Review: WWF-WWE Judgment Day 2001 (Tagged Classic DVD)

Brett Mix’s WWF “Judgment Day 2001” Review:

 
 

“I’m gonna make Austin….bleed….I’m gonna take his title.!“ –The Undertaker

 

 

 

 

-This was the 3rd Judgment Day event.

 

-This event took place LIVE ON PPV, Sunday, May the 20th 2001 from the Sold Out ARCO Arena in the State Capital of California, Sacremento. 13,623 fans were there.

 

-It’s interesting to note that The event grossed over $670,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 13,623—higher than JDAY 2000. HOWEVER The 2001 event received a lower buyrate than that of the previous year’s amount getting less than 300,000 pay-per-view buys. Ouch.

 

-On Sunday Night Heat before the event Raven defeated Val Venis at 4:09.

 

-Jerry Lynn was a guest at WWF New York for this event. He was highly promoted but never worked out here sort of like Raven.

 

 

 

 

 

1) Opening Contest- William Regal vs Rikishi

 

Regal and Rikishi worked quick which is exactly what you want an opener to do.

 

Get the most with-in the time you work with. Regal ended up getting the win but in the end was on the worst end of a Stinkface.

 

And ONLY REGAL could make a stinkface FACE.

 

Hilarious.

 

In the end at 3:57 Regal got the win but of course was on the losing end in a major way, no pun intended.

 

This match was fine as a quick opener.

 

 

* 3/4

 

 

 

 

 

2) Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match

 

 

So Babyface Benoit had taken Angle’s medals and even put them down his tights at times angered Kurt to the point he didn’t care if he had tapped out, he wanted those damn medals that he earned with a broken freakin neck back.

 

The Canadian Crippler had other ideas.

 

Wrestlemania X7 saw a classic, Backlash 01 saw an even better Submission match for 30 minutes and now this was the tie-breaker. The two would go on to have a Classic Cage match, compete in a classic TLC match, and even have classic matches with Steve Austin and dangerous King of the Ring 2001 matches. Either way you slice it, Angle and Benoit worked like hell in these few months and this match was no exception.

 

A ladder match, a wrestling match, a submission match. Innovative ways to use the ladder were involved in this match, and it may just be the most underrated of all the Angle-Benoit classic matches.

 

In the end at 23:58 Angle ended up winning the match 2-1 falls and got his medals back.

 

This match is a CLASSIC for sure, one of the best 2 out of 3 falls of all time! Near a half hour of work-rate and top notch story-telling.

 

 

**** 1/4

 

 

 

 

3) Rhyno (c) vs Test vs The Big Show in a Triple Threat for the WWF Hardcore Championship

 

 

The Big Show found himself stuck in this division for lack of a better use of him. Raven found his way here if he was lucky enough to crack PPV which he was the few before this one until finding his way on Heat here tonight.

 

Test also for some reason ended up here.

 

The 24-7 rule still was on so I’m not even sure why they booked the way they did here and these matches weren’t exactly exciting.

 

I remember having buddies over for this event and many were bored by this match.

 

Obviously after a classic it had a lot to live up to.

 

In the end at 9:13 Rhyno retained the title.

 

This match was pretty dissapointing.

 

 

 

* 1/2

 

 

 

 

 

4) Chyna (c) vs Lita for the WWF Women’s Championship

 

So they wanted to keep these two popular Diva’s babyfaces and their handshake or whatever that was at the beginning was even booed. Ahhh the attitude era.

 

Chyna, I believe this was her last PPV in the Federation before she was fired.

 

Either way her breast fell out during the match which was pretty entertaining because Lita had no idea and it was live and all.

 

In the end at 6:30 Chyna retained her title.

 

This match if remembered will ALWAYS be remembered for Chyna’s wardrobe malfunction.

 

 

* 1/4

 

 

 

 

5) “The Game” Triple H (With Stephanie McMahon Helmsley) vs Kane (c) in a Chain Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

 

 

Triple H and Kane put on a dissapointing Cage Match in early 99 on Raw, a VERY dissapointing Wrestlemania 15 match together.

