Summerslam 2001: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This summer I'll be looking back on each of the previous Summerslam events, one by one. Every few days I will submit a new topic until we reach 2014's edition of the 2nd biggest brand in WWE.

This thread will be for discussing.... Summerslam 2001!

Summerslam 2001 took place on August 19, 2001. It was held at Compaq Center in San Jose, California. Here are the results of the matches from this show:




0. Lita, Jacqueline, and Molly Holly (WWF) defeated Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, and Ivory (WCW) in a tag team match (02:55)

1. Edge (WWF) defeated Lance Storm (c) (ECW) in a singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship (11:16)

2. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) and Test (ECW & WCW) defeated The Acolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq and Bradshaw) and Spike Dudley (WWF) (with Molly Holly) in a six-man tag team match (07:19)

3. X-Pac (WWF) defeated Tajiri (WWF) in a title unification match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (07:33)

4. Chris Jericho (WWF) defeated Rhyno (ECW) (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) by submission in a singles match (12:34)

5. Rob Van Dam (ECW) defeated Jeff Hardy (c) (WWF) in a Ladder match for the WWF Hardcore Championship (16:33)

6. The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) (WWF) (with Sara) defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon (WCW) in a steel cage match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship (10:13)

7. Kurt Angle (WWF) defeated Steve Austin (c) (WCW) by disqualification in a singles match for the WWF Championship (22:30)

8. The Rock (WWF) defeated Booker T (c) (WCW) (with Shane McMahon) in a singles match for the WCW Championship (15:19)




Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Summerslam 2001, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in August 2001. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Summerslam 2001 in this thread. The remaining Summerslam events will be getting their own retrospective threads, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[Wolf Pac]

For a period in wrestling that's despised so much (I agree the Invasion storyline could've been better but I still loved it), most of the Invasion PPV's were very good shows and this was one of them.

Best match: It's between the Ladder match and the WWF Title match but I would have to go with the WWF Title match for the storytelling. They made Angle look like a warrior that refused to quit, so Austin was left with no choice but to cheat and get himself disqualified in order to keep the belt.

Worst match: I would say either the 6 Man Tag or the Steel Cage match but those matches made sense in storyline, so I didn't mind them so much.

There's only one thing I would want to change about this card and that's the Steel Cage match. Instead I would book DDP vs. The Undertaker with Kanyon and Kane in each men's corner. I was miffed that they never booked a proper one-on-one match between the two. Actually I was miffed at DDP's whole treatment by the WWE and that they revealed him as Sara's stalker. It should've been Raven revealed as the stalker, but that's a rant for another thread. DDP vs. Taker one-on-one would've felt a lot more bigger, it would've felt like a 3rd main event actually. And the match should've been more competitive instead of pure domination by The Undertaker.

 

[Pedigree1]

Too bad this couldnt be as good as Summerslam 2000 (which was golden BTW!) The Angle match with SCSA,was very good.. Angle looked like a warrior in that match,and SCSA got himself DQ'd in order to keep the title. The hardcore title match was pretty decent,not bad..

I agree with Macho Machismo in saying i would have had Taker vs DDP one on one! That was a missed opportunity IMO and a shame! Otherwise not a bad PPV considering the whole Invasion angle was just starting up

 

[#MrScissorsKick]

This SummerSlam was awesome. It's probably in my top 5 SummerSlam shows.

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

The two World Championship matches probably were my two favorite matches on this show. I liked them because for one, the matches were excellent. Two, the fans got real behind the WWF guys from the start. I'll admit, I marked out pretty hard when I got to see Booker T (my favorite from WCW) face off against The Rock (my favorite from WWE) for the WCW Championship.

The worst match would probably be the same for the match I liked least. wasn't digging the Steel Cage match for the Tag-Team championships. The match wasn't bad, I just didn't think that it needed to be in a steel cage.

If you could change a few things about Summerslam 2001, what would it be and why?

Almost next to nothing. I'd switch the order of the card around. I'd put the Hardcore Championship match as the opener and switch it with the Intercontinental Championship. But other than that, probably nothing in my opinion.

All in all this was a real solid show in my opinion. I was hoping that Angle would win the WWE Championship in his match with Austin, but I was fine with the result. I really mark when I see Booker or Rocky, but in all honesty I think that Angle - Austin should have closed the show. I'm really not a big Edge mark, but his match with Lance Storm was really good. All in all like I said this was a pretty solid overall show.

