[dramatic music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[whispering] ♪ Let the bodies hit the floor ♪
♪ Let the bodies hit the… ♪
♪ Floor! ♪
♪ Beaten why for? ♪
♪ Why for? ♪
♪ Can't take much more ♪
♪ Here we go, here we go, here we go now ♪
♪ One, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ Two, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ Three, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ Four, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ One, something's got to give ♪
♪ Two, something's got to give ♪
♪ Three, something's got to give now! ♪
♪ Let the bodies hit the floor! ♪
♪ Hey, jump ♪
["Bodies" playing]
[narrator] And now…
WWE SummerSlam.
[crowd cheering]
[explosions]
[crowd cheering]
["Bodies" playing]
[singer] ♪ Two, something's got to give… ♪
[Ross] The battle for sports entertainment supremacy continues
and rages on here tonight
live from the sold-out Compaq Center
in San Jose, California.
They're hanging from the rafters.
This is SummerSlam.
Seven interpromotional matchups, six championship contests.
What a night it's gonna be.
Jim Ross and Paul Heyman here at ringside, and thanks for being with us.
[bell ringing]
[Howard] The following contest scheduled for one fall
is for the World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Championship.
Representing The Alliance, weighing 230 pounds,
the Intercontinental Champion,
Lance Storm.
[Heyman] The Intercontinental Champion Lance Storm
in the camp of The Alliance.
And as my boys in Drowning Pool like to say,
"Let the bodies hit the floor."
If I can be serious for a minute…
[crowd booing]
I've said from the start that there's no place
for offbeat shenanigans in this business.
And if I can be extended the courtesy of no interruptions,
I'll explain why.
[crowd clamoring]
Splendid. The reason--
[singer] ♪ You think you know me ♪
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] That's the interruption
that, uh, the Intercontinental Champion did not want to experience.
[Heyman] Where is the courtesy around here?
["You Think You Know Me" playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[Ross] The WWE, looking to regain the Intercontinental Championship here
and the opportunity lies on the young shoulders of Edge,
the young man from Toronto,
looking to become the Intercontinental Champion
and bring that coveted title back to the World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Heyman] But to do so, he has to get through Lance Storm
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
the Intercontinental Champion.
[singer] ♪ You think you know me ♪
[bell ringing]
[Ross] And here we go, the first contest tonight at SummerSlam,
for the coveted Intercontinental Championship
held by Lance Storm.
Collar-and-elbow tie up and these two young men
who hail from both-- hail from Canada, as matter of fact.
They know each other very well, and this should be an outstanding contest
to kick off SummerSlam.
[Heyman] Well, of course they know each other very well.
Edge is a big fan of Lance Storm
who graduated from Stu Hart's Dungeon in Calgary.
[Ross] The hammerlock reverse by Edge.
Now Lance Storm now with the side headlock.
I'll tell you one thing, it has been an intense,
emotional day here in San Jose.
This event is so large for the careers of these men.
What a flapjack by Edge, taking down Lance Storm,
the dropkick does it as well.
And a clothesline in the outside
and at least in the early going with this contest,
the challenger for the Intercontinental Championship
is the aggressor.
[Heyman] Well, I agree with you, and Edge needs to be the aggressor
because the WWE's back is up against the wall
because at InVasion, The Alliance took over.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] And let's not forget that,
as in any championship matchup, the champion has the advantage.
The champion does not have to win the match.
The challenger has to win the match for these championships to change hands.
[Heyman] And Edge now has to-- has to bring the fight to Lance Storm,
and he needs to set the example because, let's be honest, J.R.,
the WWE superstars have been choking under pressure as of late.
[Ross] Well, that's your opinion.
I don't know that I would necessarily agree with that,
but in any event, that's your opinion.
As Edge taking a chance up on top, and crossbody!
Build it smart, leg is hooked,
and a kick out by Lance Storm just before the three.
[Heyman] Well, who won InVasion? The Alliance. Why?
Because The Alliance is better and because the WWE choked.
[Ross] And because Austin turned his back on the WWE
and stabbed everybody right in the spine. That's why.
And now-- No, not a good place for Edge to end up.
Front facelock counter and now Edge, digging the front of his face
on the-- on the security wall.
[Heyman] And this gives Lance Storm a chance to walk it off,
a chance to regroup, a chance right now for Lance Storm
to catch his breath and prepare for the next attack.
[groans]
[Ross] Well, uh, Lance Storm had the opportunity to lay back
and let Edge get counted out
but apparently, of course, you're gonna say
Lance Storm is not that kind of guy.
He doesn't wanna settle for a count-out victory.
He wants to pin the man or make him submit in the Half Boston Crab.
[Heyman] Of course he does. Lance Storm is a competitor,
a fierce competitor.
That's why he's the Intercontinental Champion.
[Ross] And Storm now, right in the face of Edge,
talking some trash or at least-- I guess, does Lance Storm talk trash?
[Heyman] Not with foul language, but he gets his point across.
He is an articulate man, you know.
[Ross] Well, he's a very, uh, tremendous competitor,
I'll say that for him, and a magnificent athlete is Lance Storm.
The knee buried, and now the leg is hooked,
and Edge quickly got a shoulder up after the one-count.
[Heyman] Lance Storm taking his time, he's dictating the pace.
Lance Storm in control. He is a methodical technician.
He knows how to take his opponents apart.
[Ross] These two men certainly are diametrically opposed
as far as personality is concerned, and, uh, their haircuts resemble that.
And there's a rollup and a near fall.
Edge very charismatic, very outgoing, and does like those "shenanigans"
as, uh, Lance Storm terms them from time to time.
Face first suplex, and there's the cover now.
And referee looking for a three, got him-- got him two that time.
[Heyman] And a huge sigh of relief must have just been breathed
in the WWE locker room
because if this starts off the wrong way for the WWE,
they'll be playing catch up all night long.
[Ross] Well, that's a valid point, there's no doubt about that.
And there's another cover as Storm continues to press
the matter here with Edge.
And Storm, that young man
defending his WWE Intercontinental Championship,
and when you look back at all the great athletes in history
that have-- that have worn the WWE Intercontinental title,
they must be nauseous to look at this kid
representing another company with that title.
[Heyman] And Lance is right up there amongst the top
of the greatest Intercontinental Champions
and he will prove to be perhaps the greatest.
[crowd cheering intensely]
[Ross] Edge fighting back,
and Lance Storm held on the ropes, that was a mistake Edge made,
-looking for it at all, and there's Storm… -[Heyman] Here it goes. Here he goes.
[Ross] …thinking about that Half Boston Crab,
inside cradle by Edge, and will it-- No, it will not be enough.
Very resourceful counter by Edge, reaching up for the inside cradle,
but again Lance Storm, pressing Edge's shoulders to the canvas
with the lateral press, got another near fall.
[Heyman] Storm still dictating the pace.
Like the great Intercontinental Champions,
Storm staying on top of Edge.
[Ross] You know, second perhaps only to WrestleMania,
SummerSlam the biggest pay-per-view of the year
for the World Wrestling Entertainment and the emotions of the locker room
and-- Well, there you see, there's the WWE contingent
in their locker room area watching this match as it happens, as are we.
[Heyman] And everyone looked nervous to me.
[Ross] I didn't pick up on that one, but--
[Heyman] Come on, a lot of nervous energy here tonight, J.R.
The WWE is fighting from behind, a position it's never been in before.
[Ross] And Edge fighting back, but Storm buries a knee
to stop the momentum of Edge.
The champion misses the elbow, and Edge, what's he gonna do here?
And Storm now in control.
Oh, Edge put himself in that predicament.
Storm made the counter, took advantage, drove the air out of Edge,
and another press and did he get it-- No. That-- that's close.
[Heyman] It was close, but again, tremendous technique by Lance Storm.
Everything Lance Storm does is so fluid.
Everything Lance Storm does is just about to perfection.
This man is perhaps, in my opinion,
going to be the finest Intercontinental Champion we've ever seen.
[Ross] Well, certainly time will tell. He's got to survive SummerSlam first
before he continues to build that legacy,
and a modified version of a camel clutch, a submission move applied by Lance Storm
which certainly weakens the lower back
which lands right into Lance Storm's submission move,
the Half Boston Crab.
[Heyman] Edge may be fighting for the Intercontinental title,
but the WWE may be fighting for its life tonight.
[Ross] Well, I think you make a very valid point.
The WWE needs to even the score from InVasion, but can it be done?
Certainly winning this Intercontinental Championship back
would be a step in the right direction of a very long journey here tonight.
[Heyman] And in the meantime, Edge is collapsing under the pressure,
and Lance Storm is applying the pressure like no one else can.
[Ross] The leg hook now by Storm, a rather unorthodox cover
for a very fundamentally sound young man.
And Storm, as Paul Heyman mentioned earlier,
learned his background, his skills and, uh, with this-- the Hart family,
Stu Hart in The Dungeon in Calgary, a lot of greatness coming out of there
including the, uh, rapidly healing Chris Benoit.
And another right hand by Edge.
Edge is gonna fight back. Edge will never, ever lay down
and Edge knows how important it is
to bring the Intercontinental title back to the WWE.
And there's the abdominal stretch, another submission move.
[Heyman] And notice how the pressure again,
the pressure is on Edge to escape.
Storm right now can breathe.
Storm right now does not have to contort his own body
as he applies the pressure to Edge.
[Ross] And again, that pressure on the lower back,
that has been the focus of Lance Storm, no wasted motion by Storm,
applying that, uh, abdominal stretch
using the tights perhaps as a little bit of leverage,
but, uh, nothing major there
and Edge may be on the verge of submitting and he reaches down and hip blocks.
Oh, Storm landed on his feet. Very athletic move by Storm.
[Heyman] Storm driving his shoulder right into the ribs.
Storm has been controlling this match. Oh.
-[crowd cheering intensely] -[Ross] Oh, what a shot that was.
Edge catching Storm in midair, turning it into a powerslam.
[Heyman] But does Edge have what it takes to capitalize?
Storm has worn down Edge, and Edge cannot capitalize.
[Ross] And here's another look at a very resourceful counter.
[Heyman] Storm off the top rope,
Edge uses Storm's own momentum against Lance.
[Ross] I like the fact that Storm instinctively
tried to get to his stomach in that, uh, in that dire straits.
Certainly a great wherewithal as far as his, uh,
his ring presence is concerned
and now both men exchanging those right hands
as the wrestling may not be working.
Neither man could find the pinning combination,
and now we go to the high impact.
The pace has quickened here,
and you feel a sense of urgency with Edge, the challenger.
[Heyman] Well, there is a sense of urgency.
-He's fighting for the WWE. -[Ross] Here we go.
There's the cover, and it's-- Oh.
Oh, how close was that one?
[Heyman] Great presence of mind by Lance Storm,
the Intercontinental Champion,
getting off his shoulders.
[Ross] Jawbreaker by Storm, ramming his head into the jaw of Edge.
Edge countered what look like was gonna be an attempted suplex.
Oh. And that'll draw the air.
Edge with the hook, the leg hooked,
and another near fall. Man.
[Heyman] Lance Storm can counter almost anything.
You get the impression that no matter what Edge pulls out,
Lance Storm can counter it.
[Ross] Lance Storm certainly, as we said, very fundamentally sound but so is Edge.
Oh, my.
Right into a powerbomb.
That's gotta be-- No, it's not all.
And what a counter that was by Edge with a powerbomb.
[Heyman] I'll give Edge a lot of credit.
He took me by surprise there,
but again, what a great champion is Lance Storm.
[Ross] Storm reverses the Irish whip and-- Oh, right into the half crab!
-[Heyman] Here we go! -[Ross] It could be over here.
This is Storm's favorite maneuver
and he's got Edge in the center of the ring.
Nowhere for the challenger to go
as Storm is looking for the submission.
[Heyman] And Storm is gonna get it.
Edge is a long, long way away from the ropes.
[Ross] Edge's opportunity to defend the Intercontinental Champion
slipping away apparently,
and Storm trying to set back but he can't on that half crab.
And Edge at six-three able to get to the corner.
And now Edge has got the half crab on Storm.
[Lance yelling]
[Ross] Edge countering Lance Storm with Storm's own finishing maneuver.
What a reverse.
There's Edge brother and tag team partner Christian.
[Ross] Oh.
My God, Christian was looking to spear Storm,
but he got his brother instead.
-[Heyman] One… -[Ross] Wait a minute.
-[Heyman] …two… -[Ross] Whoa! Edge kicked out!
Somehow, some way, Edge kicked out.
Man, I can appreciate Christian's efforts.
It almost backfired on his brother Edge.
[Heyman] Still, Lance Storm has to fight two men.
[Ross] Nice counter wrestling by Edge into the DDT.
Could this be all?
The leg is hooked. And yes, it is!
-[crowd cheering] -[bell ringing]
[Ross] The WWE new Intercontinental Champion!
[Howard] And new World Wrestling Entertainment
Intercontinental Champion, Edge.
[Heyman] Now look at this.
Lance Storm had to fight two men,
one of whom, Christian, I will admit
is a generous, loving brother.
But still, two men against one?
[Ross] But Paul, Christian never laid a hand on Lance Storm.
[Heyman] But Lance Storm still had to fight the man, didn't he?
Just because Lance Storm countered Christian's interference,
you can't blame Lance.
[Ross] What I'm on is the WWE has drawn first blood
here at SummerSlam.
And there you see the new
WWE Intercontinental Champion.
And Christian backing away from the ring.
[Heyman] Look, watch this. Now here's Christian.
Look at him interfere,
great counter by Lance Storm
who takes Christian out,
and that allowed Edge to hit the DDT.
This allowed Edge, that interference
cost Lance Storm the Intercontinental title.
[Ross] Well, that's an arguable point.
Bottom line is that Christian made no contact with Lance Storm,
but certainly Edge made some contact with the DDT,
and there is a new Intercontinental Champion.
And again, the WWE has drawn first blood here tonight.
What a great victory for Edge.
Okay. Tonight we take care of The APA and Spike.
Excuse me, Test and The Dudley Boyz,
before your big matchup tonight at SummerSlam,
the fans wanna know why did you turn your back
on the World Wrestling Entertainment?
Turn my back?
Let's get this straight, you little bitch.
It was you and the rest of the WWE
that turned their backs on me.
It was only a few weeks ago that I was marching around
with the rest of the WWE losers,
saying, "The WWE's so great."
"The WWE's the best."
"The Rock's coming back. He's gonna beat everybody up."
Please.
And how was I rewarded for that?
With an ass kicking that I didn't deserve.
You wanna talk about loyalty?
Let's talk about The Dudley Boyz.
The single greatest tag team ever in the WWE.
They put their blood, they put their sweat,
they put their tears in the WWE.
And for what?
To be overshadowed by a scrawny,
muskrat-looking, little twerp half-brother Spike
and his little tramp girlfriend Molly?
How's that for loyalty?
So I took it upon myself
to find a team that cares about their troops.
And a boss like Shane O'Mac that knows
what the cream of the crop really is.
You wanna talk about loyalty, Michael Cole?
Tonight, I'll show you loyalty.
[crowd cheering]
Chris, tonight, you have got to be feeling the pressure.
I mean, you've handled everything
that Stephanie McMahon has thrown at you thus far,
but tonight, you're facing the one guy you have yet to defeat, that's Rhyno.
Well, I appreciate you pointing that out to me, Vivian.
You're right. Even though I've beaten almost every other WWE superstar,
I've still never tamed the vicious Rhyno.
But you know how the old saying goes,
"There's a first time for everything and you always remember your first time."
I mean, take Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley for instance.
I'm sure she remembers her first time.
I'm sure it was quite a memorable experience for Stephanie
and the captain of the football team.
And the basketball team.
And the swimming team.
And the volleyball team.
And the French club, and the Latin club,
and the AV squad, and even for Olaf,
the foreign exchange student.
But I have to say, Stephanie's probably feeling extra especially confident tonight
considering that she has the home field advantage.
I mean, we are, after all, in the middle of the Silicone Valley.
But I'm feeling quite confident tonight as well,
because tonight,
in front of every single Jerichoholic watching…
I'm gonna do something to Rhyno
that Stephanie has absolutely no concept of.
I'm going to leave him flat.
["We're Coming Down" playing]
[Ross] Certainly, a great deal amount of-- What?
[Heyman] What did he mean by that?
[Ross] Well, you figure it out.
We're ready for a six-man tag team action here.
[Heyman] Plus, it's the "Silicon" Valley,
not the "Silicone" Valley.
