The Undertaker comes out first for the next match and is on his Harley. I honestly never really cared for this version of Taker, but maybe it is because I grew up on the Deadman version so I have a skewed outlook on The American Bad Ass version. There wasn’t a lot of build-up to this match as Big Show was supposed to fight Taker here, but he was sent down to Ohio Valley Wrestling to work on his weight and attitude instead. The Big Red Machine enters next, with his normal fire pyro, but he doesn’t make it to the ring and Taker attacks him off the ramp. They exchange punches on their way back to the ring and Take whips Kane shoulder first into the ring post. Undertaker tries to unmask Kane when they return to the ring but this enrages him and leads to him gaining momentum with punches, mostly uppercuts. When he finally downs Taker, Kane leaves the ring to grab a chair and JR mentions that the bell hasn’t even sounded yet. Undertaker stops him from using it with some punches to the midsection and Taker gets to use the chair first. He delivers some chairshots to the back of Kane before he again tries to remove Kane’s mask. Taker rips a piece of it off before Kane rolls to the outside to stop him. Kane gains the advantage once Taker joins him on the outside by beating him off the security rails. Kane goes to hit Undertaker with the ring steps next but he manages to duck and this causes the steps to bounce off the ring post and back into the face of Kane. Undertaker then picks the steps up and throws them into the face of Kane. Undertaker then looks at the crowd and tells them “I’m going to pull his fucking mask off” and they respond with a roar. When they return to the ring Kane saves himself with a low blow that bring Taker to the mat. When Kane stands up first you can see the blood flowing from his partially exposed face. This makes for a really cool effect. Kane delivers brutal right hands one after another that don’t look friendly. I don’t know if it is just the leather glove but it sound like they are landing solid. Taker eventually hits a spear out of nowhere and this slows Kane down. After some right hands of his own Undertaker is grabbed by the throat by Kane and a low blow kick barely save him. Undertaker finally removes the mask and this leads to Kane leaving the arena with his hair over his face. Undertaker’s theme plays as he celebrates in the ring with the mask. Overall that match was pretty good and the mask angle kept the in-ring story interesting. Worth a watch for sure. Match Time: 6:25

Before the Main Event is set to start we see Angle in the back and he is making a phone call, after he debates it for a second. The clip cuts to Stephanie and Triple H’s room and the phone is ringing. She picks it up and replies with “Hi Mom” and after she tells the person on the other line she is here with Hunter as he gets ready for his match, Hunter asks to speak to her. When he gets the phone the line is dead, to which he replies “weird, she must of hung up on me”. A video follows next that show how the match was formed. Kurt and Triple H both pinned Chris Jericho at the same time in a number one contender match.

Kurt Angle enters the arena first and it is weird to hear his music back then without the “You Suck” chants. Kurt takes to the mic when he enters the ring and say he knows that the crowd is expecting an apology but he says the only thing he is sorry for is not doing it sooner. This really turns the heat up with the crowd. Triple H comes out next and he doesn’t even spit any water out on his way to the ring this time. He is in a hurry to get the fight started with Kurt. Triple H beats on Kurt with a flurry of punches and kicks before he levels him with a clothesline. He whips Angle to the corner next and the ref tries to stop him, as the match is yet to begin. This leads to Triple H shoving the ref to the mat, which opens an opportunity for Angle to strike with a clothesline of his own. it’s strange that The Rock has yet to make his way down. Angle hits a clothesline next that sends them both over the top rope and to the floor. And the “Rocky” chants are in full force as the crowd anticipates The WWF Champion’s entrance. Kurt returns Triple H to the ring, but Triple H throws Kurt from the ring as he dodges Kurt coming off the ropes and throws him over the top. Triple H bounces Kurt off the ring steps before he takes him to the Spanish announce table. Hunter disassemble the table before he puts Kurt on it and joins him to set up a Pedigree. If you pay attention you can see the table collapse and this leads to Kurt not being able to take the bump proper. Kurt Angle suffered a severe concussion here and has said that he doesn’t remember the match from this point forward. Kurt is obviously dazed here and you can tell Hunter realizes he isn’t quite right. Triple H goes under the ring after to grab his sledgehammer but this is when we hear “If ya smellllll what the The Rock is cookin'” and The WWF Heavyweight Champion, The Rock starts to make his entrance and the no DQ, Championship Triple Threat match can officially begin.

The crowd is nuts as The Rock makes his way down the aisle but Triple H is in the ring with the sledgehammer waiting for him. The Rock wastes no time entering the ring and ducks under Triple H’s sledge attack. The Rock delivers a quick secession of lefts and Hunter drops the hammer. The rock lays Triple H flat with a running forearm that sends the crowd into a frenzy. The Rock is on fire as Triple H rolls from the ring and the crowd is chanting “Rocky”. Rock bangs Triple H off the ring stairs before he takes to trying to dismantle the main announce table. At this time you can see Kurt being worked on by medical staff, on the Spanish announce table rubble. Poor Spanish guys cant make it through a SummerSlam with their table intact. Since The Rock is distracted by the table, Triple H is able to sneak attack him and drop him face first onto the announce table. They make their way back into the ring and Hunter resumes the beating of The Rock, most notably with a mudhole stomp in the corner. After Rock gets Irish whipped and hit with a back elbow, the “Rocky” chants begin again. Triple H pauses The Rock’s beating to talk shit to Kurt Angle as he is being stretchered out. The Rock tries to use this to his advantage, but after a few punches Triple H throws him from the ring. Triple H uses this time to run back up the ramp and grab the stretcher with Angle on it, and start to wheel it back to the ring. He gets it about halfway back when he stops to punch the concussed Angle in the head. The Rock uses Triple H’s personal vendetta for Angle against him and clotheslines him in the back.

