Ruthless Aggression Era Project: WWE Smackdown Review - January 9th, 2003

WWE Smackdown 

January 9th, 2003

Tucson, Arizona 

WWE Champion - Kurt Angle (since 12/15/02)

WWE Tag Team Champions - Los Guerreros (Eddie & Chavo Guerrero) (since  11/17/02)

WWE Cruserweight Champion - Billy Kidman (since 11/17/02)

Commentators - Michael Cole & Tazz 

TONIGHT: Brock Lesnar vs. A-Train

1) The Big Show (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Rikishi 

Big Show is on the cover of the.. Raw.. magazine. Not even gonna ask questions because it seems to be a trend of someone from one brand being on the other brands magazine cover which pretty much makes no god damn sense. Anyway. Rikishi gives Show some fight cause yanno he’s big and stuff too. Show mainly dominates though and wins with the chokeslam. 

Match rating - **

Post match, Heyman says by the end of the night, he & Show will teach Lesnar a lesson. 

OMG tonight Haas & Benjamin are in singles action. It’s Haas/Edge and.. Benjamin/Benoit AW HELL YEAH 

2) John Cena (w/ B-2) vs. Chavo Guerrero (w/ Eddie Guerrero) 

More problematic raps from Cena. I’m glad this program is continuing though! It’s gonna do wonders for Cena working with the Guerrero’s. B-2 hits Chavo early on in the match and Eddie & B-2 have one hell of a brawl on the floor that results in them both being thrown out. Chavo hits a crossbody to the floor on Cena in the midst of this and proceeds to take control of things. Doesn’t matter though because Cena uses the ropes and gets the sneaky cheap win.

Match rating - **

Replays of that god forsaken Al Wilson/Dawn Marie wedding from last week. This leads to Dawn leading us into their honeymoon suite. She tells us to stay tuned and they will show us some of their most intimate moments.  

3) Matt Hardy (w/ Shannon Moore) vs. Billy Kidman

Another match like the others from tonight, but a little more fun bc it’s a cruserweight style sprint. Kidman hits a damn shooting star press off the top rope to the floor. Actually insane shit. Kidman wins with a roll up after an attempted interference from Moore. 

Match rating - ** 

After the match, Hardy teases another attack on Shannon only to put him over as “the original mf’er” and asks the crowd to give it up for him. 

Brock Lesnar has arrived and is shown walking backstage. 

Edge signed autographs in Seattle, WA earlier this week and did press for WRESTLEMANIA 19 coming up on 3/30/03.

Torrie Wilson backstage with Josh Mathews. Mathews compares the Wilson/Dawn Marie stuff to the Cinderella story. Torrie says except in this story, she's gonna shove the glass shoe somewhere it won't fit... 

4) Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) vs. Tajiri

Ok fuck yeah. This was great. Of course, a sub 10 min match, but they got more than 2-3 minutes so it actually felt like something from the cruserweights and Noble & Tajiri killed it, even getting the crowd into some of the near falls. Best match on the show so far. Tajiri pins Noble with a kick to the head, let's get Tajiri/Kidman set up ASAP.

Match rating - **3/4

5) Charlie Haas (w/ Shelton Benjamin & Kurt Angle) vs. Edge (w/ Chris Benoit)

This is good for the time it gets. Felt like it was building to something nice which makes me wanna see a rematch between these two down the line, but yeah. Good stuff. Great debut for Haas. Shit breaks down after a little bit, Angle & Benjamin go at it on the floor. Angle pulls the ref out when Edge seems to have things won after a spear. This allows Haas to hit a suplex on Edge for the pin. Huge victory for Haas in his debut.

Match rating - **1/2

Benoit runs off Team Angle post match and says the clock is ticking for Kurt Angle. He then challenges Benjamin to come to the ring for their match right now instead of waiting. 

6) Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin

Much like Haas/Edge here, it's good. Possibly even better as Benoit and Benjamin grapple and throw each other around making you never wanna see it end. However, you know it does before it goes too far. Angle comes down and ends up hitting Benoit with a crutch which calls for the DQ. Very fun stuff regardless.

Match rating - **1/2

Team Angle beats down Benoit after the match and Kurt taunts him with the championship. 

7) Bill DeMott vs. Shannon Moore (w/ Matt Hardy)

Another squash for Bill and another example set by Hardy as he hits Moore with a Twist of Fate after he loses to DeMott.

Match rating - *3/4

8) B-2 (w/ John Cena) vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chavo Guerrero)

Eddie & Chavo attack Cena & B-2 during their entrance. Eddie goes straight on the attack on Buchanan as the bell rings and ends up getting the ring after he & Chavo thwart some interference from Cena.

Match rating - **

Meanwhile, Dawn Marie tries to get Al to get frisky in their hotel room, but he's asleep. 

Backstage, A-Train warns Big Show & Heyman, that he wants to handle Brock on his own and solidify himself tonight. He says they can have whatever is left, but no one measures up to him physically. 

9) Brock Lesnar vs. A-Train

This was fun, and seeing Brock go at it with someone closer to his size was enjoyable for once, but we all knew A-Train had no chance. Brock over A-Train with the F5.

Match rating - **1/4

Brock calls out Show & Heyman for "the lesson" they were gonna teach him. It was all a joke and Show & Heyman leave the arena and Brock is pissed.

Cameras cut to medics in the honeymoon suite of Al Wilson & Dawn Marie. Al is unresponsive and they shock him and regain a pulse then proceed to load him onto a stretcher as Dawn Marie screams. This sends us off the air..