[bell ringing]
[Howard] The following Six-Man Tag Team match
is scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first, accompanied by Molly Holly,
weighing 150 pounds,
Spike Dudley.
[Ross] Well, Spike, uh, working on his condition down from 155 to 150.
Spike Dudley who sustained a broken leg
at the hands of his loving brothers, Bubba Ray and D-Von,
who have obviously defected to The Alliance and will join Test
in this Six-Man Tag Team matchup,
but Spike is not coming unarmed.
-["Protection" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[Howard] At a combined weight of 567 pounds,
Faarooq, Bradshaw,
APA!
[Ross] Well, if you're going to a street fight or some honky-tonk,
you want these two guys to go with you.
But the way they lost the WWE Tag Team titles,
The Acolytes will never forget what Test did to them.
[Heyman] That's right. Test cost The Acolytes, cost The APA
the WWE Tag Team Championship.
He gave them exactly what they deserved
after The APA brutalized Test
for no good reason at all.
[Ross] Well, Test was tried and convicted without, uh, proper evidence.
That was, uh, certainly not totally fair, whatsoever.
The APA did try to apologize but obviously, apology rejected.
["This is a Test" playing]
[Howard] From The Alliance, first,
weighing 282 pounds,
Test.
[Heyman] Test caught a beating because The APA thought Test
was the mole for The Alliance and he wasn't,
he didn't deserve to catch the beating.
[Ross] But you agree that the mole should be beaten up
and handled like you were the mole.
[Heyman] I respectfully invoke my fifth amendment right
against self-incrimination.
[Ross] Well, I understand Test's frustration,
but in any event, I think this is a drastic move
to turn his back on the-- on the WWE.
-["We're Coming Down" playing] -[singer] ♪ Yeah, we're coming down ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ That's right ♪
[Howard] At a combined weight of 556 pounds,
D-Von, Bubba Ray,
The Dudley Boyz!
[Ross] Here come two of the toughest men I've ever seen
in tag team action anywhere at any era.
And The APA love a good fight.
This is gonna be an interesting Six-Man Tag Team matchup.
And certainly, as we build the anticipation
for the two big showdown matchups or championships,
Stone Cold defending the WWE title against Kurt Angle
and certainly The Rock's return to pay-per-view tonight,
going for the WCW gold against Booker T.
[Heyman] Check this out, The Dudley Boyz are not intimidated by The APA,
and Test is not intimidated by The APA either,
and neither Test, Bubba, nor D-Von are intimidated
by "The Bully of Dudleyville," Spike.
[Ross] How do you--
how can you describe Spike as a bully at a buck 50?
[Heyman] He is the toughest buck 50 I have ever met in my life.
[Ross] Agreed.
[Heyman] And he picks on people that he shouldn't.
He victimizes men that are much larger than he is.
[Ross] Well, and there's, uh, Faarooq and Bubba Ray
starting out this Six-Man Tag Team matchup.
Again, the WWE with a quick start here tonight
and nice teamwork by the Dudleys on Faarooq.
Nice start for the WWE tonight as Edge has brought back
the Intercontinental Championship to the World Wrestling Entertainment.
And, uh, D-Von Dudley knocking down Faarooq.
These Dudleys, uh, and The Test are gonna make
a very hard-to-beat six-man domination in my book.
[Heyman] Well, as long as it's three on three,
I'll have no objection but if this match is gonna-- Uh-oh.
[Ross] Spinebuster.
[Heyman] If this like the Intercontinental title match,
then there's gonna be a lot of objections raised.
-I mean, let's be honest. -[Ross] What do you mean by that?
[Heyman] Well, Lance Storm lost the Intercontinental title
because Edge had help from his own brother.
Let's be honest about it.
[Ross] I think Edge actually had won, in spite of his own brother, Paul,
if you think back at the actions of that--
at the closing moments of that matchup.
[Heyman] Don't blame me for Christian's ineptitude.
The man still interfered in a title match.
[Ross] Well, one thing is for sure, I can say conclusive
that Test did cost The APA the WWE Tag Team titles,
and so did tag team championships.
Both the WWE and WCW, decided tonight inside a steel cage.
There's the elbow and Test quickly kicks out
before Bradshaw could get that pinning combination.
[Heyman] See, there's the difference between Test and a WWE superstar.
Test is proud that he cost The APA
the WWE Tag Team titles.
[Ross] Well, he may-- he may pay for his proudness,
let me say that, before this one is all said and done.
And nice elevation there by Test taking down Bradshaw.
That's where you want Bradshaw or Faarooq, off that vertical base.
They're very dangerous when they are upright
with those right hands coming at you.
[Heyman] And I might add that Test is proud to be working for The Alliance
and a wonderful boss like Shane McMahon,
and I second that motion.
[Ross] I heard his butt-kissing before they came out here,
so he's-- he certainly changed.
Hard shot there by Bradshaw right on the spine.
And there's a DDT on D-Von.
And this one could be over right here but it's not.
[Heyman] It's okay to be a butt kisser as long as you're a butt kicker
and, speaking of which, here comes "The Bully of Dudleyville" Spike.
[Ross] All 150 pounds of him.
You gotta admire Spike Dudley's courage.
He's just returned from a broken leg.
There's an inside cradle.
And little Spike using leverage
to take down his half-brother, D-Von.
And another one.
Little son of a gun is quicker than a water bug.
[Heyman] I've never seen a water bug.
[Ross] How about a cootie? Ever seen a cootie? Never mind.
Oh, and Spike, he was hung out to dry.
And he landed right on his lower abdomen on the top rope.
And Spike Dudley's momentum that he was trying to build
has been certainly negated.
[Heyman] I've seen a cockroach and I'll tell you what,
Spike Dudley is harder to terminate than a cockroach.
But the Dudleys are the best terminators and exterminators
in the business today.
[Ross] And Bubba Ray putting his little half-brother, Spike--
oh, Spike hung upside down.
Nowhere to go but down
and that's exactly where Spike went all 150 pounds off.
[Heyman] You have to admire the tough love
being instilled on the little brother by Bubba and D-Von.
[Ross] Man, you sure have a unique vision of tough love, Paul.
[Heyman] Very nice. And it's a pleasure to work with you too.
[Ross] And Test looking for that elbow. Didn't find it.
And Spike's gotta use every bit of quickness and resourcefulness
that he can to survive, and he cannot survive,
can Spike, after that spinebuster, in my opinion.
And look at-- look at the size of Test.
What is he? He's six-six or six-seven, 280, in that range.
A big mountain of a man.
And wait a minute.
This is not a tables match.
[Heyman] Doesn't need to be.
It's a Dudleys match.
And where there's Dudleys, there's tables.
[Ross] Well, the Dudleys setting up their patented table here.
Oh, wait a minute. Don't do it.
My God, you'll break little--
And Spike with a rake to the eye,
got Test off balance.
And look at the power of Test with a kick-out.
I thought Test was gonna throw Spike
right out-- right over the top rope, right through this table.
[Heyman] I can guarantee you that was Test's intention.
[Ross] Hard right hands by Test.
It has been downhill for Spike since sustaining the spinebuster.
Now, the littlest man in this match, the smallest man in the WWE
has been isolated.
[Heyman] Quick tags by the Dudley Boyz.
Spike has been isolated.
Double-team by Bubba and D-Von.
Let's give credit, J.R., where credit is due.
[Ross] Tremendous flapjack by Bubba Ray and D-Von.
The hook to the leg and Spike,
using every bit of strength that he could muster,
able to kick out.
[Heyman] Here go, Spike being sent way up in the air,
crashing down hard into the canvas.
[Ross] And, again, Spike does not have the body weight
to shock-absorb that kind of-- that kind of impact.
And now D-Von-- It may be academically
-at this point forward… -[crowd chanting] APA! APA!
[Ross] Crowd chanting for The APA.
The APA are not in this match, at this moment anyway.
[Heyman] No, Spike is in the match
fighting all by himself against three men
and it serves Spike right.
[Ross] Spike trying to make the tag.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Reaching now. And he does tag Bradshaw.
There's Bradshaw and Test.
And Bradshaw taking Test off
the newest Alliance member's feet.
And look at Bradshaw literally from pillar to post.
He is a big, monstrous Texan, is Bradshaw.
And what a shock that was.
Look at the knockdowns that Bradshaw's creating.
And now Faarooq is in.
The APA double-teaming
the 300-pound Bubba Ray Dudley.
And Test reverses Bradshaw to the far side
and Bradshaw caught Test.
That's no small feat. Test, 280.
And a shot by D-Von. A shot by Faarooq.
Faarooq taking D-Von outside
leaving Test and Bradshaw in the ring.
And Test with that big kick, that knockout kick.
And, wait a minute, this could be a powerbomb.
And it is. Hard slam.
What a shot that was.
[Heyman] It sure was. I can't dispute that.
[Ross] There's a cover. It is over--
Oh, wait a minute.
Bubba Ray pulling Bradshaw off Test.
And there's Spike.
Oh my God.
Spike Dudley has fallen over--
Clothesline from Hell.
It's over in the ring, but the referee's out here checking on Spike.
[Heyman] Hold your monkey ass. If the referee doesn't count--
[Ross] Wait a minute.
[Heyman] Shane O'Mac on the attack.
[Ross] My gosh. Where did he come from?
Where did Shane McMahon come from?
He dented that chair on Bradshaw's skull.
[bell ringing]
[Ross] I can't believe where this one went down.
[Howard] Here are your winners, Test and the Dudley Boyz.
["We're Coming Down" playing]
[Ross] Man, Spike Dudley got broken in half
and then Bradshaw's skull may have been cracked
on that chair shot by Shane McMahon
who wanted to make sure that The Alliance didn't lose two in a row.
[Heyman] That's what you call protecting your investment.
My hats off, figuratively of course…
-[Ross] Please. -[Heyman] …to Shane McMahon,
the co-owner of The Alliance.
[Ross] Man, what a knot on Bradshaw's head,
thanks to Shane McMahon,
when it looked as if the WWE was gonna make it two in a row
here at SummerSlam,
but it was not to be.
The end started with this.
[Heyman] D-Von, get the ambulance.
[Ross] This Clothesline from Hell
no doubt had Test there for the three-count.
The referee out of position.
Shane McMahon came from nowhere.
And what a sickening thud.
Steel on skull and steel wins.
[Heyman] That's what "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would call
leadership by example.
[Ross] Well, that's one way of putting it.
-And the WWE superstars-- -[overlapping chatter]
Yeah, man. Congratulations.
Because now you brought the Intercontinental title back home.
-This is where it belongs. -Dude, dude, dude.
-Excuse us. -Ain't he skippy?
If any-- if anything ever reeked of awesomeness, this is it.
I just went to Commissioner Regal's office.
I got a match for the European title tomorrow against Matt Hardy. Yeah.
-All right. -Good luck.
Hey, Edge, congratulations.
-Thanks, man. Thanks, Lita. -Yeah. Good luck. Congratulations.
Well, that-- that's great, man, but you were there.
I just won the Intercontinental Championship.
My grammy. My grammy. Just a minute. Hello?
Hey, Grandma. How you doing? What's going on?
Guess what, I got good news.
I just came from the commissioner-- What?
Yeah. Hold on a second. He's right here. Hold on. She wants to talk to you.
Grandma Edna? Hey, Grams.
-How you doing? -I wanna talk to her.
Yeah. Oh, I know, I know. Thanks. Thanks, Grandma.
-Yeah, I know, I know. Thanks a lot. -Let me talk to her.
I'll see you next week, okay? Christian wants to talk to you, okay?
-All right. -All right. I love you. Bye.
Hi. It's me.
Hello?
This cellphone is not working.
[crowd cheering]
Hey, Debra. Is Stone Cold around?
Have you thought about knocking?
I cannot believe you just walked in here like this.
Sure. Sorry.
Hey, you know, I was just thinking.
The last couple weeks,
I've kinda screwed up in terms of impressing Steve, you know?
But I figured out what it was.
It's these tights. They're bad luck.
I mean, look at them, Debra.
I got stars in the front.
They're pink for one thing.
On the back, it says Mecca.
I don't even know what Mecca means.
You know what? You know, I really don't care what Mecca means
and I really don't think Stone Cold would care what Mecca means.
I mean, have you thought about this?
Steve is preparing for a really important match tonight…
-Oh, absolutely. -…for the WWE Championship?
Absolutely.
I mean, he's representing The Alliance. You and I are both in that.
-Sure. Yeah. -You know that.
Well, why are you in here bugging me, looking for him?
I mean, he's going against Kurt Angle, an Olympic gold medalist tonight.
A very, very important match.
Well, of course, but, you know,
I'm just trying to impress Steve, you know?
I'm thinking if he'd give me some insight on the tights, maybe the colors--
You know, stop right-- You know how you can impress him?
You can go kick some butt.
Why don't you go do that?
And, you know what, next time, why don't you knock?
So why don't you go and do that?
God.
["Green Mist" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Well, I tell you what, that Stasiak is goofy as a pet coon.
[bell ringing]
[Howard] The following contest is scheduled for one fall.
It's title for title.
Introducing first, from Japan,
weighing 206 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Light Heavyweight Champion,
Tajiri.
[Ross] Tajiri wearing his first WWE Championship
in The Japanese Buzzsaw's career.
A very bright likable young man with a degree in Economics.
[Heyman] Dollars or yen?
["What 'Chu Lookin' At" playing]
[singer] ♪ I got everything I ever wanted ♪
♪ And I'll never give that back ♪
♪ Well, I know you hate X-Factor ♪
♪ But you ain't gotta Look at me like that ♪
♪ I said you ain't… ♪
[Howard] Weighing 216 pounds,
the WCW Cruiserweight Champion,
X-Pac.
[Ross] Well, Tajiri and some fans may think that X-Pac sucks,
but, quite frankly, I don't.
And this is championship versus championship,
and X-Pac certainly will go in the record books
as the first man in this interpromotional war, Paul,
to win two championships
when he won both the Light Heavyweight title
and the Cruiserweight title a few weeks ago.
[Heyman] But, now, the championships are divided.
But the winner of this contest will emerge
as both the WWE Light Heavyweight Champion
and the WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
And The Alliance would like to congratulate the--
-congratulate the winner… -[bell ringing]
[Heyman] …no matter who that man may be.
[Ross] I just wanna thank the fans who've joined us wherever you may be.
And, by the way, for you watching us tonight,
ladies and gentlemen, at home on DIRECTV,
this is only for DIRECTV customers only.
Tonight's events, SummerSlam,
will be the last WWE pay-per-view event on DIRECTV
and, certainly, the-- Our Unforgiven event next month
will be available on all cable systems, all other satellite providers,
and check out WWE.com for more information,
but this is the last WWE pay-per-view event on DIRECTV tonight.
This is just for you folks that are watching on DIRECTV.
[Heyman] The Alliance is very interested in this contest
because nothing pleases The Alliance more
than WWE-on-WWE violence.
[Ross] I've heard you report on that.
Oh, nice move by Tajiri.
Looking for the cover and got a near fall.
Tajiri certainly is obvious--
A young man born, raised, trained in Japan,
but X-Pac also has had a great deal of experience
wrestling in the orient as well.
[Heyman] Yes, X-Pac has.
X-Pac is an international superstar at the age of 28.
[Ross] X-Pac earned his first paycheck in ropes at age 15.
And look at Tajiri retaliating
on the WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
[Heyman] One man gets to emerge as a unified champion tonight,
recognized by everyone as the best in his weight class.
[Ross] Side headlock by X-Pac, hopefully he'll do his…
Valedictorian-like feet-- He's very educated and very proficient,
both Tajiri and X-Pac, but X-Pac has the experience advantage,
certainly big matchup experience advantage right here at SummerSlam.
And a nice hurricanrana takeover.
-[Heyman] And Tajiri-- -[Ross] Tajiri…
Tajiri baseball-sliding right on the bottom rope.
And the springboard moonsault connects for Tajiri.
[Heyman] The first major move of the match
and Tajiri has a clear-cut advantage.
[Ross] Tajiri and X-Pac on the outside
and the referee Jack Doan--
-shot now-- -[Jack] Get in the ring.
[Ross] You talk about being divided at the Y.
Tajiri may not recover from that maneuver.
I can tell you that.
[Heyman] I mean, just big time because these guys can literally
kick the crap out of each other.
[Ross] You know, the thing about this is these men that are not 300 pounds,
as Tajiri and X-Pac are not,
to me, bring new meaning to the light heavyweight-- Nice shot.
And cruiserweight division.
