![]() It also featured Jaqueline as a special guest referee, which was notable only for the fact that Jacqueline had been one of the top contenders for the title prior to the event. Up next, another title was on the line, as Women’s Champion, Trish Stratus defended her title against Jazz. Rating: 6/10 The finish was designed so that the two could compete against one another in a rematch at the February pay-per-view, No Way Out, in a ‘Brass Knucks on a Pole’ Match. At the beginning of the match, the referee had identified that Regal was carrying a pair of brass knucks in his tights and confiscated them which would play into the finish, when, after Regal pulled the referee in front of himself to absorb the blow of an Edge spear attempt, he reached into his tights to pull out a second pair of brass knucks, and hit Edge with them to score the pin and secure the Championship. There were some good moments in this one, including an over the top German Suplex and a double underhook powerbomb by Regal and a DDT by Edge on the ring apron, but there was a noticeable lack of flow and crowd interest in the bout. ![]() ![]() The contest itself was similarly unspectacular, Regal’s act was well established in WWE by the beginning of 2002, but many opponents still found his in-ring style awkward, being as it was so different from the majority of the roster, it was also still outside of the acquired tastes of most WWE fans of the time. Rating: 5/10.īefore the next match which would pit Intercontinental Champion, Edge, against William Regal, the future ‘Rated R Superstar’ cut a babyface promo that, while perfectly articulate, was devoid of any real oomph as a straight babyface, Edge, who had previously been singled out as a future top line star by the company, was already floundering. D-Von then broke up the hold but, after shoving Spike out of the ring, was easy prey for Tazz to lock on another Tazmission, this time to D-Von, and secure the win. Stacey Kiebler (who at the time was in the Dudley Boyz corner as their manager a left over remnant of the ‘Invasion’ storyline), then attempted to distract Tazz only for ‘The Human Suplex Machine’ to lock the Tazmission on her. Spike managed to make the ‘hot-tag’ to the now recovered Tazz but was denied by the referee who failed to see it, before another opportunity opened itself up moments later where Spike this time made a tag that counted, allowing Tazz to take over on both opponents with a flurry of suplexes. To start, The Dudleys took Tazz out on the floor before focussing their attack on Spike Dudley’s injured neck. It was almost as if management had anticipated the largely apathetic reaction to the Dudleys and booked this one to last a paltry 5 minutes, but if that were the case, why book them opposite the reigning tag team champions in the opener of arguably the promotion’s 2 nd biggest night of the calendar? Despite having such a short amount of time to work with, the four men involved attempted to fit a full 15 minute match into a third of the time resulting in a rushed bout that did the tag team title belts’ credibility no favour at all. The lack of fresh ideas and the sense that those involved were trying to recapture former glories is the abiding theme of this show. The feeling of staleness wasn’t helped by the concept behind the opener which would see Bubba Ray and D-Von on the opposite side of the ring to their kayfabe brother Spike, and Tazz a combination of rivals which had been seen before in ECW, and even in this different setting, still felt like a rehash. Like a rock band, past their best, and being heckled to play the hits of yesteryear rather than the material they’re attempting to promote from their most recent release, in this moment it was clear that The Dudley Boyz were no longer relevant beyond the nostalgia of their biggest hit. ![]() Disregarding the fact that the Dudley Boyz were the heels and that the tag team titles were on the line in a match that had barely began, the fans were calling for them to fast-forward, past their pursuit of the belts and in contradiction to their disposition as heels, to using their most over spot. The bout features Tazz and Spike Dudley against The Dudley Boyz for the WWE Tag Team Titles, and with the contest barely started and with The Dudleys already firmly in control, the crowd break into a hearty chorus of “we want tables”. Calling Bubba Ray Dudley a bit off balance would be an understatement, calling him one of the toughest wrestlers in the WWE would be right on.There is a moment, just minutes into the opening encounter of the 2002 Royal Rumble pay-per-view that sums this whole event up pretty well. Bu-bu-bu-bubba used to have a stuttering problem, then he had an addiction to throwing old ladies through tables, now he likes to dance. ![]()
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