 

Here though, since Hunter has improved they get it right.

 

A stipulation added to the match definitely helps as the Chain is used well here, and they don’t put on these matches very often so a lot of innovative stuff.

 

In the end at 12:27 Kane defeated The Game and retained his IC title picking himself up a huge win.

 

This match was very well done. Not overly long, good length.

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

6) THE APA (Farooq and Bradshaw) vs Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn (with Terri) vs The Dudley Boyz (D-Von and Bubba Ray) (With Spike Dudley) vs Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit (surprise team) vs The X Factor (X-Pac and Justin Credible) (With Albert) vs Matt and Jeff (The Hardy Boyz) vs Edge and Christian in a Tag Team Turmoil Match

 

 

 

So a HUGE Turmoil match here and it’s not even for the tag straps.

 

Because of course here the straps were on the Two Man Power Trip, Austin and The Game. At the month before Taker and Kane challenged Austin and Hunter for those straps, helped give them some credibility.

 

However the Power Trip were about to lose the belts the next night I believe in one of the greatest matches in Raw history when the winners of this match Jericho and Benoit (Surprise Entrants of a Team) defeated the Power Trip when Hunter recieved his legit near year ending Quad injury that took him out of most of 2001.

 

A near 5 star Main Event on Monday Night Raw. Jericho and Benoit would go on to defend those title’s and the like in classic matches like TLC 3 on Smackdown in the month!

 

So….

 

In the end here at 32:09 Jericho and Benoit won the title’s over Edge and Christian to finish it off.

 

Most eliminations by a team was a three way tie between Jericho and Benoit, X-Factor and the APA. Jericho and Benoit eliminated of course Edge and Christian and the X-Factor. The X-Factor took out The Hardyz and the APA, while the APA took out The Dudleyz, Malenko and Saturn.

 

This match came off very good, was quite long but that’s to be expected.

 

 

*** 1/4

 

 

 

 

7) Main Event- Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match for the World Wrestling Federation Championship

 

 

The Stipulation REALLY helped the match in this occasion between Steve and Taker.

 

Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker had several brawls on Raw in 1997, a match in 96, hell a USWA match in 1989 when Steve was a rookie and Taker was starting out as well.

 

Point is these men met a lot of times.

 

Even in 98 they were in a conflict at Breakdown, Judgment Day, a Buried Alive match at Rock Bottom, crossed paths at King of the Ring 98, Over the Edge 98, Raw is War’s in 98 and who could forget Summerslam HIGHWAY TO HELL 1998.

 

In 1999 no one will forget the highest rated Raw match in history in early June of 99 where Austin won the title back from Taker after over the edge 99 where taker won it from Austin. Those were both decent matches around three stars.

 

Then at Fully Loaded in a First Blood match in 1999 I absolutely loved that brawl. Austin ended up winning and retaining his title. Undertaker took off and it had been a long while until these two crossed paths.

 

They did at Backlash in a tag match and it was promising.

 

It showed what potential a Judgment Day 2001 one on one match for the title had.

 

These two would get it on after this match during the Invasion or at Backlash 2002 (Highly dissapointing IMO) but this match here could very easily be one of the best, if not the very best they ever had, right there with Summerslam 98 and Fully Loaded 99.

 

However, that’s one man’s opinion.

 

 

 

In the end at 23:05 Austin hit his Stunner and the pyro for Kane went off as the official counted the three, the finish was botched, not many live or watching at home saw Austin had won but he had.

 

Steve retains the belt.

 

This match as said was tremendous it’s just when PPV’s end on a bad note with the HEELS or in this case the Power Trip on top, it leaves a sour taste in many’s throat.

 

 

 

 

 

*** 3/4

 

 

 

 

 

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Final Rating for WWF Judgment Day 2001 = 6.5/10

 

 

There’s wasn’t a lot bad at the show. A quick diva’s match, a quick opener, the tag turmoil was a bit long as was the hardcore match, and the 2 out of 3 falls but at least that was a classic. The Chain-IC title match was good and the Main Event with Austin and Undertaker was great so this event gets above a passing grade. Not a bad event by any means just not overly good.