I love this action.
It's just nonstop offense as a rule in this weight category.
[Heyman] Great fundamentals by X-Pac stretching out Tajiri.
[Ross] That surfboard-like maneuver by X-Pac.
And he's not through punishing Tajiri.
And Tajiri may give it up
but X-Pac gotta watch where his shoulders are.
-Gotta stay-- Wait. There's a count. -One, two…
[Ross] Referee looking for the three on X-Pac
who was the aggressor.
[Heyman] But what damage was done by Tajiri?
What damage was done to Tajiri?
X-Pac now on top of Tajiri taking it home.
[Ross] X-Pac's slugging down here now, hammering down on Tajiri.
Remember, both championships, Tajiri's Light Heavyweight title,
X-Pac's Cruiserweight title, at stake in this match.
A counter to the powerbomb. Will that be enough?
And Tajiri, able to kick out.
[Heyman] Like I said before, it's WWE-on-WWE violence.
No matter who wins this match,
The Alliance is the ultimate winner.
[Ross] X-Pac certainly has Tajiri
in a very compromising situation.
And we know what X-Pac may be thinking here
with Tajiri in this particular position.
[Heyman] Here we go Chief Jay Strongbow legs.
[Ross] Oh. And X-Pac looking for a big-time Bronco Buster,
hangs himself upside down.
And oh my God.
That shot by Tajiri caught X-Pac right in the face.
X-Pac, to his credit, getting up but got knocked down again.
And a third time.
[Heyman] Tajiri's feet are just so fast and so accurate.
[Ross] No. Three knockdown rule.
That's number four. Reverse elbow.
The leg is hooked and it's a near fall.
[Heyman] So close. So close for Tajiri.
Look, both feet right into the face of X-Pac.
[Ross] You could hear the impact
-of Tajiri's foot. -[Heyman] Tarantula.
Tarantula.
[Ross] Tajiri gotta be careful here he's not disqualified.
And he relinquishes the hold
before referee Doan got to his five count.
[Heyman] But the damage was done. And to the top rope goes Tajiri.
[Ross] Tajiri with a crossbody.
Wait a minute. A roll-through and another near fall.
[Heyman] I thought The Japanese Buzzsaw had X-Pac there.
[Ross] Great pinning opportunity for Tajiri.
And X-Pac now-- I don't know if X-Pac's got all of his faculties.
He's going up top.
And I don't know if you'll say this out of desperation,
but that was not a good way to land in anybody's ballgame.
[Heyman] So to speak.
[Ross] And Tajiri--
Well, that's gotta be disconcerted to see--
Oh, X-Pac went face first down.
And Tajiri now, pinning combination,
and X-Pac fighting for everything he's got to get his shoulders off the canvas.
The catapult. Face first into the top turnbuckle.
And what a suplex.
A beautiful suplex.
It should be, but it's not.
[Heyman] Wow. That was close.
I mean, X-Pac was just a half a second away
from losing the championship
and then Tajiri would be a unified champion.
[Ross] One of these men will leave here with two championships.
Obviously, one with absolutely none here at SummerSlam.
X-Pac. Beautiful somersault plancha over the top.
X-Pac taking a huge risk here,
but we'll find out if this risk is-- If it really paid off
or did X-Pac take too much out of his own anatomy.
[Heyman] One man leaves here with two titles.
One man leaves here with zip, nada, nothing.
It's all or nothing with X-Pac against Tajiri.
[Ross] Yeah, and right now, we are one Alliance victory
and one WWE victory here tonight at SummerSlam.
You exclude this match obviously from that equation.
-[Heyman] Obviously. -[Ross] Two WWE guys.
And X-Pac gets a little shot in.
There's the X-Factor. There's the X-Factor.
But X-Pac not able to capitalize.
He is still-- he's still hurting from that beating.
And now the cover and Tajiri countered.
And now Tajiri with a pinning combination of his own and another near fall.
[Heyman] X-Pac did not have the strength to hold Tajiri down.
[Ross] Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute.
[Heyman] And here comes the muscle.
[Ross] And here comes X-Pac's friend, the six-eight, 350-pound, Albert,
who I know has-- Are you're gonna say a right to be out here?
I'm gonna totally disagree with that, Paul.
[Heyman] I didn't say it.
[Ross] Well, you're thinking it.
[Heyman] Now, you remind me.
[Ross] I'm Cornette. Thank you very much.
Albert, at least, he's keeping a safe distance away from this-- the ring here.
[Heyman] Albert is merely a spectator in this contest.
[Ross] A huge spectator.
And now he's got a ringside seat.
[Heyman] Mist. Mist.
[Ross] The Red Mist.
[Heyman] X-Factor.
[Ross] And the X-Factor.
Tajiri turned into the X-Factor.
-And this one's over. -[bell ringing]
[Ross] That quickly.
[Howard] The winner of this match
and new World Wrestling Entertainment Light Heavyweight Champion,
X-Pac.
[Heyman] Well, The Alliance wishes to congratulate X-Pac
on not only winning the WWE Light Heavyweight title
and the WCW Cruiserweight title,
but also for getting revenge on Tajiri for this.
Tajiri attacking Albert with no good reason.
[Ross] And then the low blow. Tajiri, defending himself,
got the low blow, then the-- and then the X-Factor.
-You have raised… -[bell ringing]
[Ross] …discontinuity to an art form.
We wanna congratulate him.
[Heyman] Oh, thank you very much.
[Ross] Please.
So X-Pac is a double champion.
X-Pac with the WWE Light Heavyweight title
and the WCW Cruiserweight title
in a-- somewhat of a controversial match.
I wish Albert had just stayed in the back and let the best man win.
I don't see why Tajiri had to attack Albert.
Albert did not physically get involved in the match.
But he wanted to.
Well, you know, who's--
you know, who's in New York City right now,
other than a few million people, at WWE New York?
Your old friend, Perry Saturn.
-And God bless-- -Perry Saturn?
He's still looking for that mop.
-He's still looking for his mop. -Oh, please. Oh, please.
The man chose a mop over Terri.
-How? -[Ross] Well, Perry Saturn,
we understand, is standing by in The Big Apple.
Thank you, J.R.
For over a week now, I've been searching for Moppy.
She was kidnapped.
Now, I know Moppy didn't run away.
She wouldn't do that.
We're in love.
I've searched everywhere and I can't find her,
and I need you fans to help me find her.
The good people at the American Dairy Council have helped out
by putting Moppy's face on the side of milk cartons.
[crowd cheering]
She's long, slender,
in great shape with beautiful hair you could spot a mile away.
I've looked everywhere. I can't find her.
Please help me find Moppy.
I miss you, Moppy.
You're welcome.
[crowd clamoring]
Rhyno, I hope you understand
how important this is to me personally,
for you to take out Chris Jericho once and for all tonight.
I chose you for a reason, Rhyno.
You're special.
Jericho's never been able to defeat you in the ring.
You-- I want you to-- I want you to Gore Jericho.
I want you to Gore him right through the ring.
-I want you to-- -Steph, tonight,
I'll finish Chris Jericho off
once and for all.
I'm counting on it.
[Ross] Well, certainly thus far, Rhyno has had Y2J's number
-in every single of confrontation… -[Heyman] Yes, he had.
[Ross] …that these two men have had, Paul.
[Heyman] That is correct. Keep on going.
You're telling the story perfectly.
[Ross] And, certainly, Jericho's issues with Stephanie are well-defined.
Let's take you back in time and show you how this next matchup came about.
Stephanie, you are definitely
the most filthy,
dirty, disgusting,
brutal, bottom-feeding,
trash-bag hoe.
I want you to shut Chris Jericho's mouth for good.
-[Ross] Rhyno! -[Heyman] Gore!
Gore!
[Ross] Rhyno has got a big problem with Y2J.
[Heyman] Can you feel it?
A Gore! A Gore!
A Gore through the screen.
Shut his mouth.
Rhyno, that was great what you did to Chris Jericho.
The plan worked perfectly.
[Rhyno] I wanna finish Chris Jericho
at SummerSlam.
Oh, SummerSlam.
Rhyno, that is a great idea.
It's gonna be Chris Jericho versus Rhyno.
And I'm so confident that you will get the job done at SummerSlam
that I would like to personally accompany you to ringside
to watch you finish off Jericho once and for all.
At SummerSlam,
I'm gonna take care of that smelly,
greasy, nasty animal.
And I'm gonna get you too, Rhyno.
["Tusk" playing]
[Ross] And we are back live here in San Jose at SummerSlam,
waiting the arrival of The Man Beast.
-[bell rings] -[Howard] The following contest
is scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first, from The Alliance,
accompanied by the owner of ECW,
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley,
weighing 275 pounds, Rhyno!
[Heyman] From the bad streets of Detroit, Michigan,
the last man to hold the ECW title,
therefore the perfect man to be accompanied to the ring
by the lovely Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.
[Ross] Stephanie certainly seems obsessed
in shutting Chris Jericho's mouth here tonight,
using Rhyno as her instrument.
[Heyman] Well, if you ever have to use someone as an instrument,
Rhyno is the most violent one available.
[crowd cheering]
["Break the Walls Down" playing]
[Ross] And a great ovation for Winnipeg's Chris Jericho.
[Howard] From Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, weighing 227 pounds,
Chris Jericho!
[Heyman] And trust me, with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley at ringside,
it will be Rhyno
who breaks the walls down tonight.
I hate Jericho, personally.
No one in the WWE
gets underneath my skin like Y2J.
-[Ross] Why is that, Paul? -[Heyman] I just hate a big mouth.
I hate obnoxious, loudmouth people.
[Ross] That's kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?
I'll explain later.
Chris Jericho--
[Heyman] Was that an insult?
["Break the Walls Down" continues playing]
[Ross] Chris Jericho has the unenviable task of…
derailing this-- uh, a man that is certainly more than a, uh,
one-horn wonder, let me tell you.
[bell rings]
[Heyman] Oh, that was so clever.
Let's just put it all on the table.
Rhyno is undefeated against Jericho.
Jericho has never beaten Rhyno.
It's an animal Y2J cannot tame.
[Ross] Well, you may be right, but that's why they have the contest.
That's why they have the matches.
And this one is underway,
collar-and-elbow tie up by Rhyno and Jericho.
SummerSlam tonight being seen
in over 50 countries and territories worldwide,
so I just wanna thank our fans in the UK for staying up late with us,
on SKY Sports 1.
And Jericho and Rhyno exchanging right hands,
and I don't think Jericho can win a fist fight with Rhyno,
at least that's my take on it.
[Heyman] Jericho can't win a wrestling match against Rhyno.
I just said it, Rhyno is undefeated against Jericho.
[Ross] Well, Jericho has the ability to beat anybody
in the WWE or The Alliance, including Rhyno,
but he's got to do it wrestling in my estimation.
A nice high crossbody by Y2J,
who's got some right hands of his own to get in.
But that's not gonna beat Rhyno.
Rhyno is a very difficult man to intimidate physically
and to hurt physically.
[Heyman] And he's only getting stronger and better by the day.
[Ross] And Jericho luckily landing on his feet on the apron.
And Jericho will take a chance here,
and delivers the elbow from the top rope.
And Rhyno went down but got right back up.
This time, Rhyno stays down, there's the cover, and then The Man Beast kicking out.
[Heyman] Rhyno gets up so fast, Rhyno just keeps on coming at it, J.R.
[Ross] Uh-oh, Jericho looking for The Walls of Jericho,
and Rhyno scooting on his back to the ropes, smart move by Rhyno,
who I'm sure Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, not only has well-prepared,
we know she-- Oh, my-- We know she has Rhyno highly motivated.
[Heyman] Oh, no doubt. I mean, Stephanie signs Rhyno's paycheck.
[Ross] Nice dropkick by Y2J
taking Rhyno down again.
And now, Jericho--
What's she gonna do here? With Stephanie's up on the apron,
gonna sneak up on Y2J
and grabbing, uh, Jericho's ankle.
And Jericho trying to free himself,
and down went the princess,
and-- Oh my God!
What a shot by Rhyno, catching Jericho.
That was unbelievable.
[Heyman] And Jericho's in a bad, bad way,
but this is where Jericho's temper gets the better of him.
Why would Jericho go to the outside against Rhyno?
You cannot win a match on the outside of the ring.
Rhyno, that was beautiful, beautiful.
[Ross] Rhyno got about half a Gore in there. What's that that, a go?
It was, uh-- it was a go for Jericho, going right down
on the impact from Rhyno,
exploding with those thick legs of his,
and both men are down and Referee Tim White
is utilizing his count,
a ten count if it gets there, this one's over.
[Heyman] And Jericho will remain a man that cannot be defeated--
cannot defeat Rhyno, and again, Rhyno the first man to his feet.
[Ross] Jericho hurting for certain,
and Rhyno forcing Jericho back into the ring.
-[Heyman] Cover. -[Ross] There it is, the cover.
And even though they-- both men,
they-- both of their feet were on the bottom rope,
he did get a near fall out of him.
[Heyman] See, this shows you how what a smart animal Rhyno is.
Rhyno brings Jericho back into the ring
where the match can be won.
[Ross] And Rhyno elevating Jericho,
just dropping Jericho very aggressively.
Abdomen first to top turn-- top rope I'm trying to say.
[Heyman] Of course, hitting him first, again,
he's a smart Rhyno.
He's wearing Jericho down, setting Y2J up for the Gore.
[Ross] Hard right hand by Rhyno, Jericho--
Oh, you talk about a hard right hand…
-[Heyman] Oh my God. -[Ross] …that was a hard right hand.
I think that may have loosened some teeth.
Another right by Rhyno again, Jericho goes down.
And the right hand, quite frankly, has been the-- Look at this body scissors,
you don't see that very often, but Rhyno's got those strong legs,
and this is a very good maneuver for a guy with the body type of Rhyno.
[Heyman] Stephanie McMahon again
instilling the words of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, leadership by example.
Stephanie doesn't just wanna-- doesn't just wanna look pretty at ringside.
Stephanie reinforces the word of The Alliance.
[crowd clamoring]
[Ross] Well, this is very painful maneuver.
[Heyman] First, Rhyno driving Jericho down on the outside of the ring,
then the slap to the face by Stephanie,
now Rhyno with the body scissors wearing down the ribs of Y2J.
[Ross] Yeah. And what it does,
it restricts the opportunity to take a deep breath for Jericho.
And now Jericho fighting back with everything he's got.
-[crowd chants] Y2J. -[Ross] You gotta wonder how much
of a beating Jericho's got to make to be able to maintain here.
And now, look at this, the Airplane Spin.
First the body scissors, the Airplane Spin,
and then the high impact.
It's gotta be over, the near leg,
and, oh, near fall.
The hand was coming down for a three, the princess wanted three,
but it was not to be on that exchange.
[Heyman] Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley thought the ref had a slow count,
and to be honest with you, J.R.,
I would have to agree with Mrs. Helmsley.
[Ross] Man, how surprising is that?
And another bad predicament here.
And Rhyno posted that knee into the spine of Jericho…
and ripping those shoulders,
another submission maneuver here.
And certainly, Y2J, with all his quickness,
all his resourcefulness, negated in this position entirely.
[Heyman] Rhyno drives the knee into the back of Jericho,
puts all of his 275 pounds down on Y2J,
Jericho doesn't have what it takes to catch a breath right now.
And Stephanie loves it, doesn't she?
[Ross] She indeed does,
there's a true hatred between Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and Y2J.
But Jericho backed up to a vertical base,
trying to muster any-- Oh, any offense that he can here.
But it's gonna take more than those knife edge,
and there's a-- there's a roll up,
that could be-- It's gotta be quick and sudden,
I think, for Jericho to win this one.
[Heyman] But, look who's quick and sudden, it's Rhyno.
Rhyno first to his feet, wham, and with a suplex is Rhyno.
[Ross] I tell you what, Rhyno would look great wearing those WWE colors
-in my estimation. -[Heyman] Whoa, whoa,
that's tampering.
He would not look great in WWE colors,
he looks great wearing the colors of The Alliance.
[Ross] It's only an opinion, not tampering.
And Rhyno now taking a page out of Jericho's book,
looking to take a chance here.
High-risk move that did not emphatically,
underscore, did not pay off for Rhyno,
who perhaps should stay with his ground game.
And both men knocking each other down, but you got to believe, Paul,
that Jericho is the worst for wear here.
[Heyman] Oh, I do believe it, J.R.,
not only because I got to, but because it's quite apparent.