 

[The Brain]

I don't have much of an opinion on SummerSlam 2001. I thought it was good but not great. Nothing really jumped off the page at me. Nothing was bad but nothing was particularly memorable either. Believe it or not I'm going with the tag team cage match as my favorite. The match itself wasn't that great but it was fun to watch. Sometimes the bad guys just need to get a one sided ass kicking from the good guys and DDP deserved that ass kicking here. Fun match where the bad guys got what they deserved. My least favorite was X Pac vs. Tajiri. It's not that it was bad. I just felt like X Pac didn't really fit into the WWF at this time. All the WWF guys were billed as the good guys against the Alliance but nobody liked X Pac so his matches were usually met with awkward silence. This is where the term X Pac heat came from.

Like 2000 I don't have any good ideas for changes. One guy I felt was very underused during this time was Big Show. He was a big name during the Monday Night War and was with both companies when they were on top. It seems like he should have been a big player during the invasion angle. I don't have any idea that would have made a huge impact on SummerSlam but I think Show should have been on the card. Maybe against either William Regal or Mike Awesome. Maybe Show wasn't in the best physical shape during this time and that's why he wasn't being used but his resume should have made him an automatic impact player during the invasion.

 

[Judah's Lion]

SummerSlam 2001 was a really exciting concept at the time. the Invasion Angle was -- in retrospect and sadly so -- in full swing by this point. without dogging too much on the many missed opportunities that are the summary of said Invasion, SummerSlam felt like a big event with scores to be settled among some bitter rivals. most of these matches had some history and logical build up so i don't have too many complaints.

the 6 Man Tag Match was okay for what it was, but i'd have switched up the 3rd man on each team. Spike Dudley should've been with his brothers and Test could go with the APA. just that one switch here would make more sense to me.

the Light Heavyweight Title Unification Match was probably my least favorite. for whatever reason, it just felt like two non-WWF guys in a major match during the Invasion Angle. i guess they did the best with what they could since i can't really think of any major WWF cruiserweight guys. of all the matches we got on this night, this is the one i was least excited to see, both then and now.

the IC and Hardcore Title Matches between Edge/Lance Storm and Jeff Hardy/RVD were both very solid bouts. i'd go with MrScissorKick's idea though and switch the order around. the Hardcore Ladder Match between Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam should have opened the show. it would have been an easy way to get the show started with some high energy and impact.

Rhyno/Jericho is slightly under-rated in my opinion and was a really good match. besides, the build up with Jericho/Rock and Rhyno/Booker T with Stephanie McMahon on Raw was freaking hilarious. for that segment alone, this angle was terrific.

the Tag Team Titles Match inside the Steel Cage was okay for what it was. like Brain said, sometimes it's just nice to see the bad guys get destroyed by the good guys. i do think that Taker vs. DDP inside the Steel Cage could have been a one-on-one match and felt like a main event level collision. but that feud was very one-sided and DDP was never booked like a legit threat to Taker. the idea of Taker vs. DDP inside the Cage with Kane and Kanyon in the respective corners works for me, but then i don't know what to do with the Tag Team Titles. the Dudleys, APA, E & C, Hardy Boys are all involved in matches on this card. could the Dudley Boys vs. APA in the 6-Man Tag Match be for the Tag Titles? not sure. i guess i'd just leave the match we got as is since i can't think of anything better for the Tag Team Titles and i am okay with the serious thrashing that the Alliance got in this match.

on a side note, major props go to Macho for suggesting Raven as the revealed stalker in the Taker/Sara/Stalker Angle. that's a subject for a different thread but the mic work and ring psychology would have been really fun.

the World Title Matches were amazing. the order should have been swapped on this one as well. Booker T vs. Rock was fun and predictable, but enjoyable. loved the involvement of Shane and the APA. this was a feel good moment and well told. but Angle vs. Austin was absolutely freaking epic!! Angle kicked out of 3 -- count 'em -- 3 Stone Cold Stunners!! this is by far the best match of the night. it could have been one of the best matches of all time if Angle went over cleanly but they saved that for a month later. missed opportunity.

all in all, i'd keep this ppv mostly unchanged as is. just a few swap arounds...

open the show with the Hardcore Ladder Match between Jeff Hardy and RVD.
6 Man Tag Match between all 3 Dudley Boys vs. APA and Test.
Light Heavyweight Unification Match with X-Pac vs. Tajiri.
Edge vs. Lance Storm for the IC Title.
Jericho vs. Rhyno.
Tag Team Titles Steel Cage Match with Taker/Kane vs. DDP/Kanyon.
WCW World Title Match with Booker T vs. Rock.
WWF World Title Match with Kurt Angle beating Stone Cold Steve Austin either via pin or submission cleanly.

i think those few changes to the card -- not necessarily in the matches themselves, but in the order of the matches and the final decision of the final match -- and this show would have been unforgettable. like Brain said, it was an okay enough ppv, but nothing really stands out. imagine the match between Angle/Austin closing the show, but instead of a dq finish, Angle wins the World Title for the WWF Team by pinning Stone Cold or making him tap out. in my opinion, that'd make all the difference in the world.

