Rebellion 2002

Rebellion 2002 Review



After reviewing two dreadful WCW PPVs, I think I have to finally watch a good show, so I went with a nostalgic favourite of mine.


The event took place in Manchester, England almost directly after the No Mercy event. British PPVs (Summerslam 1992 not included) aren't known for being the best shows but I think this one is the prime example of how to do it right. Well it might be since I haven't watched it in about ten years. So let's get started on Rebellion 2002.


This is a Smackdown only show by the way.



The General Manager of Smackdown, Stephanie McMahon, makes her way to the ring to a nice pop from the crowd. She says that the Undertaker will not be able to make the show as his baby is being born at that moment. Crowd doesn't like that one.



Booker T vs Matt Hardy
Booker was still a Raw star but Stephanie brought him in as a nice surprise for the live crowd and for us watching at home. I think Matt had only just started his Version 1.0 gimmick. This was a good opener as both guys seemed motivated and they looked like they were just having fun out there. The crowd was also fired up and these guys managed to keep them entertained. They built up to a fun finish with a couple of nice nearfalls until Booker hit the scissor kick for the win. A good way to start the show off. ***


Booker gives the crowd a spinaroonie before he leaves.


Paul Heyman is backstage looking pissed off. He heads to Stephanie's office to complain about being in WWE Title handicap match where he could accidentally lose Brock's Title. Stephanie thinks that it's what Heyman deserves for all the crap he has committed with Lesnar by his side.



Billy Kidman & Torrie Wilson vs John Cena & Dawn Marie
Cena was still wearing his goofy looking ring gear but he wasn't far away from starting his rapping gimmick. Unfortunately the storyline for this match was the long and pointless tale of Dawn going out with Torrie's father Al. It would only get worse as it went on. The match itself was better than expected and even the ladies weren't as bad as they usually were. It was pretty short but I think it was given the right amount of time for what it was. It was weird to watch Cena attacking a woman as well. I bet he doesn't look at that fondly now. **1/4



Backstage, Edge says that he is ready to walk home as the new WWE Champion.



Funaki vs Crash Holly
I had no idea that Crash was still in the WWE at this point. This seems like the definition of a filler match. They started off with a nice quick pace that the crowd appreciated. Crash puts on a Japanese headband to make fun of Funaki. That seems racist to me.  This was a surprisingly fun match while it lasted as they just threw everything out there in the short time that they had. **



Jamie Noble vs Tajiri vs Rey Mysterio
The Cruiserweight Title is on the line. Elimination rules apply here which I love already. More mutli-man matches need to have elimination rules. Tajiri was out quite quickly after a Tigerbomb from Noble. This did start off with a quick pace but once Tajiri was out it did slow down quite a bit with Noble in control. It did pick up a bit once Mysterio got his comeback but the abrupt finish did ruin it a bit too. Not as good as I remember. **1/2



Backstage, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit have some conflict between themselves.



Val Venis & Chuck Palumbo vs D-Von Dudley & Ron Simmons
Well this is quite a random mish-mash of wrestlers. D-Von was still in his unsuccessful reverend gimmick but he'd be back with Bubba soon enough. Why isn't Ron known as Faarooq? Wasn't the APA still a tag team? This was pretty much a nothing match that was just there as filler for the crowd. A very short, forgettable contest. 1/2*



Rikishi vs Albert : Kiss My Arse Match
The loser has to kiss the other guy's ass. I wonder who's gonna be losing this one? This one was given way more time than it probably should have. Albert seemed like he was working hard out there but Rikishi was just dragging everything down. Just another nothing match here as Rikishi picks up the victory. *. Afterwards Albert refuses to kiss Rikishi's ass, but after some fighting Rikishi gets him to perform the dirty deed.



Los Guerreros vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit
The New Smackdown Tag Titles are on the line. Oh hell yeah this is what I'm looking for! Anytime the Smackdown Six were involved in matches against each other you knew you were in for something special and this was no exception. The crowd seemed to be in love with Angle here. Can't really blame them, he was awesome at this point. Just the terrific back and forth tag match you would expect from these teams, complete with some exciting nearfalls and a fun finish. ****

Edge vs Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman

The WWE Title is on the line and if Heyman is pinned, Brock still loses the Title. A rare confrontation between Edge and the one in 21-1 and I also think that this was the first time that Edge challenged for the WWE Title. Edge looked great going against the monster that took out legends like The Rock and Hogan. There were slow moments like Lesnar's long bear hug, but it was exciting for the most part and Edge looked like a legit threat to Lesnar. A great match that made Edge look good and great way to end the show. ***3/4

7/10. This was a pretty damn good show. The two main events delivered big time and the undercard was good with many solid performances throughout. Check this one out if you get the chance as it's a nice distraction for two and half hours.