[Ross] Both men are down, and this is not the way you want it to go down
with a count-out here, and certainly not the way
that Stephanie wants it to go down.
[referee] Six…
[Ross] Stephanie trying to communicate with Rhyno,
we're up to seven on the ten-count.
Jericho stirring and so is Rhyno, to his credit.
And both men up before the ten.
And-- or the back slide and a near fall.
Nice quick move by Y2J who blocked the right hand by Rhyno.
Jericho, with a succession of right hands, he got them in,
but he's reversed, here's Y2J who fires right back
to the face of Rhyno, who, by gosh, is right back up.
-Jericho trying to quicken the pace. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] More hard knife edge chops.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Oh, Jericho went for a high-risk move.
Tried to springboard, his foot slipped off the ropes.
And that's what happens sometimes when you take those chances,
you can crash and burn in a heartbeat.
[Heyman] No doubt. It cost Rhyno earlier in the match
and it almost cost Jericho there.
[Ross] Oh, wow.
Jericho, both feet in the face of Rhyno,
and Jericho up now in the second turnbuckle.
Jericho measuring, dropped the dropkick.
But Jericho having a hard time following up on the maneuver.
And now even though there's a cover,
the referee is detained with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.
[Heyman] If the referee doesn't see it, it just doesn't count.
[Ross] What is she doing, what is Stephanie doing here?
[Heyman] She's talking to the referee.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Wait a minute.
What's Jericho gonna do?
Oh my God. Jericho is kissing the princess.
She's a married woman.
I think that's probably more humiliating to Stephanie than anything physical
Chris Jericho would not do anyway.
And down goes Rhyno.
And Jericho-- Oh, landed on his feet that time,
and he's got those cobwebs shaking loose there.
And Jericho with the Lionsault, the leg is hooked--
No, oh, to Rhyno's credit, Rhyno able to kick-out.
And Stephanie, I think, may be nauseous.
[Heyman] He's alive, Rhyno is alive,
and Rhyno is the cure for Jerichoholism.
[Ross] Jericho scored with his Lionsault,
but it was not enough against Rhyno on that exchange.
[Heyman] And as every second goes by, Rhyno recovers all the more.
Wham! I told you!
[Ross] Spinebuster, a high-impact move, driving the air out of Y2J.
And now Rhyno, what's he thinking?
[Heyman] I told you Rhyno's gonna break the walls down.
[Ross] And Rhyno trying to-- That's The Walls of Jericho.
That's Chris Jericho's finishing maneuver that Rhyno is utilizing.
And it's a smart move, not only is it--
is it very effective, but Jericho's ribs and lower back got to be hurting.
[Heyman] Jericho has been beaten half to death by Rhyno.
To me, if I'm Jericho, I would tap right here.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] But Jericho, he's not a quitter,
he's gonna-- he's gonna try and endure the pain,
and the pain's gotta be excruciating.
Jericho desperately finds the bottom rope.
But it may be too little too late as far as Chris Jericho,
who just scored with the enzuigiri.
Both men down, but it looks like Jericho may have the worse for wear here.
Beautiful belly-to-belly suplex,
another high-impact maneuver, focusing on those injured ribs.
[Heyman] Oh, here we go.
Here we go. Rhyno, Rhyno is setting up Y2J!
[Ross] Jericho may be a sitting duck.
[Heyman] Here it comes!
[Ross] But Jericho able to avoid the contact.
Wait a minute.
Jericho-- Rhyno missed the Gore,
hit the turnbuckles, and now The Walls of Jericho.
Will Rhyno tap?
He's got to be in excruciating pain here.
-And he does. -[bell rings]
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Jericho, Jericho, has done it.
[announcer] Here is your winner, Chris Jericho.
[Ross] Chris Jericho has broken his losing streak
personally against Rhyno.
And the WWE goes one up on The Alliance
here at SummerSlam.
[Heyman] This is unfair.
A billion-dollar princess
should not be treated in that fashion.
Hell hath no fury like a billion-dollar princess,
I assure you.
[Ross] Stephanie very upset over not only Rhyno losing,
but enduring that kiss unwantedly
by Y2J.
And here's another look at the lip lock.
[Heyman] No, no, no, don't, don't. Why are we showing this?
Hello?
Can we please show something else?
Y2J forcing himself upon the billion-dollar princess.
I'm ashamed to have ever met Chris Jericho.
[Ross] Jericho wins the match.
He doesn't look like a winner right now,
after enduring the physical battle with Rhyno.
[Heyman] Here we go. Rhyno looking for the Gore.
Jericho gets out the way,
goes to the pin, but realizes Rhyno would kick-out and there it is,
-The Walls of Jericho. -[bell rings]
[Ross] Well, I tell you-- Look at the torque on Rhyno's back,
Jericho almost breaking the back of a Rhyno who had no choice,
nothing else to do but to tap.
And look at Stephanie's reaction.
She is beside herself.
[Heyman] Well, of course she's beside herself,
can you blame Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley?
Y2J has never defeated Rhyno in his life
and tonight Chris Jericho got the victory.
-[crowd cheering] -Oh, Rock, Rock.
Rock, now, I know what happened to you last Thursday,
-I mean, are you sure you're-- -Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Are you sure that The Rock is 100% tonight
after what happened to The Rock last Thursday?
-I'm just checking. -Yeah, The Rock did get Rock Bottom
through a table.
Is The Rock hurt? Yeah, you're damn right he's hurt.
Is The Rock down? Yeah, damn right he's down.
But The Rock is here at SummerSlam.
[crowd cheering]
Do you think Booker T managed to keep The Rock out of SummerSlam?
First time back, pay-per-view.
The only thing that Booker T managed to do to The Rock was piss The Rock off.
The Rock asked you a question.
What's that?
-Do you hear it? -[crowd chanting] Rocky, Rocky, Rocky.
Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky.
-Yes, I can hear that quite clearly. -Let The Rock ask you another question.
Do you feel it?
Do you feel the electricity in the air?
Because you're standing right next to the next WCW Champion.
Yes, I can feel it, yes.
Let The Rock ask you one more question.
What's that?
Do you smell it?
[crowd cheering]
Smell what?
You don't smell that?
Smell what?
[man screaming]
[thuds]
[crowd laughing]
[man] What the…
Smell what The Rock is cooking.
-[crowd cheering] -Best of luck to you later.
-["Dam-Nation" playing] -[Ross] And we are back live
-at San Jose. -[Heyman] Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
And no one is as live as Rob Van Dam.
[bell rings]
[Howard] The following contest is the Hardcore Ladder match
for the World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship.
Introducing first, the challenger, from The Alliance,
weighing 230 pounds,
Rob Van Dam!
[Ross] SummerSlam and ladder matches go hand-in-hand.
It was at '95 when Shawn Michaels defeated Razor Ramon in a ladder match,
the '98s brutal affair with Triple H defeating The Rock,
and including the TLC match with the Dudleys, the Hardys,
Edge and Christian last year at SummerSlam.
But never before have we had a Hardcore Championship match
-contested under ladder match rules. -[crowd cheering]
[Howard] From Cameron, North Carolina, weighing 218 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Champion,
Jeff Hardy!
[Ross] Jeff Hardy does not have the Hardcore title with him
because it is hanging above the ring.
And even though there are no count-outs,
no disqualifications,
that may be bad luck going underneath that ladder
as old Granny used to say.
The only way to win this match is to use ladder, climb it,
and claim the Hardcore title which is hanging
above the center of this very ring.
[Heyman] Well, The Alliance would like to congratulate Jeff Hardy on a fine reign
as Hardcore Champion
because that reign is about to come to an end.
[Ross] Certainly RVD has to be,
at least the-- arguably the most popular…
[bell rings]
[Ross] …competitor in The Alliance, at least it seems that way.
So both these men are gonna start this match out
with a lot of fan support here in the San Jose arena.
[Heyman] No doubt. Welcome to the Shark Tank.
Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy,
a Hardcore Ladder match
for the WWE Hardcore title.
[Ross] And again, the object will be to beat your opponent down,
to weaken your opponent to the situations you could use the ladder, climb it,
and retrieve the Hardcore title which is hanging above the ring
or the center of the ring.
Nice take down by RVD which is quickly countered by Jeff Hardy.
Both these men, in my estimation, match up very well.
And a nice round of applause
for that particular exchange of two magnificent young athletes.
[crowd cheering]
[Heyman] They call Reggie Jackson Mr. October,
in ECW we call Rob Van Dam Mr. Pay-Per-View.
No one-- no one ever, ever came as prepared
for pay-per-view as Rob Van Dam.
[Ross] And Van Dam, looking-- again, the advantage.
Van Dam with those educated feet.
Look to score the knockout with his feet,
even though you certainly use that ladder and climb up
and retrieve the Hardcore title, but he missed there.
And Jeff Hardy going downstairs, that's perfectly legal.
Again, you cannot have a disqualification in a ladder match,
you cannot have a count-out,
there is no time limit.
It's a Hardcore Championship match
and the wildcard if you will, is the ladder.
[Heyman] Here's the scary thing.
In this particular match, pinfalls don't count,
submissions don't count.
The only way to emerge the champion
is to climb the ladder and retrieve the gold.
-[Ross] You're absolutely right. -[Heyman] Of course I am.
[Ross] And this is the first hardcore ladder match
in the history of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
And Van Dam avoided that top rope.
And Jeff Hardy elevated to the top.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And hip lock,
RVD hip locked on the outside or inside to the out.
And now Jeff Hardy with a springboard-- Oh my God.
Jeff Hardy with that springboard,
putting his own body on the line,
and both RVD and Jeff Hardy down.
Boy, any more movement like that,
this match is not gonna last very long.
Here's another look, Paul.
[Heyman] Catch himself a Jeff Hardy, wham,
wiping out Rob Van Dam and wiping out himself as well.
[Ross] Jeff Hardy and his brother Matt better known as the daredevils
and risk takers their entire career.
And Jeff, again taking a big chance
but did not pay off, RVD able to avoid that contact there.
[Heyman] And Van Dam capitalizes on the mistake by Jeff Hardy.
Rob Van Dam, RVD, looking to retrieve
the Hardcore title for The Alliance.
[Ross] Van Dam with a right hand,
the unorthodox, flexible Alliance member
dropping his leg on the back of Jeff Hardy's head.
Van Dam, again, with amazing agility and balance here.
And now Van Dam going up to the Hardcore title
hanging above the ring and Van Dam,
the first to attempt to retrieve the ladder and use it.
[crowd clamoring]
[Ross] Van Dam limping and certainly rightfully so,
it's a wonder he's able to stand as the challenger--
And Jeff Hardy came right off the railing, Paul,
again putting his body on the line.
[Heyman] Well, that's smart by Jeff Hardy
because he doesn't want Van Dam to get the ladder in the ring
nor does Jeff Hardy wanna give RVD the opportunity
to use the ladder as a weapon.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Look at that shot just moments ago,
and now Jeff Hardy in the up position, if you will,
utilizing the ladder now bringing it to the ring for the first time.
And the-- Van Dam.
Well, that is a uniquely yet effective unorthodox way
of utilizing the ladder.
[Heyman] When it comes to physicality,
no one is as resourceful as RVD.
[Ross] He's very high in his abilities and, quite frankly, he has a right to be.
He's a great one, just-- If you don't believe it, just ask him.
[Heyman] Oh, he'll tell you.
[Ross] And Van Dam now
may have-- Oh, got a page out of his own book
used on him as RVD…
gotta set to straddle that ladder.
And that ain't gonna feel good tomorrow or the next five minutes.
[Heyman] He's not feeling good right now.
But Rob Van Dam is getting a chance to shake it off
because Jeff Hardy is hurting as well.
[Ross] Well, of course he's hurting as well.
And again Hardy, Van Dam lying on that ladder, what's Jeff gonna do?
Jeff springboarding his own body on Van Dam's body.
And that was not the mat, it was the ladder.
[Heyman] Obviously, the object here is to wipe the other man out,
so then and only then, if the ladder comes into play,
you go up the ladder uncontested.
[Ross] Both these men are hurting.
Jeff Hardy, holding his anatomy there--
his upper torso, Van Dam,
he's gotta be writhing in pain as well.
Look-- Oh, look, Van Dam's flexibility is amazing.
And Jeff Hardy.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Well, Jeff Hardy just folded up Van Dam like an accordion.
Let's take another look at this.
It's another high-risk springboard moonsault.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Anatomy, anatomy, ladder, you figure it out.
[Heyman] Oh, I got it. The ladder wins.
[Ross] No doubt about it.
It never said a word.
And Van Dam got an elbow up and Jeff Hardy ran right into it.
And so now Van Dam-- Well, both these guys are punishing in the-- each other
and themselves, quite frankly,
in the course of this matchup
to get that big advantage.
And Van Dam, nowhere to go but Jeff Hardy, he's hanging upside down
in a bad, bad way.
[Heyman] Big advantage for Rob Van Dam.
And now RVD sees the ladder
and the ladder comes into play.
[crowd chanting] RVD! RVD! RVD!
[Ross] Big RVD chant going up here in San Jose.
Quite honestly, the only member of The Alliance
that normally gets any cheers at these WWE events.
[Heyman] Other than myself, of course.
[Ross] I think I was right the first time and Van Dam scores those right hands.
Now, Jeff Hardy lying in a very precarious situation and position here.
What's Van Dam doing?
[Heyman] Anything he wants all the way across the ring.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Van Dam got the momentum,
used his own body as a weapon
as we have seen him do on so many occasions,
just punishing the Hardcore Champion.
[Heyman] Check this out.
RVD, Rob Van Dam, all the way across the ring,
using all of his body weight on Jeff Hardy
who is positioned on the ladder.
[Ross] And now looking upstairs,
that's where the Hardcore Championship is hanging
towards the center of the ring here.
There you see it, right there at the top of your screen.
That's what these two men are fighting for.
Jeff Hardy comes in as a Hardcore Champion.
He won it from RVD in a very unorthodox fashion about a week ago.
And what a reverse heel kick,
that's like a knockout punch, a Tyson-like right hand.
[Heyman] Rob Van Dam very proficient in the martial arts.
Rob Van Dam knows how to use his entire body
as a weapon.
[Ross] Van Dam now measuring at Jeff Hardy,
socks him, shoots that kick right into the face.
And Jeff Hardy, again, my gosh, he just can't get away from that ladder.
Again, the young man from North Carolina and RVD,
again with that unorthodox arsenal,
that unorthodox attack.
[Heyman] Rob Van Dam's mentor was a man known as being suicidal,
homicidal and genocidal.
RVD will wipe himself out to take out his opponent.
[Ross] Another look at a potentially career-shortening maneuver.
[crowd gasping]
[Ross] And both these men, you gotta wonder,
in the long run what kind of-- how this man--
another shot by Jeff Hardy.
And there you see Van Dam bouncing off the concrete,
holding his-- holding his heart there with that ladder just rammed him.
You gotta wonder over the long haul
what kind of adverse effect these matches are gonna have
for young men like a Rob Van Dam or a Jeff Hardy,
because just look at the impact here and look at--
Well, look at the face-- look right here.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Van Dam's neck-- his head, it was like he was in a car crash.
[Heyman] Well, Jeff Hardy dropkicked that ladder right into Van Dam's sternum.
But Hardy has taken a beating
and he cannot capitalize
as Rob Van Dam is recovering by the second.
[Ross] Great opportunity here for Jeff Hardy.
He's setting the ladder up with Van Dam on the outside.
There's the prize, Jeff Hardy's Hardcore Championship.
Van Dam staggering.
Van Dam's getting-- trying to get back in the ring.
Van Dam climbing to the top and so is Jeff,
Jeff looking for the title, and Van Dam just took Jeff Hardy right off the ladder.
Oh, what a shot that was.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Unbelievable athleticism by RVD,
taking Jeff Hardy off the ladder in the most physical fashion.
[Heyman] And now Van Dam brings back the ladder.
Again, no pinfalls, no submissions,
no disqualifications, no count outs.
The only way to emerge Hardcore Champion
is to climb the ladder, retrieve the gold.
[Ross] This crowd here in San Jose
enjoying what they're seeing in this matchup.
Both men very popular.
One of those situation where you know you're gonna have a winner
but I think as far as some of these fans are concerned,
they hate to see either man lose.
And now RVD lying-- again that-- putting that ladder
on a prone Jeff Hardy.
And Van Dam, his own body striking the ladder,
but the impact went right into the body of Jeff Hardy.
Both men are hurting.
[Heyman] A tremendous game plan by Rob Van Dam.