 

[Dragon Chief]

I really enjoyed this SummerSlam, one of the best in history in my opinion. The two main-event matches were great, with Kurt Angle and Steve Austin stealing the show and The Rock making a nice return to the ring. From top to bottom I enjoyed every single match on this card and would say all the matches on this card are good. The only thing I disliked about this event was the heavy interference, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe there was interference in every single one of the matches on this card, most were unnecessary and didn't add anything to the matches but rather took away from them. It made sense in the Kurt Angle/Steve Austin bout and maybe even the Rocky/Booker T bout but that's about the only time I think they should have had interference, it ruined the flow of certain matches for me. Other than that I would say this is very good show and one of the better SummerSlams.

 

[roipdh123]

I do not have a good - bad opinion on this PPV.
But the two main events and the ladder match were all fantastic and I really enjoyed both the story heading into them and the matches them selves.

The only changes that I would have made to this PPV are:
1.Scrap the Light Heavyweight title match and have it a month later on Raw / on PPV.
2.Have the tag title cage match turn into DDP vs Taker inside the cage without their partners and instead have The APA vs The Dudleys for the tag titles.
3.Have Angle defeat Austin clean and win the WWF Title here instead of at Unforgiven {if I remember correctly}.

But besides those changes I think this was more then a decent show and it has one of the best last hour's of a PPV during the period between the Attitude Era and the start of the Ruthless Agression Era {2001-start of 2003}.

 

[Cub McCallister]

This was a decent Summerslam & I have to agree that some matches stole the show, I would make some changes to the card and I also understand that guys like Benoit, HHH & Eddie weren't there at the time BUT they were still on the roster & I'd like to add them to the card in some capacity. My card would be:

Sunday Night Heat
1) Lita, Jacqueline & Molly Holly (WWF) Vs Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler & Ivory (WCW)
Stays the same.

2) X-Pac (C) Vs Billy Kidman Vs Tajiri Vs Shane Helms
Fatal 4 Way Cruiserweight Title Match. Have this match on Sunday Night Heat instead with X-pac getting the win.

Main Card
1) Eddie Guerrero (C) Vs Edge
Wwf Intercontinetal Title Match. Have Eddie win the title from Kane and defect to the alliance and have Edge challange Eddie to a match at the ppv with Edge going over.

2) Kanyon (C) Vs Kane
Wcw United States Title Match. This match should of been done and have Kanyon retain and make him a credible champion.

3) The Acolytes (C) Vs The Impact Players (C)
Wwf Tag Team Title Match. Have the apa go on a decent run with the straps and then lose them to the Impact Players with help from Test.

4) Chris Jericho Vs Rhino
Last Man Standing Match. This match would of been decent, you have Jericho go over after a hard fought match & then have him defect to the alliance because he doesn't get the reward he feels he deserves and have people like the rock say "congrats, I almost gave up on you" to where he snaps.

5) Rob Van Dam (C) Vs Jeff Hardy
Wwf Hardcore Title Ladder Match. Stays the same.

6) Triple HHH Vs DDP
Grudge Match. Have HHH stay loyal to vince and the wwf and have steph try to bring him into the alliance to show him the light but he rejects her and she slaps him he goes to pedigree her and she sets ddp on him and this is where he injures himself in the process.

7) The Undertaker Vs Raven
Steel Cage Match. Raven should of been the stalker to begin with because that guy can talk and have him beat Taker with help from the alliance.

8) Stone Cold Steve Austin (C) Vs Chris Benoit Vs Kurt Angle
Wwf Title Triple Threat Match. The orginal match was amazing BUT add Benoit to it and it'll be a classic with Austin retaining.

9) Booker T (C) Vs The Rock
Wcw Title Match. This one stays the same.

That's my card I think that card would of made it the best Summerslam of all time because of the absaloute star power.

 

[The Brain]

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in August 2001.

Main Card
1) Eddie Guerrero (C) Vs Edge
Wwf Intercontinetal Title Match. Have Eddie win the title from Kane and defect to the alliance and have Edge challange Eddie to a match at the ppv with Edge going over.


6) Triple HHH Vs DDP
Grudge Match. Have HHH stay loyal to vince and the wwf and have steph try to bring him into the alliance to show him the light but he rejects her and she slaps him he goes to pedigree her and she sets ddp on him and this is where he injures himself in the process.

8) Stone Cold Steve Austin (C) Vs Chris Benoit Vs Kurt Angle
Wwf Title Triple Threat Match. The orginal match was amazing BUT add Benoit to it and it'll be a classic with Austin retaining.

Come on man. Why not put Bret Hart, Randy Savage, and Andre The Giant on the card? Guerrero was not in WWE at this time. Benoit and Triple H were injured. I know this thread asks for a little fantasy booking but it also asks you to be realistic.