate each other" saga with Benoit and Angle.
Backstage we go as Heyman attempts a push up, and fails miserably. Brock tells Heyman he'll snap him in half is Heyman allows himself to be pinned.

WWE Championship Handicap Match
Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman def. Edge
Edge came out to a huge face pop, although his coat did have a rip in the back... tut tut. Heyman came down with Tazz noting that he even taped his wrists up, and took his place cowering in the corner, where he would spend most of the match. Pretty good match from these two, Edge not looking out of place fighting for the title and Lesnar beginning to ooze confidence as a champion should. Heyman was knocked to the floor a few times, apart from one moment when he held Edge down so Lesnar could get a kick in, and he milked it, nearly doing a lap of honour around the ring.

Lesnar took the win after he hit Edge in the ribs with a chair and hit the F5 to retain his title. After the match, Heyman for some reason decided to attack Edge, poking him in the ribs with a chair - a bad move as Edge kicked the chair into Heyman's face and hit him with an Edge-o-cution to send the crowd home happy.

All in all, it was better than the usual standard that we usually get in the UK for our jumped up house shows... erm, sorry, PPV's. Not a bad example of how a Smackdown only PPV might go in the future (Tazz pointed out that this was a Smackdown only show a couple of times) and not without it's highpoints.
"

SMACKDOWN's Best Kept Secret

R.A. McKenzie | New York | 09/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This PPV was one of the year's best, and I'll bet you've never even heard about it. I'm gonna skip the usual intro, and just get to the event. Hope you like:

PPV REVIEW
***First, SMACKDOWM GM Stephanie McMahon welcomed us to the first-ever brand-exclusive PPV. I'll admit, I thought BAD BLOOD & VENGEANCE '03 were the first. She regretfully informed us that Undertaker wouldn't be able to participate in the main event, but that Edge would take his place. As if that wasn't exciting, she also kicked off the show by announcing an interpromotional contest. Stephanie's opening announcements are quick, crowd-pleasing, and hold up on DVD.***

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1) Booker T (RAW) v. Matt Hardy (SMACKDOWN)
---This PPV opener actually started off with some good crowd-playing, as both Hardy & Booker kept daring the other to make the first move. After the mind games ended, the match proceeded with a fast pace, and was filled with back-and-forth action. Unforunately, it still wasn't as great it sounds. You see, even with all of the high-impact slams and counters, I could predict almost every move that was coming. I can't decide if this was by-the numbers yet entertaining, or entertaining but by-the-numbers. I'm leaning toward the latter.
"6.0 / 10"

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2) John Cena & Dawn Marie v. Billy Kidman & Torrie Wilson
---This was when the horrible Al Wilson storyline just began. Thankfully, this match was so entertaining that I forgot all about the angle. Things played out the way you'd hope: Cena & Kidman did most of the work, while Torrie & Dawn Marie rarely mixed it up. I urge anti-Cena fans to take a look, because he and Kidman did some impressive work against each other. This match just goes to show that Cena "CAN" wrestle; he just doesn't show it very often. And the Divas were pretty entertaining when they competed. Overall, a very exciting Intergender Match, and easily one of the best ones I've ever seen.
"7.0 / 10"

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3) Funaki v. Crash
---This exhibition showing may just be the best match I've witnessed involving either of these men. This Cruiserweight competition was incredibly fast-paced, and made both men look like main event players. Even better, this match was given a pretty good amount of time to develop, and let both men entertain the crowd. Folks, I've never been a fan of the late Mike "Crash" Lockwood, but I will give him a ton of credit for his work on this night. Even though there was no reason for this match to take place, it's worthy of any PPV presentation.
"7.0 / 10"

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4) Elimination Match - Cruiserweight Championship
Tajiri v. Jamie Noble (champion) v. Rey Mysterio
---Don't get too excited if you're a Tajiri fan, because he was only in the match for about 4 minutes. The "Japanese Buzzsaw" was fun to watch while he was there, and his brief presence might disappoint some people. But after Mysterio & Noble went at it for about 15 more minutes, I didn't care. Remember when Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle had a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match? Their first fall lasted a minute, but then the last two falls were Match-of-The-Year quality, so nobody cared. The same thing applies here. The high-risk spots and crisp wrestling on display here were breathtaking. Great match, if you can forget Tajiri was involved.
"8.0 / 10"