Van Dam wants to make sure that Jeff Hardy is completely wiped out
before Rob takes a chance at going for the gold.
[Ross] Well, I'll tell you one thing, we know that that cage matchup,
Undertaker, Kane, versus DDP and Kanyon,
tag title versus tag title, still to come.
It's gonna be intense. It's gonna be nasty.
But I'll tell you what, it's gonna be hard to top this
as far as just raw physicality is concerned.
[Heyman] Van Dam is getting close to the gold.
[Ross] And now looking for the Hardcore title
and Jeff Hardy with a dropkick,
knocking Van Dam and the ladder down.
The only saving grace for Van Dam
-is that he landed on Hardy. -[crowd chanting] Holy shit!
[Heyman] So Hardy wiped himself out to stop Van Dam from getting the title.
Check this out. Off the top rope, wham,
and RVD comes down on top of Hardy.
[Ross] RVD landed on the legs of Jeff Hardy.
And again, the Hardcore title hanging high above the ring.
And we're kind of back where we started as far as the ladder is concerned, Paul.
The ladder down.
DDT, and RVD is down.
[Heyman] That title hanging above the ring is like the bait here in the shark tank.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jeff Hardy reaching down to take yet another chance.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jeff looking for the Swanton, but he did not find it.
[Heyman] Great presence of mind by Rob Van Dam
to get out of the way.
And now it's Van Dam's chance to put away Jeff Hardy.
[Ross] And you just gotta wonder what kind of pain these men
are experiencing at this point in time in their lives.
And RVD just for the Five Star Frog Splash,
but not today as Jeff Hardy had it well scouted
and able to avoid that contact.
[Heyman] In my opinion, the first man to his feet here
will have a clear advantage, and that man is Jeff Hardy.
[Ross] Jeff Hardy barely able to stand, same goes for RVD.
RVD is down, however,
and Hardy looking to climb that ladder and end this thing.
And now Van Dam…
on the other side and Jeff Hardy fingertips of this--
touching his title.
Van Dam now, climbing the ladder as well. Oh my God.
You gotta be kidding me.
[Heyman] Oh, it's not a joke. A suplex from the top.
[Ross] The facelock, the suplex, the broken bodies from the ladder.
Oh my God.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And remember, there can be no count-out.
There's no way to stop this match.
[Heyman] Check this out, Jeff Hardy with the flying entry.
Rob Van Dam taking Jeff Hardy down.
-[Ross] And that went up high. -[Heyman] Look at this.
The belt hanging in the balance
and Rob Van Dam suplexing Jeff Hardy from the top of the ladder.
[Ross] Jeff Hardy, man, he is-- he's not motionless.
Well, Jeff Hardy now, he's stirring.
Van Dam going up the ladder.
Van Dam's gonna go another rung or two to be able to reach that Hardcore title.
Jeff Hardy in Van Dam's face,
hitting Van Dam with everything that's left.
Another right hand by Jeff Hardy.
And the Hardcore Champion, y'all,
trying to retain his championship.
Oh, for God sakes.
The biggest sunset flip in captivity,
turned into almost a powerbomb from the sunset flip position.
And the air-- you almost can see the air
driving out the anatomy of both these men.
[Heyman] Phenomenal move by Jeff Hardy over-- What in the world?
He drives RVD hard down into the canvass.
[Ross] Van Dam's spine,
his upper back smacking the canvas
here in San Jose at SummerSlam.
And that's what it's all about for these two men,
the WWE Hardcore title.
I don't know how many more chances that these two can take and survive.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jeff on top, Jeff Hardy can-- He can win it here,
Jeff's got his belt, Jeff's got his belt.
And wait a minute, Van Dam moving the ladder.
Jeff Hardy hanging, he's hanging.
He can't get the belt.
He's hanging on for dear life, it's Jeff Hardy.
Van Dam trying to pull Jeff Hardy down
and knock him out.
Oh my God.
Jeff was teetering over the concrete.
[Heyman] Van Dam.
[Ross] Van Dam looking for an all there.
Jeff Hardy couldn't hold on any longer.
Van Dam was going for it all
on that spinning kick,
trying to catch Jeff Hardy swinging and teetering into oblivion.
[Heyman] But still, Jeff Hardy was off balance
and could not retrieve the title.
And Jeff Hardy, to me, seems desperate
to get away from Van Dam and end this match.
[Ross] I'm sure both men would like to end this match
and then to end here and now.
The belt is swinging back and forth.
Jeff Hardy within inches of his title.
Wait a minute.
Oh my God.
Jeff Hardy's leg caught up in the air,
and that drove his back and neck and shoulders right into the canvas.
[Heyman] Van Dam's going up.
[Ross] Van Dam with a clear shot,
the climb to the top of the ladder
and retrieve the Hardcore title.
He's almost got it.
-Does Van Dam-- And he got it. -[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
["Dam-Nation" playing]
[Howard] The winner of this match
and new World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Champion,
Rob Van Dam.
[Heyman] Well, I told you that The Alliance
wanted back the Hardcore title, and Rob Van Dam
brings the gold and the score back to The Alliance.
[Ross] Jeff Hardy, after his neck and shoulder,
hit that-- hit the ring just feet-- or above his head
and Jeff folded himself up like the old accordion
that gave Van Dam the opportunity to climb up the ladder.
Van Dam, the winner here
in a hellacious first-ever ladder match
for the Hardcore title.
Jeff Hardy looking out the corner of his eye
to see if Van Dam is moving
or perhaps as sore as Jeff is,
and I would say the answer is hell, yes.
[Heyman] A heavy price paid by both men, but the winner of the contest,
and once again the Hardcore Champion,
Rob Van Dam.
[Ross] We may never see another Ladder Match.
This is the end. Jeff Hardy's foot caught the top rope.
Here's a look from our-- another angle.
Watch Jeff's head and shoulders.
That's what took him out of the hunt, right there.
He hits the ladder and his head on the canvas.
[Heyman] No doubt. And here's Van Dam definitely trying to…
-[bell ringing] -[Heyman] …get the gold.
And Rob Van Dam retrieves the Hardcore title
for himself and for The Alliance.
[Ross] Hell of a match. Whether you like Van Dam or not,
you gotta respect both these men
for putting everything they had on the line here at SummerSlam.
But on this night, Rob Van Dam was the better man.
What a match.
Yo, Booker. All right, man, we're back on track.
Rob Van Dam, Hardcore Champion, one last time.
That's exactly what's gonna happen tonight.
You're gonna retain the WCW Championship, man, 'cause The Rock is going down.
Yeah.
-What's in the box? -This, my man, is for you.
From me to you. It's a present.
-What are you talking about, man? -It's a present.
-Can I open it? -Yeah. It's for you. Go ahead.
These will need an explanation.
-What is it? -Now, this,
these are bookends made from the very announce table
that you bookended The Rock through last Thursday.
-What? -That's what I'm talking about.
It's perfect for all your books.
It's the bookends.
You didn't do that.
Yeah. I did do that.
-Tell me you didn't do that. -Uh, I did, man.
I did that.
I did that for you.
-You're really my man. -All right.
Thank you, man.
Tonight, Shane…
Yeah.
…I dedicate this match to you.
To me?
To you.
-All right. -It's something.
Tell me you just didn't dedicate that to me.
Tell me you didn't do that.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Well, here come The Undertaker and Kane.
They know that hell awaits them inside the steel cage.
And ladies and gentlemen, there you see the cage.
This whole sick ordeal
started with DDP stalking The Undertaker's wife, Sara.
[Michael] Diamond Dallas Page, the man who stalked The Undertaker's wife,
put Sara through emotional, mental, physical trauma.
[Ross] The audacity, the sickness of a human being walking into another's home,
unwanted, trespassing, and then taking out his video camera
and filming some of the most intimate moments of that household.
And Page has those tapes in his collection.
[Michael] DDP obsessed with The Undertaker's wife, Sara.
[DDP] When this all first started, Sara…
I just wanted to be famous.
Now, I just wanna be yours.
I want my Sara.
I need my Sara.
What's up, man? You seen Page yet?
Well, you need to thank me for waiting for you to get here
and not beating his ass already.
He's built some sort of shrine to Sara.
[Undertaker] Page.
[eerie music playing]
[Undertaker] Damn.
That's why you don't mess with me, huh?
[DDP laughing]
[Ross] We have Page.
-Who's the other guy? Page-- -[Heyman] That's Kanyon.
It's Kanyon. Kanyon and Page shut up The Undertaker.
[DDP] Kanyon and DDP, the new WWE Tag Team Champions
who better than Kanyon and DDP.
I'm glad to see you two tots all excited about being
the WWE Tag Team Champions.
You know, now that makes you under my jurisdiction.
So at SummerSlam, I've decided to have a tag team championship match.
-What? -It will be you…
-Payday. -…against The Undertaker and Kane.
-Bye-bye. -What?
By the way, it'll be a cage match as well.
[Michael] We have new WCW Tag Team Champions,
The Undertaker and Kane.
At SummerSlam, it's on the steel cage,
it's champions versus champions.
-[singer] ♪ Who better than Kanyon? ♪ -["Who Better Than Kanyon" playing]
[Ross] And we are live here in San Jose at SummerSlam,
Jim Ross and Paul Heyman at ringside
ready for the cage matchup, steel cage,
tag titles on the line.
[bell ringing]
[Howard] The following contest
is the Steel Cage match title for title.
Victory can be attained by pinfall, submission,
or escape by both team members.
Introducing first, Kanyon…
and DDP, Diamond Dallas Page,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Champions.
["It's Me" playing]
[Ross] Well, the WWE Tag Team Champions,
no pun intended, coming out with a bang
and they made-- they may leave with a bigger bang.
[Heyman] And in my opinion, the greatest WWE Tag Team Champion of all time and--
-[Ross] You can't mean that, Paul. -[Heyman] I do mean that.
[Ross] You can't mean that.
[Heyman] And think about the history of the WWE Tag Team title.
Think about the history of the WCW Tag Team title
and realize that those titles
become unified tonight.
[Ross] They do have that opportunity.
-["You're Gonna Pay" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[singer] ♪ Dead man walking ♪
♪ You've done it now ♪
♪ You've gone and made a big mistake ♪
♪ And I can't allow you To think you can just walk away ♪
♪ So turn around ♪
♪ And face the piper you're gonna pay ♪
♪ 'Cause the end is now ♪
♪ This is gonna be your… ♪
[Ross] The men that has stepped in to the steel cage with The Undertaker
have not fared so well.
Remember back at '97,
Undertaker and HBK, it was a bloody mess.
The King of the Ring '98 Mick Foley thrown from the top of the cage
to the announce table at the hands of The Undertaker.
And at Armageddon last year,
The Undertaker sending Rikishi
for a ride off the top of the cage
that the big man will never forget.
[Heyman] Well, tonight will be a night
that The Undertaker and Kane will never forget,
because the Taker and Kane
are set to battle DDP and Kanyon in a cage.
This contest can only be won by pinfall, submission,
or both members escaping the cage.
[crowd cheering]
[singer] ♪ You're gonna pay, You're gonna pay ♪
♪ No more chances ♪
♪ No more excuses, no lies ♪
♪ Your story's ending ♪
♪ Time to say your goodbyes ♪
♪ Nice guys ♪
♪ It's said they always finish last ♪
♪ But bad-asses ♪
♪ Are always kickin' asshole's ass ♪
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Well, The Undertaker and Kane
showing, uh, that they have one focus in mind, Paul,
and that is to-- and The Undertaker emphatically closing that door.
There's a lot of personal animosity
from The Undertaker that he wants to extract.
There's Sara.
Sara's got a--
Well, she's got a chain and a padlock,
and Sara is locking the door shut, obviously.
[Heyman] Pinfall submission or both members escape.
[crowd cheering]
[bell ringing]
[Ross] Well, they say, key to the success is, uh--
No, no, no, now.
And look at DDP and Kanyon quickly and ran smartly
trying to climb out of here as fast as they can.
Remember, to win the match, you can win it by pinfall,
you can win it by submission or both members of one team
must escape the cage over the top and to the pole.
And then that's a hell of a way to bring Kanyon back in the ring,
and the Big Red Machine did it with authority.
[Heyman] A size advantage for the Brothers of Destruction, no doubt about it.
But Page and Kanyon are very resourceful.
[Ross] Undertaker knocking down DDP.
The Undertaker, as we documented, has this--
has shortened the careers,
has laid people and things inside cages
at SummerSlam events dating all the way back to '97.
It has been ten years of destruction
for The Undertaker and his brother Kane.
I tell you what, I don't know any two more impressive,
imposing, dangerous men.
The Page is fighting with everything he's got.
What a sense of urgency but to no avail.
Why would anyone wanna double with Kane in the cage?
But Page and Kanyon for The Undertaker and Kane.
[Heyman] But no one has ever gotten under The Undertaker's skin
quite like Diamond Dallas Page.
The Undertaker, to me, is like Roberto Durán.
He's too emotional to compete for victory.
[Ross] Page deserves to get the hell beat out of him.
He's nothing but a pervert.
I mean, he's stalking the Undertaker's wife and then maybe…
And downstairs went Page, but nothing wrong with that in this cage match.
And you gotta believe that this may not be for the weak at heart
when it's all said and done.
A right hand by DDP, rocking The Undertaker.
[Heyman] DDP is one tough customer.
He's no pushover and he's one-half
of the WWE Tag Team Champions.
[Ross] A knockdown by DDP, looking for the cover here.
And, uh, the referee got a-- got a near fall.
DDP and Kanyon, the WWE Tag Team Champions,
Undertaker and Kane ironically the WCW Tag Team Champion.
Both titles at stake in this match.
Kanyon with a right hand.
You're looking for a pinfall or a submission to win the match or for…
[Heyman] Or for big time.
[Ross] …both-- for both men to escape the cage.
That was cool, man.
-[Heyman] Thank you. -[Ross] And--
[Heyman] I know it's tough to keep up with me, and here you go again.
Advantage for DDP and Kanyon
as DDP is wasting Kane away in the corner.
[Ross] And Kanyon barely able to stand, speaking of advantage,
and Kane knocking down DDP.
DDP should be ashamed of himself
and he needs a long trip to the woodshed
after going to the man's home, The Undertaker's home,
stalking his wife, taking those hideous pictures.
And apparently, as he has documented those ridiculous,
well, unedited videos that Page has, uh,
apparently shown some of The Alliance team.
-[Heyman] Have you ever seen those videos? -[Ross] Oh, hell, no, I haven't.
[Heyman] You should.
Get it from me, not that I've seen them or anything.
[Ross] Kane just threw Kanyon on the top rope.
And Kanyon's body bouncing off that steel cage,
which is we have said before on many occasions,
it is true tonight, the cage is very, very unforgiving.
-[Heyman] I mean, there's this one-- -[Ross] Okay. That's enough.
And Kanyon, taking the corner with the Kanyon's credit,
he would've countered Kane at least to some degree.
And Kane's masked face right into the-- right into the, uh, cage again.
But look at this-- The Undertaker, measuring and hammering DDP.
And look out, Kanyon-- Oh, what a ride.
Nice flight, bad landing, no peanuts.
And now, DDP, not gonna hurt his face
to be post along into that steel cage
and now Page,
his body will never be the same after this, I can assure you.
Maybe none of the four, but because of what Page has done
to The Undertaker's wife, Sara,
you've gotta believe that there's some hell to pay for him.
And look at Kanyon, what does-- Kane.
-[crowd] Oh. -[Ross] Good grief.
I think that was the back of Kanyon's head, Paul.
[Heyman] Oh, I believe it was as well. And Kanyon's in a bad, bad way.
Right now what needs to happen to the team of DDP--
Oh, look at this.
[Ross] Nowhere for Page to go.
But then he's-- he can't go through the cage.
And look at The Undertaker. My God. This is-- this is savagery.
And The Phenom has taken it up a notch here tonight.
[Heyman] But he's very emotional.
The Undertaker is very emotional,
and an emotional man can make a mistake.
[Ross] Emotional men do make mistakes, you're right about that.
And Kanyon-- Undertaker had his eye on Page.
It was Kanyon though that came out of nowhere.
And now look at Kanyon, trying to desperately climb over the cage.
If he did that, well then, Kanyon and DDP will be halfway home.
-[Heyman] Oh, my. -[Ross] Look at this here.
Kane is trying to pull Kanyon off that cage
and Kanyon fighting for his life literally there.
And a better move by Kanyon, driving Kane's face into the canvas.
You can win by pinfall or submission as well as both men escaping.
And a DDP.
-[Heyman] A DDT by DDP. -[Ross] Yeah, something like that.
[Kanyon] Let's get the hell out of here.
[Ross] And now, look at Kanyon trying to tell Page,
"Let's get the hell out of here," which, quite frankly is good thinking
for Page and Kanyon.
And Page and Kanyon now trying to climb out,
if they do, this one is over.
-The-- Oh, The Undertaker and Kane-- -[Heyman] Oh, no.
-[Ross] That was a stereo set-up. -[Heyman] Oh, no.
[Ross] Undertaker holding-- trying to hold DDP
and now The Undertaker going upstairs.
[Heyman] DDP and Kanyon are so close.
[Ross] Kanyon hanging-- Kanyon's feet are over.
One of Page's feet is over.
Kanyon hanging upside down here.
The Undertaker-- Oh my God. It's a dangerous post.
Undertaker on top of the cage.
One false move and The Undertaker's career
could end right here and there.
[crowd] Oh.
[Ross] Upset-- Oh. Kane is straddling the top rope.
[Heyman] That's not gonna do any good for Page's career, either.
Let him go.
[Ross] Undertaker has told Kane to let Kanyon go.
Undertaker just told his brother Kane to let Kanyon go.
[Heyman] Why?
[Ross] You gotta question the wisdom of that.
Oh my God.
Oh my God that chain just fell.
Undertaker's got that chain. Kanyon has escaped.
And The Undertaker standing on top of the cage
just threw that chain in the ring.
[Heyman] Yeah, but Kanyon's out of the cage.
Kanyon and Page are halfway home.
[Ross] That's the good news for The Alliance.
The bad news is that DDP has been left all alone
with The Undertaker and Kane inside the steel cage.
[Heyman] As far as The Alliance is concerned,
the cage is half empty, the cage is half full.
If Page escapes, the match is over.
[Ross] Page always wanted to be famous.
That's why he came to the WWE.
But I'm not so sure that Page is gonna be made famous
right here in this in-- Oh, man.
My God. That sidewalk slam.
That's gotta be over. Well, it should've been over.
[Heyman] And a great, great display of toughness by DDP.
-Notice… -[Ross] Yeah.
[Heyman] …how he just--
[Ross] I beg your pardon, The Undertaker pulled Page right off the canvas.
The Undertaker wants to punish this pervert, this stalker.
And Page trying to fight back,
but, my God, the odds of Page winning?
Slim. Surviving? Maybe less.
And look at The Undertaker, hammering away
with vile right hands to the vicious DDP.
[Heyman] The courage of Page to fight the Brothers of Destruction
all by himself.
Kanyon must be getting the champagne ready in the back.
[Ross] Kanyon getting out of here like a scalded dog, I can tell you that.
And now The Undertaker with that steel-- that chain.
I don't like the looks of this, and I'm not a DDP fan.
Page head first,
his body thrown right into the cage,
and the steel cage could give a damn.
Uh-oh. Look out here.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Undertaker measuring DDP,
the man who stalked The Undertaker's wife may get religion here.
Get your ass out of here, and I'll let you live.
If you ever look her again, I'll kill you.
-Get your ass out of here. -[Heyman] This is DDP's chance.
Go, DDP, run.
[Ross] Undertaker said you can go and he's saving his stirring here.
-[Heyman] Go. -[Ross] He said, "Go and don't come back."
[Heyman] Get the hell out,
and we'll have a unified tag team champion.
The Alliance wishes to congratulate.
-[Ross] I don't get this. -[Heyman] DDP--
-[Ross] I don't understand. -[Heyman] You don't need to.
Who cares if you don't understand it, either?
I mean, DDP and Kanyon are gonna be the WWE and WCW--
[Ross] Well, maybe not.
Oh my God, a Chokeslam from the top.
[Heyman] The Undertaker lied.
[Ross] Undertaker playing mind games with DDP
just like DDP played those sick mind games
with The Undertaker and his wife.
[Heyman] Oh, no. Oh, no.
Right there, baby, right there.
[Ross] Undertaker telling his wife, "This one is for you."
The Last Ride and it could be literally
the last ride for DDP.
Somebody' gonna have to put Page back together.
-[crowd] Two, three. -[bell ringing]
[Ross] And this one's over.
The Undertaker and Kane, double tag team champions.
["You're Gonna Pay" playing]
[singer] ♪ You've gone and made A big mistake ♪
♪ And I can't allow you To think you can just walk away ♪
♪ So turn around and face the piper… ♪
[Heyman] The Alliance-- Uh, forget it.
[Ross] DDP set a barbwire cutters
or bolt cutters instead of a diamond cutter.
The diamond cutter rendered useless
in this barbaric environment
that The Undertaker and Kane call home.
And now look at Sara.
I don't know that Page is hearing a word she's saying.
I think Page is unconscious.
[Heyman] That makes Page the lucky one.
Can you imagine what this-- what she must be saying to this man?
[Ross] All I can say is that DDP got exactly what he deserved.
He got exactly what he had coming to him.
[singer] ♪ You're gonna pay You're gonna pay ♪
♪ There's no forgiveness this time ♪
[explosion]
♪ You're gonna pay You're gonna pay ♪
♪ It's my business, your mind ♪
[Heyman] Unfortunately, the unified champions
are the Brothers of Destruction.
[Ross] The Undertaker and Kane with all the tag team gold.
And it's gonna take a hell of an input
for any combination back in the place of this Earth
to take that gold away from the American Badass and Kane.
[crowd cheering]
♪ Your story's ending… ♪
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Doc, The Rock has already told you, The Rock is fine.
SummerSlam, The Great One is back.
And, Doc, just so you know, gonna take a whole hell of a lot more
than one Rock Bottom through a table to stop The Rock.
[man yelling]
[crowd laughing]
You're looking at the next WCW Champion.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come.
We're up here in the-- looking live in the WWE locker room,
competitors gathered around the television monitor
because, Paul, coming up next,
the WWE Championship to be decided.
[Heyman] Oh, this is it.
It's all on the line, The Alliance now watching their monitor
every member of The Alliance is united
as our champion, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin,
defends that title against Kurt Angle
who so desperately wants to bring the championship home.
[Ross] And this one all started at InVasion.
["Bodies" playing]
[Michael] Kurt Angle has exploded. Ankle Lock.
[Ross] Austin bringing the referee in as the right thing as-- Wait a minute.
[Michael] Wait a minute.
[Ross] Wait, what the-- Austin just Stunned Kurt Angle.
Austin just cost Team WWE the match.
[Michael] I cannot believe this.
[Ross] Are you telling me the WWE title is now in the enemy camp? Why, Austin?
Why, damn it?
Why?
[Stone Cold] You know, Vince, a hug used to be something special
between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon, but, uh-uh, no longer.
You wanna hug Kurt Angle because you're grooming him
to be the next WWE Champion.
What's wrong with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin?
What's wrong with me?
So, I jump to a team that appreciates, that respects,
that loves "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
I'd jump to a team that's gonna find me
the best competition in the world.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin will back down from nobody.
[Michael] Oh, here we go.
Kurt Angle rush in the ring after Austin, exchanging blows, center of the ring.
Kurt Angle cleaning house.
[Ross] Look at Austin, backed him out of the ring.
[Kurt] Stone Cold, I'm a better athlete than you.
[Ross] Kurt Angle scored with his Angle Slam.
I'm a better competitor than you.
[Ross] Kurt Angle is so physical, so intense.
[Michael] Angle, the Ankle Lock.
-[Ross] The Ankle Lock. -[Michael] It's locked in.
[Ross] I think I hear the ankle snap out.
[Kurt] Which is why I have the confidence
to challenge you to a match at SummerSlam
for the World Wrestling Entertainment title.
[Michael] I've never seen Kurt Angle in the mood he's been in as of late.
[Kurt] The match of which I intend of bringing the WWE title
back home to where it belongs.
[Ross] Kurt Angle's eyes tell a story.
Kurt Angle has no fear.
But can we say the same for The Rattlesnake.
[Stone Cold] Ever since "Stone Cold" Steve Austin joined The Alliance,
I've led by example.
[Ross] This is humiliating.
[Stone Cold] You're pathetic.
You suck.
[Ross] You don't pin another human being like that.
[Stone Cold] You're gonna learn about this man
from "Stone Cold."
-[Ross] This is sick. -[Stone Cold] Kurt Angle,
SummerSlam World Wrestling Entertainment
title on the line,
I accept, and what I have pledged in
is to whip your red, white, and blue Olympic ass.
[Ross] He's too devious. He's too evil.
[Stone Cold] You ain't such a hero now, are ya?
[Ross] This is sick.
[Stone Cold] You're gonna bleed from The Alliance.
You're gonna bleed for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Kurt] I'm gonna do the same thing I did in 1996 Olympics.
I'm bringing the gold back home.
[Ross] In a match where the stakes are so high.
-["Bodies" playing] -[singer] ♪ Push me again ♪
♪ This is the end ♪
♪ Here we go, here we go, here we go now ♪
♪ One, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ Two, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ Three, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ Four, nothing wrong with me ♪
♪ One, something's got to give ♪
♪ Two, something's got to give ♪
♪ Three, something's got to give now ♪
♪ Let the bodies hit the floor ♪
[singer screams] ♪ Go ♪
[Ross] And the stakes are high in both locker rooms.
The Alliance on your left, the WWE on your right.
The time is now to settle this in the ring.
-[crowd cheering] -["Medal" playing]
[bell ringing]
[Howard] The following contest scheduled for one fall
is for the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship.
Introducing the challenger, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
weighing 237 pounds,
Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Many fans here in San Jose,
as you see, on their feet
as they acknowledge the arrival of the man that's gonna give everything
he's got to bring the WWE title
back to the Entertainment.
What a standing ovation for Kurt Angle.
[Heyman] But to bring the title back to the WWE, Kurt Angle
will have to go through not just anybody.
Kurt Angle will have to go through
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Ross] The motivational leader of The Alliance.
[glass shatters]
["I Won't Do What You Tell Me" playing]
[Howard] From The Alliance, weighing 252 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Ross] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the leader of The Alliance
and on Angle have locked eyes.
Austin pausing.
Angle on the opposite side of the ring.
And you've just gotta imagine what this is going to be like,
how physically intense this confrontation
for the richest prize in our business will be.
And here we go.
Kurt Angle going to meet Austin, and Austin retaliating in kind.
But Angle, seemingly, getting the upper hand
with a prompt to the eye, stops the challenger.
[Heyman] Well, the fight is on, and like Drowning Pool would say,
"Let the bodies hit the floor."
[Ross] And this match has not officially started.
Senior referee Earl Hebner of the WWE,
trying to get these two men back into the ring,
but it's obvious that Austin, with that cagey fight,
is gonna try to dismantle Kurt Angle
before this match even starts.
And now look at Austin taunting Angle, bringing that WWE title
right in front of Angle's very eyes.
[Heyman] The WWE title which is out of the control
-of the WWE… -[bell ringing]
[Heyman] …for the first time in history.
[Ross] And now that match is officially underway,
and Kurt Angle officially trying to kick Austin's ass,
but Austin reverses with a right hand of his own.
It's Austin and Kurt Angle for the WWE title
and you gotta believe down deep in your soul
that this one is gonna be as physically intense
than perhaps anything that we will ever see.
Angle measuring this Olympic maneuver,
that is a right hand by Kurt Angle.
He wants to-- wants the-- stop that mudhole and Austin won't get dry.
Angle can bring it, but you got to keep your eye on Austin.
[Heyman] And the Texas Rattlesnake now bringing the Olympic hero
into the corner and beating him down.
[Ross] Austin fancies himself as a motivator of The Alliance.
He's kind of like a psychotic Tony Robbins.
And a right hand again by Kurt Angle,
measuring the WWE Champion.
And Angle taking Austin down
with a hard stiff clothesline.
Austin, to his credit, back up.
Crossbody by Angle, looking for the cover.
He got the cover and he got a near fall with the challenger.
[Heyman] And Stone Cold gets to his feet as quickly as he can.
Stone Cold does not wanna be in a pinning predicament against Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Austin with a shot from the back of the head.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Austin now has stopped Angle's momentum,
at least for the time being.
And Austin, seemingly, will focus now there on the hamstring,
the knee or that ankle.
I'm not quite sure for Austin's-- How he's wrenching.
Kurt Angle could tell us that right now.
We certainly know what Austin's intending to do here, Paul.
[Heyman] Yes, we do. Stone Cold
is looking to take out Kurt Angle.
He's looking to destroy Angle's points of balance.
[Ross] And Angle, if anybody can survive having a point
of balance to destroy, it maybe him because of his amazing ability,
and that is a-- that is right on the ankle, right on the knee.
[Heyman] And don't forget, Stone Cold has already weakened Kurt Angle's ankle.
Stone Cold came off the top rope
and drove a chair into Kurt Angle's ankle.
[Ross] How can we ever forget that?
And that's Austin focusing now on that-- Austin hasn't forgotten
that Angle's got a damaged leg.
He's got a damaged ankle, and that's exactly what Austin wants.
And look at Angle countered. Angle countered.
He's looking for the Ankle Lock.
He's got the Ankle Lock. That's Kurt Angle,
and Austin, desperately, get to the bottom rope.
Want to necessitate an immediate break, and Austin now,
trying to distance himself here.
[Heyman] I disagree with you.
I don't think that Austin did that desperately.
I think that was a great calculation by Stone Cold.
[Ross] A right hand by Austin.
All right. Well, he didn't get to the ropes.
Speaking of Austin, if his ankle would've been snapped
and we would have a new WWE Champion.
-Can you agree with that? -[Heyman] Yes, sir, I can,
which is why I think it's a great calculation.
Austin knows he has to stay away from the Ankle Lock.
[Ross] Austin now.
What's he gonna do here? Going for the right hand,
not going back for the ankle,
that may have brought The Rattlesnake behind.
Of course, it's all said and done
on getting there and everything we know with Austin.
Kurt Angle just got out on the rope, top rope all the way to the floor.
Unlike Austin, land on your feet if you try to and Angle's-- his ankle again
and knee taking a pounding here in the early going.
[Heyman] Stone Cold knows exactly what he's doing.
That's why he's the WWE Champion
in the camp of The Alliance.
[Ross] Yeah, we know.
We know the backstabbing SOB
what he did to face him a month ago
that turned the tide for The Alliance.
[Heyman] And now a wrestling lesson from Stone Cold
to the Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Austin using the suplexes that Angle is known for.
And now Austin-- And that's just insulting,
slapping Angle in the back of the head
after delivering a couple of suplexes.
And then Austin using those knee braces much like a weapon,
driving the knee to the head of Angle.
[Heyman] Physical and mental intimidation by our leader,
our Champion, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Ross] Another suplex by Austin.
Now, looking for cover, had the weight on the shoulders, and a near fall.
Austin surprisingly using a great deal of suplexes.
Certainly sending a physical and mental message
to Kurt Angle in this matchup.
And now Angle dropping behind Austin.
Suplexes for the WWE Champion.
And Angle holding on pugnaciously to that waistlock and another turning suplex.
That's a pair.
And three of a kind, a winning poker hand.
Three suplexes by Angle, driving Austin's head and neck into the canvas.
And Austin now fighting with everything he's got
to get that elbow into the face and find-- Oh, no, no, no.
There he goes again. Austin again suplexed.
[Heyman] Austin needs to get to the ropes to force Angle to relinquish the grasp.
[Ross] That's gotta be five suplexes.
Four, five, whatever it is,
they're all taking a toll on the WWE Champion,
the Stone Cold sellout.
And Austin trying to get the ropes, but Angle took him right back away.
Gotta be six belly-to-back suplexes.
And seven.
My favorite number. Let it go.
Come on, Kurt, bring that championship belt to where it belongs.
[Heyman] Enough with the cheerleading.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is in a bad, bad way.
[Ross] And here it is. Oh, Angle looking for that Angle Slam
and Austin-- Oh, a shot to the kidneys
that drove Angle's face into the turnbuckle
which has allowed Austin to maybe pull himself back together,
at least, temporarily.
Austin's lower back maybe knotting up and tightening up on him after those
seven belly-to-back suplexes.
And now Angle being placed
not so gingerly on the-- on the top turnbuckle
by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who's just nailing the challenger
for the WWE title here.
[Heyman] And now Stone Cold takes the fight to Angle.
[Ross] Angle trying to fight out of this predicament.
He does, shoving Austin off of that second rope.
Angle bought himself a couple of seconds
of rest or regrouping here, but Austin right back on it.