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***Right about here (I think) was when Eddie & Chavo Guerrero cut a hilarious promo that included anything & everything that came to their minds. If you've ever seen the 30 ROCK episode called "Jack-Tor" -- where Alec Baldwin's character goes through a 3-minute blooper reel -- then you'll know what I'm talking about. Los Guerreros just kept talking and bragging and trash-talking about anything they wanted...it just went on for so long that you'll laugh at the sheer audacity of it. Without question, one of the funniest backstage promos I've ever seen from the WWE.***

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5) The Big Valbowski & Chuck Palumbo
v. Reverend D-Von & Ron Simmons
---I have no clue why any of these men were paired with each other. That alone should tell you that not much happened in this match. However, I want to note that while this was a pointless 6 minutes, I wasn't bored. I always loved Val Venis, and each wrestler gets to do a little work before the finish. Most will likely call this the worst match of the PPV.
"6.0 / 10"

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6) Kiss-My-Arse Match
Albert v. Rikishi
---I know this might look horrible in print, but think about this: Rikishi & Albert are two of the most athletic big-man superstars that WWE has ever had. They're quick & agile for their size, in addition to being very strong. So because of their physiques, the two opponents actually delivered a decent back-and-forth contest. But what made the match more entertaining for me was the psychology. The whole match is filled with little touches that make it better. Albert's headbutt is stronger than his Samoan opponent's head, but Rikishi uses his behind to psyche out Albert. And the aftermath was actually pretty funny, as you'll get to see butt-kissing and horrible dancing (if that's your thing). I can't believe I gave this much typing to this one match, so the bottom line is: I thought this whole scenario was pretty amusing, and I think if you go in with an immature mind, you'll enjoy yourself.
"6.5 / 10"

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7) WWE Tag Team Championships
Los Guerreros v. Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle (champions)
---Alright, if this one doesn't get you excited, then you better skip the rest of my review. But if you remember the "SmackDown Six" like I do, then you know why REBELLION 2002 will be worth your time. Simply put, this tag team contest was just as good as any other SMACKDOWN match that involved the WWE Tag Titles back in late 2002. At first, the champions were dominating the challengers, which worried me a bit. But once Chavo gained control for his team, then the four genius minds created a memorable modern classic. There were so many pinfall attempts, unique double-teams, high-risk spots, false finishes, and finisher frenzies that I don't have enough space to tell them all. But I've been watching WWE for a long time, and there were moves & counters that I hadn't seen ever before. Please, do not deprive yourself of a truly forgotten classic.
"9.0 / 10"

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8) 1-on-2 Handicap Match - WWE Championship
Edge v. Brock Lesnar (champion) & Paul Heyman
---The writers & talent did an excellent job of hyping the main event, because more than anything else, they emphasized that Heyman could lose Lesnar's title. The match itself was exciting from start to finish. Edge, in his first WWE Title Match, was forced to use his speed and wits more than anything else. Lesnar, of course, used more power moves, in addition to his aggressive technical style. These two had such great chemistry that it's a shame we never got to see them square off again. Heyman's involvement in the match is very well done, too. He only interfered when necessary, and almost lost Lesnar's title on a couple occasions. This main event worked so well, I'm actually glad Undertaker didn't compete as advertised. Even though I knew who won the match going in, everything worked so well that I started second-guessing myself.
"8.0 / 10"

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DVD EXTRAS
* There is a pointless 30-second recap of REBELLION that aired on the following SMACKDOWN. There aren't even in-ring match clips; just pyro & crowd footage.

* Two featurettes -- one with John Cena, the other with Torrie Wilson -- follow a wrestler around Europe. The segment with Torrie Wilson is a brief, pleasant little video. The one with Cena is very funny, because he rips into a couple of things about England's culture (including the fans) that irk him. Man, Cena really got some good airtime on this DVD/

* Last but certainly not least, WWE included the European Title Match where Shawn Michaels won the belt from The British Bulldog. It was the ONE NIGHT ONLY PPV from Sept. 1997, and this was the first time the belt changed hands (Bulldog was the first in May '97). A very good match, to say the least.

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I consider myself to be a hardcore WWE fan. But, I was too arrogant to acknowledge that these UK PPVs existed. I told myself, "We never saw them in America, so they don't count." If you have that mindset, you need to kick yourself in the backside, and rethink your attitude.

Granted, none of these matches hold any major significance in WWE history. But because of the limited PPV coverage, REBELLION 2002 feels more like a house show. This whole event feels like the WWE was just trying to entertain the fans, without worrying about storylines or angles.

REBELLION 2002 is one of the best PPVs to be released since the brand split. Highly Recommended!"