[Heyman] Great presence of mind by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
Again, Austin on the attack.
[Ross] Austin has always been a master strategist.
And now the Champion's standing on the top rope.
Austin is he looking-- Yes, another suplex.
A superplex.
Kurt Angle almost broken in half,
but the WWE Champion
Stone Cold is hurting as well.
I mean, Angle's nose is bleeding.
And Austin
trying to roll away from Angle.
Austin keeping his feet away from Angle.
I think unconscious-- in his sleep, he can break your ankle
with that darn ankle lock.
[Heyman] But Austin is getting to his feet.
[Ross] Austin back up and so is Kurt Angle.
-[Heyman] Stunner. Stunner. -[Ross] A Stunner.
A Stone Cold Stunner for the WWE Champion.
-[Heyman] It's over. One, two-- -[Ross] This is it.
-And-- -[Heyman] What?
[Ross] Kurt Angle kicked out.
Kurt Angle just kicked out of the Stone Cold Stunner
and I don't think that The Rattlesnake can believe it.
[Heyman] I can't believe it.
Kurt Angle just kicked out from the Stone Cold Stunner.
[Ross] And The Stunner was-- came out of nowhere.
[Heyman] Stunner.
[Ross] And Austin does it again.
And the momentum took Angle right outside.
The second Stone Cold Stunner.
But maybe a bad break for Austin,
as Angle's momentum and the pressure,
the force of that blow drove Angle to the outside.
[Heyman] And now Stone Cold takes the fight to Angle.
All Stone Cold needs to do is get Angle in the ring and score the pinfall.
[Ross] Austin measuring Angle-- Oh my God.
Austin measured Kurt Angle
and drove Angle's head right into the ring post
with all the force and velocity that The Rattlesnake can muster.
[Heyman] You can't expect mercy from the merciless Rattlesnake.
[Ross] The richest prize in our business at stake here
at SummerSlam, the coveted Entertainment Championship.
And Kurt Angle has been hammered--
and again, face first.
Angle's hands are down and Angle has been busted open
at the hands of Steve Austin.
[Heyman] And we are here at the shark tank
and like a shark that senses blood,
-"Stone Cold" Steve Austin-- -[Ross] Oh my God.
Not again.
Come on.
That's three shots to the head, the forehead,
the skull.
Austin is sick.
Austin, I guess was gonna use the title belt,
the WWE Championship belt. You would think--
Angle-- God, how much more can Kurt Angle take?
And the referee is definitely showing some lenience here.
[Heyman] And the most vicious shark of them all, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin,
is sinking his teeth into a bloody Kurt Angle.
[Ross] God, Angle is a bloody mess.
Austin is sadistic and cold, damn sure not caring
with those right hands.
Austin, you gotta be careful here.
He don't wanna be counted out or disqualified for his conduct.
This is reprehensible.
[Heyman] I agree with you.
I think referee Hebner should stop this match.
[Ross] Oh, yeah, sure you would.
In that way Austin can strut back to the back with his WWE title.
It ain't gonna go down that way, Paul.
[Heyman] No, sir. I think Hebner should stop the match
for the safety and the wellbeing of Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Kurt Angle's hands are down on the outside.
Good God. Austin may break his own hands
from striking Kurt Angle that much.
[Heyman] Sunday night, August 19th, 2001
at SummerSlam,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is displaying a viciousness
never before displayed by a WWE Champion.
[Ross] My God. This crowd almost in a hushed silence here.
This has gotta be over.
Maybe it's poetic justice that it is over, but it's not.
But it's not. Angle got his shoulder up.
And Austin must be thinking,
"What in the hell must I do to beat this man?"
[Heyman] That had to be by instinct alone.
It can't be anything else.
[Ross] Well, I'll tell you what, Angle is losing a ton of blood here.
And Austin again-- Oh, God.
That's five or six times that Kurt Angle's face,
his head has struck that ring post.
[Heyman] In my opinion, Hebner should stop the match
and Hebner not stopping the match
is just false hope that Kurt Angle
can come from behind, which obviously he cannot.
[Ross] That ain't right. That--
Better stop-- Kurt Angle is a bloody mess.
[Heyman] Pay attention, J.R.
This one's for you.
-Right in front of you. -[Ross] This is not right.
And Austin driven over the-- over the railing.
Austin driven over the railing.
Kurt Angle, at least, has got a little bit of time here.
[crowd clamoring]
[Ross] Austin gonna suplex Angle.
Oh my God.
Angle's body just whacked the concrete.
His body whacked at the concrete.
For the love of God, Angle is maybe broken in half.
[Heyman] Not only vicious brawling but vicious wrestling
by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who in my opinion has out-brawled
and outwrestled "The Olympic Hero" Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Austin could not pin Angle in the ring.
He's nothing but a damn bully.
Kurt Angle has been busted open from virtually ear to ear
from those shots to his cranium, his face into the ring post.
Austin is a sick, psychotic bully.
Oh, Angle's got the-- Angle's got the ankle lock.
The bloody Kurt Angle, the challenger is gonna break Austin's ankle.
[Heyman] But you can't win the title on the outside of the ring.
[Ross] Do it. Yeah, snap his ankle. Whoo!
[Heyman] This is illegal.
Illegal by Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Yeah, Kurt Angle's face in the ring post, that's legal.
And now Austin-- Angle's gonna-- and Kurt Angle,
after all he's been through,
is dragging Austin, trying to drag him back in the ring.
And Austin resisting.
Austin trying to hold on to the steps.
And Angle just pulled Austin back in the ring.
And there it is. There it is. There it is.
The ankle lock. The ankle lock.
He's got the ankle lock.
Austin got to the bottom rope.
And Kurt Angle, a bloody mess.
[Heyman] And like a true champion at all times,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
knows how to find the ropes,
knows how to break the hold.
[Ross] And Kurt Angle's face, a proverbial crimson mask.
And look at the challenger.
He won the Olympics five years ago this month
with a broken neck.
But can even Kurt Angle overcome that man,
the psychotic Rattlesnake, the WWE Champion?
Angle losing blood by the heartbeat.
And-- Oh my God.
Angle locked on to that
for the belly-to-belly suplex on the floor here.
[Earl] Come on. Come on. Get up!
[Ross] Man that will-- that will stop at all.
Angle locked up Austin.
And somehow, someway the challenger able to reach down
and deliver a hell of a suplex.
[Heyman] Desperation moves by a desperate man, Kurt Angle,
as Stone Cold is the first man to his feet again.
[Ross] Man, this is assault, an all-out assault by both men.
And another suplex on the floor.
That has no give there.
Those mats are for aesthetic purposes,
but there's very little padding there.
[Heyman] Why is Hebner constantly allowing Angle
to gain advantages outside of the ring?
[Ross] Well, what about letting Austin gain the advantages outside the ring?
Can you answer that? No, you can't.
The bottom line is that the referee wants this match to have a winner,
one, two, three or by submission.
Everybody knows, Paul, what's at stake here.
The WWE title or the opportunity
to come back to the WWE.
It would mean so much to our superstars and our fans.
And if anybody in this Earth can do it, by God, it's Kurt Angle.
He will not quit, Paul. You know that as well as I do.
You don't win a gold medal in the Olympics with a broken neck and be a quitter.
Angle has never ever been a quitter.
[Heyman] But then again neither has "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
-As Angle comes up-- -[Ross] Oh, no.
Kurt, go for the ankle lock.
Angle-- a moonsault.
He got the moonsault.
Austin tried to get a knee up.
Austin down, Angle hurt.
Arm over.
He's got him. That's it.
We-- Oh, Austin kicked out.
Turned to his stomach.
I don't know if Kurt Angle is even aware of what happened.
[Heyman] Check this out. Kurt Angle going up.
Wham. Connecting.
Connecting with the moonsault.
And, again, Kurt Angle connects.
Look at the grace that he's actually had,
but Stone Cold has survived.
[Ross] Hard right hands by Kurt Angle, going commando on Steve Austin.
Austin couldn't beat Angle in the ring, took him outside,
that psychotic man, and Angle surviving.
And now Austin with the Cobra clutch.
Austin using the Cobra clutch.
We haven't seen that since a guy with the name of Ringmaster did it.
And there's a takedown. A takedown by Kurt Angle.
Austin holding on like a Pit Bull dog to the Cobra clutch.
[Heyman] And notice how Austin is now keeping Angle from reaching the ropes.
The blood pouring out from above the eye of Kurt Angle.
Austin is weakening Kurt Angle as every second goes by.
[Ross] Austin putting his weight on Kurt Angle, making Angle
carry that additional weight.
And Kurt Angle somehow, some way-- by God, he's up.
Kurt Angle is up.
How does he do it?
Angle trying to walk the ropes.
Angle got Austin.
Pinning predicament.
He's got him on a pinning predicament and Austin got his shoulders up,
but did not-- did not relinquish that Cobra clutch.
[Heyman] As I told you before, Austin has out-brawled,
outfought and outwrestled Kurt Angle in this match.
[Ross] But he has not, has Austin, put Angle away.
With everything that Austin has thrown at Angle,
I'm not so sure that Austin can put Angle away.
Austin holding on relentlessly,
maybe out of desperation.
Could Austin be thinking, "What else must I do to beat this man?"
[Heyman] One.
Two more to go.
[Ross] Referee Earl Hebner checking Kurt Angle's hand.
He may have lost too much blood to continue.
It could be over right here.
If the arm drops, it is over, folks.
And Angle held on.
Kurt Angle held on.
Wisely or not, Kurt Angle held on.
And Angle sends Austin right to the outside.
[Heyman] But the damage has been done, and as every drop of blood
comes out from above Kurt Angle's eye,
so does the hopes and the dreams of WWE fans.
[Ross] Austin back in the ring.
-[Heyman] The Champion… -Stand up, you son of a bitch.
[Heyman] …stalking the challenger.
[Ross] Austin telling Angle to get up.
Austin with Kurt Angle's blood all over his hands, all over his body.
Angle has lost an enormous amount of blood here.
And Austin for the third time with a Stone Cold Stunner.
This has gotta be all.
There's no way.
It's over-- No, it's not.
My God. My God, Angle kicked out.
And Austin cannot believe it and, quite frankly, neither can I.
[Heyman] Where does Kurt Angle get the strength to kick out
of not one, not two, but three Stone Cold Stunners?
[Ross] Now, by God, Paul, I am convinced that Austin
cannot beat Kurt Angle on this night for this championship.
And, by God, maybe Austin is convinced that as well.
Angle pulling himself up.
Angle refusing to stay down.
And look at Austin.
He is holding Austin.
Looking for the Stunner.
He got the slam, the Angle Slam.
The Angle Slam.
But both men are down front first on the canvas.
My God, what a move.
Austin looking for that fourth Stunner.
Kurt Angle has kicked out of a Stone Cold Stunner
not once but twice.
And there is the cover.
Can he do it? Can Kurt-- And Austin kicked out,
to the Stunner-- To Austin's credit.
[Heyman] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin sold his soul
for the WWE title.
Imagine what it's gonna take to remove that championship
from around his waist.
[Ross] Well, we're gonna see it tonight.
And there's the ankle lock.
Kurt's got the ankle lock on Austin.
Austin, luckily enough, was near the ropes.
And Angle can barely stand.
He is so weak.
He has lost so much blood and taken so much punishment.
Wait a minute.
What the hell was that for?
Austin deliberately, right now, had struck the referee.
And look at the psychotic look on The Rattlesnake's face.
[Heyman] The Rattlesnake has bit.
-[Ross] What the hell was that? -[Heyman] There's a DDT.
[Ross] I know what that is.
But what the hell was--
Well, here comes another referee.
Kurt Angle's got the cover.
He's got the cover. No!
And Austin able to kick out.
[Heyman] So close.
So close yet so far away for Kurt Angle.
[Ross] Kurt Angle got a near fall on the WWE Champion.
And Austin with the low blow.
And that could have been a disqualification but the--
I believe-- the referee--
I'm not so sure the referee wasn't gonna disqualify Austin there
but instead the referee got the Stunner.
Austin-- My God.
Austin brutalizing these two officials.
But for what? For why?
[Heyman] Has there even been a champion
as vicious as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin?
[Ross] Oh, he's a psychotic son of a bitch.
How about has there been a champion that desperate?
Austin is a desperate man.
And here comes yet another official.
Austin getting unarmed.
No, he's not.
My God, that's three referees Austin has taken out.
And Angle again got the slam.
Kurt Angle, by God, has done it.
We need a referee.
He's got the cover.
And here comes another referee.
This should be over.
It's over. Wait--
-[bell ringing] -[Ross] Wait a minute.
What the hell is this?
-Why is the bell ringing? -Kurt Angle is winner by disqualification,
therefore Steve Austin retains the WWE Heavyweight title.
Ladies and gentlemen, referee Nick Patrick
has disqualified "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
for excessive abuse towards the officials,
-therefore your winner, Kurt Angle. -You son of a bitch.
You robbed me.
[Ross] But Kurt Angle didn't win the title. Damn it.
[Howard] However, still World Wrestling Entertainment Champion,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Ross] Angle got screwed.
Kurt Angle just got screwed. My God.
Angle knows it. You know it.
I know it. We all know it.
[Heyman] Who's we?
I don't think Kurt Angle got screwed.
Damn good call.
Now, Kurt Angle attacks the referee.
[Ross] And Kurt-- break his damn ankle.
Nick Patrick is tapping like a drunk man.
Break his damn ankle, because Kurt Angle
just got screwed out of the WWE title.
And, by God, it's not right.
["Medal" playing]
Kurt Angle never quit.
He never gave up.
He kept fighting with every fiber of his being down to his,
by God, bone marrow, and this is not right.
["Medal" playing]
[Ross] Kurt Angle lost enormous blood
but he never quit.
And this was a blatant-- a blatant shafting.
[Heyman] I disagree with you, sir.
Nick Patrick making the right call.
The winner of the match, and rightfully so, is Kurt Angle.
Steve Austin should be disqualified.
Steve Austin was out of line.
He was out of control, and Nick Patrick made the right call.
[Ross] Well, this was some stone-cold justice, Kurt Angle-style.
Kurt Angle, my God,
he cannot believe it and neither can I.
But let me tell you this, by God, I know one thing that Stone Cold knows,
'cause I know Stone Cold, and that is Stone Cold knows
he can't beat Kurt Angle for the WWE title.
Can you argue that point? Can you disagree with that?
Hell no.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, we got more business to transact here.
The WCW Championship gonna be on the line.
The champion, Booker T, against "The People's Champion" The Rock.
And this issue really escalated when The Rock returned
and declared what was his home.
Will The Rock come back to the WWE or will he join The Alliance?
The Rock just Rock Bottomed Vince McMahon.
Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom on Shane McMahon.
Finally, The Rock has come back…
to the WWE.
[Ross] Yes. Yes. The Rock has come home.
[Rock] The Rock was born in the WWE
and The Rock will never leave the WWE.
The Rock didn't come back to the WWE for Vince McMahon.
Vince McMahon didn't make The Rock.
Hell, The Rock didn't even make The Rock.
The people made The Rock.
[crowd] Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
And as God as The Rock's witness,
The Rock will forever be The People's Champion.
["Can You Dig it Sucka?" playing]
Who in the blue hell are you?
-My name is Booker-- -It doesn't matter what your name is.
Tell me, you did not just say that.
This man right here, Booker T, is the WCW Champion, Rock.
I came out here tonight to challenge your punk ass
to a match at SummerSlam.
[Rock] Booker T,
you wanna go one on one with The Great One at SummerSlam?
Allow The Rock to think for one second.
Well, congratulations, 'cause you're going one on one
with The Great One at SummerSlam.
[Ross] The Rock returns to pay-per-view at SummerSlam.
The Rock could be the next WCW Champion.
Can you smell it? Can you feel it?
He's been gone four months,
but The Rock is back and he's WWE all the way.
[Booker] I'm the WCW Champion, sucka.
[commentator] Booker T quickly on top of The People's Champion.
[Booker] I'm gonna take this punk ass straight to school.
[Ross] Booker T is dominating The Rock.
Booker T just gave The Rock a Rock Bottom.
[commentator] Look out. Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom.
[Heyman] Rock Bottom? Uh-oh. That's The Book end.
[Booker] Now can you dig that, sucka?
[Ross] Booker T sending a long, physical, lasting message
to The People's Champion.
[Booker] Nothing. And The Book means nothing,
is gonna stop the real people's champ
from laying the smacking down on The Rock's candy ass.
[Ross] The Rock will not forget.
The Rock will be at SummerSlam.
And, by God, he's coming for Booker T's ass.
[Rock] The Rock is gonna walk in SummerSlam.
The Rock is gonna walk out WCW Champion.
Tonight, you're going home with The Rock's black boot shoved right up your ass.
[Ross] And we are looking live into the locker rooms
of The Alliance on your left, the WWE on your right.
The time is now to settle this.
[singer] ♪ Can you dig it, sucka? ♪
["Can You Dig it Sucka?" playing]
[bell rings]
[Howard] The following contest scheduled for one fall
is for the WCW Championship.
Introducing first, accompanied by the owner
of WCW, Shane McMahon,
from Houston, Texas weighing 251 pounds,
the WCW Champion, Booker T.
[Heyman] The WCW Champion and, in my opinion,
the most electrifying man in sports entertainment today,
the master of the Spinaroonie, Booker T.
Now can you dig that, sucka?
[Ross] I beg your pardon.
I'll tell you one thing, the guy is a great athlete.
He's a-- he's a hell of a competitor in the ring.
But I don't think I can agree with this Spinaroonie business being
the most electrifying move in sports entertainment,
but you certainly have a right to your opinion.
I know this, Booker T has never been in an environment like SummerSlam.
He has never defended the WCW title against an opponent,
in my view, the caliber of The Rock.
So we'll find out what kind of man The Book is here tonight.
[Heyman] Well, The Rock is gonna find out tonight
exactly what The Book is cooking.
[Ross] Please come up with something original.
I'm begging you.
[Heyman] You gotta quit that begging thing.
[Ross] The next thing--
[singer] ♪ If you smell What The Rock is cookin' ♪
["Electrifying" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Howard] The challenger, from Miami, Florida,
weighing 275 pounds, The Rock.
[Ross] Fans around the world gotta be on their feet
as they are here in San Jose.
There's Shane McMahon at ringside, Paul, with a very concerned,
and rightfully so, look on his face.
[Heyman] Hey, Shane McMahon is no dummy.
Shane McMahon takes The Rock very, very seriously,
and, well, he should.
And we should all applaud The Book
for being willing to defend the WCW title
against an athlete the caliber of The Rock.
What a great champion is Booker T.
[Ross] He is indeed a great champion, but how great?
He will be measured, Booker T, by the returning Rock.
The Rock back on pay-per-view.
The Rock has been gone from pay-per-view
since April 1st at WrestleMania.
The WWE tonight, by my scorecard,
ahead four matches to two, Paul.
[Heyman] Oh, yes. If you count victories versus losses,
the WWE is ahead four to two,
but if you-- if you count fulfilling your objective,
it's an even three to three because Kurt Angle
did not leave the WWE Champion.
[Ross] You sound like Congressman Gary Condit making excuses.
And a right hand by The Rock. The Rock and Booker T.
This one may not be pretty either in the sport of WCW title.
The first time The Rock has ever competed for that.
And The Rock-- Shane McMahon just knocked down the cameraman
as The Rock leaping out of the ring.
There's a score to settle with the co-owner of The Alliance.
And The Rock went right back into the ring
where Booker T was ready for the physicality.
And, oh, The Rock reverses Booker T into Shane.
Samoan drop. Samoan drop.
The leg is hooked and here we go.
There's a near fall. The first one of the match.
[Heyman] Early advantage by The Rock.
The Rock is so explosive,
but The Rock has never met a man quite like The Book either.
[Ross] Booker T reversing The Rock and buries a knee deep into the abdomen.
The WCW Champion has gotta take advantage of every single opportunity
because this crowd, big-time pro-Rock.
Here's Shane McMahon going for a little ride.
He shouldn't have been on the apron of the ring anyway, but be that as it may,
Booker T still affirming his advantage in this championship match.
[Heyman] And now The Book wearing down The Rock
as the people can chant The Rock's name
but it's up to The Rock to fight back against Booker T.
[Ross] Booker T, with the knife edge chop, should not waste any time.
And The Rock reverses it and The Rock is laying the smack down.
But Booker T quickly cuts off that right-handed offense.
Hard clothesline by The Rock found its mark.
Rock coming with a lot of heavy artillery here,
a lot of high-impact stuff.
[Heyman] You gotta bring everything you got against Booker.
[Ross] A pinning predicament here.
A cradle and a near fall.
And The Rock using a maneuver that we have not seen him utilize
a great deal and I'm sure Booker T has not either.
[Heyman] The Rock better pull out all the stops.
He's in the ring with the WCW Champion.
[Ross] Oh, Booker T got his foot right in The Rock's face
and Booker T knocking down The People's Champion,
the challenger for the WCW Championship.
There, the leg is hooked.
We have a lateral press and referee Charles Robinson
found a two-count on that exchange.
[Heyman] The Book to his feet first.
The Book stalking the challenger.
[Ross] And The Rock's late grandfather "High Chief" Peter Maivia,
certainly campaigned in this area, the Bay Area on many occasions.
He's gotta be looking on from wrestler heaven,
as Booker T took-- sidestepped, taken over the top.
And The Rock now back with the advantage,
but The Rock cannot win by count out or disqualifications
as we are so vividly reaffirmed and learned again
from the Austin-Angle match just moments ago.
[Heyman] Again, the WWE Championship--
[Ross] Get out. Look out.
[Charles] Come on, man. Get him into the ring.
[Ross] Booker T getting very familiar with our announce table.
And the announce table does not reciprocate.
[crowd clamoring]
[Ross] Rock around-- behind the table. This is…
F*** you, you son of a bitch.
That was a-- I couldn't see that. Was that a low blow?
Yes. It was a low blow and you did see it.
-I was behind The Rock. -Take a look in your monitor.
You could see it plain as day.
I may have missed that one.
[Heyman] You didn't miss it. You saw it with your own two eyes.
[Ross] And Booker T, to his credit,
driving The Rock's head into the ring steps.
[Heyman] You're just upset about the fact that the WWE title
is still in the camp of The Alliance, and if The Book--
when The Book defeats The Rock,
so will the WCW title remain with The Alliance.
[Ross] And The Rock just got dropped.
And you see the result. Dropped right on the security wall.
Shane McMahon doing a lot of coaching here.
[Heyman] Bad karma for The Rock right there.
What goes around comes around.
[Ross] Rock went to the outside on the concrete.
Booker T, the WCW Champion,
with that championship at stake.
And The Rock fires back up with a right hand.
Rock coming with what he's got.
And The Rock into a wall,
into the clothesline, into the concrete.
[Heyman] Tremendous physicality
from the five-time WCW Champion, Booker T.
[Ross] Referee here, as much as we saw the WWE Championship match
before Kurt Angle got shafted, the referee allowing a lot of leeway here,
a lot of leniency.
It's judgment day.
You can look at it in a lot of different ways,
but I'd rather have a winner.
I'd rather have a pinfall or submission
than some kissing-your-sister conclusion of this-- a match of this magnitude.
[Heyman] I don't know exactly how much-- I know nothing about kissing my sister,
but this much I do know,
Booker T is beating the hell out of The Rock.
[Ross] Indeed he is.
I cannot dispute that.
Booker T rising to the occasion here.
Elevating The Rock from the outside, in--
from no man's land right back here to the ringside area.
And, again, the referee is not even thinking about counting out
either man and, quite frankly, I cannot-- I cannot argue with.
Why don't you-- why don't you get him in the ring and wrestle the man?
And The Rock firing up. Booker T trying to grandstand.
Oh, The Rock's head and shoulder just bounced off that faithful ring post
that still has Kurt Angle's blood stained on it.
[Heyman] The physical dominance being displayed by Booker T
is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
[Ross] Well, I gotta agree that Booker T is taking it to--
What's Shane McMahon doing?
Shane McMahon is up on the apron.
There should have been--
Shane McMahon did something to that top turnbuckle.
I don't know if he loosened it, adjusted it.
I don't know for sure.
And The Rock just got dropped south on the security wall.
And Booker T is showing that he is not intimidated,
-that he matches up extremely well… -I'm the damn champ! I'm the champ!
[Ross] …and that's an understatement, with the challenger.
[Heyman] Booker T is putting his superiority over The Rock
much like The Alliance is dominating the WWE.
[Ross] Well, the battle for sports entertainment
superiority still is hanging
over our collective heads.
And Booker T is hammering The Rock
and The Rock, as we all know, is fighting right back.
He will not-- getting laid down.
He got knocked down, the challenger.
And Booker T now looking for the cover.
He reaches back, hooks the leg, and got--
No, he didn't get three.
He got a two-count.
Shane McMahon wanted three.
No doubt Booker T did as well.
[Heyman] Shane McMahon is protecting his investment.
Shane McMahon is making sure that The Book keeps the title
in the camp of The Alliance.
[Ross] Shane McMahon made his presence felt
in the second match of the night
when he helped screw The Acolytes in that Six-Man Tag Team match
to allow Test and the Dudleys to win the contest.
[Heyman] We are one Spinaroonie away
from a successful title defense by Booker T.
[Ross] My God, I'm begging you guys
to come up with a better name than Spinaroonie.
It sounds like something delicious Chef Boyardee would make.
And The Rock fighting back with the right hand.
And another right hand, but Booker T again counters,
can't connect, but does.
As The Rock came back around, Booker T made a great adjustment
and knocked The Rock right off his feet.
And then Booker T now looking to put the challenger away.
The leg hooked, the lateral press, and another near fall.
[Heyman] Hey, The Rock is great.
He is called The Great One for a reason.
Do you think Booker T would defend the WCW title
against anyone else but The Great One? Of course not.
Booker T is here to establish that he's not only a great champion,
but that he truly is the most electrifying man
in sports entertainment.
[Ross] Well, I agree that Booker T is a great champion.
I take exception that he is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.
However, if Booker T can defeat The Rock here tonight,
he takes a large step in establishing that for real.
[Heyman] Next thing you're gonna tell me is the SpinaroonieSpinaroonie
is not the most electrifying move in sports entertainment.
[Ross] It's simply nauseating, from my perspective.
[Heyman] Of course from your perspective, 'cause it's wiping out the WWE.
-As we speak, The Rock is going down. -[Ross] If the WWE gets wiped out
by the Spinaroonie then, by God, we deserve to be wiped out.
And Booker T latching on to that reverse chinlock.
And The Rock showing that he's still in the fight here.
Booker T stretching The Rock out, again posting that back.
And The Rock turning into the pressure.
I've been very impressed with Booker T's game plan thus far.
And The Rock double leg pick-up.
And The Rock looking-- He's got him.
The Sharpshooter.
Rock using the Sharpshooter.
Booker T in danger of tapping out here.
Shane McMahon on the apron.
Booker T looking for the rope.
And, whoa, The Rock bringing Shane from the apron in.
And Booker T capitalizes on it.
[Heyman] You don't take your attention away from The Book.
[Ross] There is the cover. The leg hooked.
It's gonna be-- It's a near fall.
It's a near fall.
[Heyman] Hey, all props to The Great One.
The Rock is as great as they come.
The only problem is he's not as great as Booker T.
[Ross] Well, that remains to be seen.
I don't agree with that, but, again, you have the right to your opinion.
This match is gonna go a long way in just--
in determining just how great both these men are.
Clothesline by The Rock.
Rock's got Booker T in a-- in a tough spot here.
And there is the catapult.
And Booker T face first into the top turnbuckle.
That was the turnbuckle Shane loosened up.
There's the DDT. The DDT and a near fall.
Shane McMahon loosing that turnbuckle, Paul.
I think it's come back to bite him in his rich behind.
Wait a minute. Shane McMahon has got a steel chair
for some perverse reason and has laid it on the edge of the ring.
And now he's walking around with that huge WWE Championship belt.
[Heyman] Well, it's the WCW title belt, and the fact of the matter is,
is that Shane McMahon is the owner of WCW.
He has a right to hold on to his championship.
[Ross] Did I say WWE title?
-[Heyman] Yes, sir, you did. -[Ross] That's where my mind was,
and that's my fault.
And Shane McMahon with the WCW title.
The referee's back was turned. He was putting the chair out.
And Shane just turned off The Rock's electricity.
The lights are out.
[Heyman] A big assist from Shane McMahon.
[Ross] Uh-oh.
-Shane McMahon-- -[Heyman] What the hell is this?
[Ross] That's The APA who Shane screwed earlier.
Oh my God.
How do you do?
Clothesline from Hell.
And the boy billionaire just got beheaded.
And you might wanna think that Shane McMahon may not--
may not be an influence in the balance of this contest.
[Heyman] I don't see why The APA had the right
to be involved in this match.
Shane McMahon is the owner of WCW.
He has a right to look after his investment.
Here you go. Wham.
Bradshaw with a Clothesline from Hell.
This match is none of Bradshaw's business.
[Ross] And neither was a six-man earlier where Shane--
[Heyman] Book End. Book End.
[Ross] Booker T with The Rock's Rock Bottom.
That's what that was.
[Heyman] No, sir. That's The Book end.
[Ross] Right. Well, that's your story and you're sticking to it.
-It's the Rock Bottom where I come from. -[Heyman] Cover.
-[Ross] And the arm over The Rock. -[Heyman] One, two.
[Ross] Could be over. And, oh, The Rock, he shot that shoulder up,
did The Rock about a half a count away from losing to Booker T.
[Heyman] And Booker T needs to keep his focus.
I understand that Shane McMahon has been wiped out by The APA,
but The Book needs to keep focused on The Rock.
[Ross] Rock fighting back.
Big right hand but here comes Booker T.
The right hand is blocked.
And Rock again connecting with the right hands.
Booker T is rattled. Booker T on Dream Street here.
And The Rock laying the smack down on the WCW Champion,
who reverses The Rock but to no avail.
[crowd cheering]
Another hard right hand-- right hand by The Rock.
Oh, belly to belly overhead throw.
The Rock hooking the far leg
and got a near fall.
[Heyman] And Booker T demonstrates why he's such a great champion.
Despite the fact that Shane McMahon was attacked by The APA,
The Book keeps the pressure on The Rock.
[Ross] Oh, spinebuster.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] The Rock got the spinebuster.
And now this ain't no Spinaroonie.
This is the bona fide
most electrifying move in sports entertainment,
The People's Elbow.
To the heart of the champion.
Rock going for the cover.
We got a new champion here.
And Shane McMahon interrupted the count
with that Alliance referee.
Shane McMahon out of sheer desperation
just saved the WCW title for Booker T.
And now Shane is gonna pay.
-[Heyman] No. -[Ross] Rock Bottom.
Rock Bottom on the outside.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] A human being splattered on the floor on the outside.
And The Rock fighting back with the right hands.
Big-time right.
Booker T almost came out of his boots.
Booker T counters.
Oh, nice move by Booker T countering The Rock
into a spinebuster of his own.
Rock in a bad way here.
[Heyman] And Booker T in a good way.
The WCW Champion first to his feet.
Booker T is setting The Rock up.
Booker T can smell the victory.
[Ross] Booker T, the WCW Champion with the clear advantage here.
But The Rock back to his knees, trying to pick his way back up.
Booker T with a Scissors Kick taking down the challenger.
[Heyman] Here it comes. Here it comes.
Ladies and gentlemen, the single most electrifying move
in sports entertainment today, the Spinaroonie.
[Ross] And, oh, The Rock-- The Rock picked up--
Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom.
The Rock got the leg hooked from the Rock Bottom.
And he did it. The Rock-- The Rock is the WCW Champion.
[Howard] The winner of this bout
and new WCW Champion, The Rock.
[Ross] The Rock came out of nowhere
and exploded with the Rock Bottom
and took Booker T down.
The Rock is the WCW Champion.
["Electrifying" playing]
[Ross] The Rock's return to pay-per-view
has resulted in The Rock becoming
the WCW Champion.
Shane McMahon tried,
Booker T fought a hell of a fight,
but this night belongs
to the returning Rock.
The WWE started the night off winning the Intercontinental title.
There's Booker T, Paul. He's showboating.
The Spinaroonie cost the champion.
[Heyman] I disagree with you.
The APA's attack on Shane McMahon cost the champion.
Booker T was distracted.
The Rock with the Rock Bottom.
[Ross] Here's the reaction in the WWE locker room.
The WCW title is now controlled
by the World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Heyman] But the WWE title is still in the camp of The Alliance.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Great ovation for The Rock
who returned to pay-per-view…
to win the coveted WCW title
in his first opportunity.
The Rock closes SummerSlam
with a huge victory, but it will not be unforgiven. he Alliance.