The Rock Irish whips Triple H into the steel supports on the entrance ramp and follows it up with a catapult into the same spot. The Rock leads him back to the ring but Triple H whips him into the apron. The Rock no-sells it and comes back off it with a brutal clothesline. He then delivers a low blow to Triple H that the crowd pops for. At this time we see Stephanie enter and she is checking on Kurt Angle. And the crowd starts with the “Slut” chants. Man, Stephanie could, and still can, create some serious heat with the fans. Triple H re-enters the fight when he puts his foot up to stop The Rock from bouncing his head of the ring pole. Instead Rocky gets his head bounced off it. Stephanie comes back to ringside here and when Hunter notice her he asks “What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be out here” as she looks on in disbelief. This opens a window for The Rock to attack but it closes just as quickly when Triple H hits him with a lifting knee. This leads to a two count for him, and after The Rock kicks out, H tells Stephanie to get the belt, which she does by slapping the time keeper and taking it. She joins Hunter in the ring and he is holding The Rock for her, so she can hit The Rock with the belt. The Rock avoids the contact and the Strap is planted on the face of Triple H instead. This leads to a near fall for The Rock and the crowd is pumped. The Rock gives Stephanie his signature look next and then begins to lift her into the ring by her hair. That assault number four on a woman. Triple H uses this to his advantage and hits Rocky with the low blow. Triple H then tells Stephanie to “just go”, as Sergeant Slaughter leads her to the back. After Hunter hits Rock with a reverse neckbreaker he leaves the ring to grab his sledgehammer. He tries to avoid the hammer but Hunter manages to connect it to the midsection of The Rock. The ref, Earl Hebner takes the hammer from him after this and throws it from the ring. Triple H continues to work the midsection with some slow kicks and shoulder blocks in the corner. Triple H would go for the cover after a facebuster, but still only gets the two count. The Rock takes a serious bump next when Hunter rams him into the ring post, back first. He returns Rocky to the ring and for the first time in a while Rock starts to land some punches. They are short lived, though, because when Rocky comes off the ropes Triple H hits him with a knee to the midsection that flips The Rock over. Triple H begins to climb to the top rope but The Rock meets him there and brings him back in the ring with a superplex off the top rope. And both men lay on the mat as the official begins his count.

We see Stephanie in the back and she is begging Kurt, who is still strapped to the stretcher, to go out and help Hunter. She says “Will you do it for me?” over and over until Kurt says “Sure, anything for you Steph.” This is crazy that he goes back out here, and Kurt Angle has said that Stephanie had to call the spots out to him because he wasn’t aware what was going on. The fact that they thought concussions were harmless back then is crazy to think about.

When we return to the ring the ref has stopped counting for some reason and The Rock begins to slow crawl toward Triple H. He makes the cover but Triple H kicks out. Rock hits a belly-to-belly suplex and goes for another pin, but again Hunter kicks out. The boos come from the crowd when we see Stephanie start to lead the dazed Angle back to the ring by his hand. Kurt pulls the foot of The Rock and this allows Triple H to hit him with the Pedigree. But when Hunter goes for the cover Angle pulls him from the ring by his foot and throw him into the ring stairs. Kurt Angle then enters the ring to make the cover but The Rock makes the kick-out. Angle eventually hits a belly-to-belly throw on The Rock but once again he manages to kick out. The Rock would hit a belly-to-belly of his own next and follow it up with a DDT. It’s crazy to watch this knowing Angle has such a severe concussion. This leads to a Rock Bottom but Hunter pulls Rock from the ring and breaks the count. Triple H returns The Rock to the ring and tells Stephanie to “get his hammer”. She ends up in the ring and when Kurt gets the hammer first, Triple H must clothesline him to stop the attack. Angle ducks under it and Stephanie receives the clothesline from Triple H. This is assault number five on a woman if your counting at home.  Angle lays Triple H out with the hammer and this leads to Rocky throwing Angle from the ring. Rock hits the People’s Elbow and the crowd is electric as the ref counts the three. This match was great and the Angle-Hunter-Stephanie triangle kept it interesting. I would recommend watching this match. Match Time:17:53

Well that does it for this edition of Chairshot Classic and overall the good of this PPV out weighs the bad. If you don’t have the time for the full card, though, there is definitely some spots that could be avoided. The TLC match stole the show and is a must see event for any wresting fan. As I always do at the end I like to see what Dave Meltzer thought of the show. I gather these ratings from www.profightdb.com. Meltzer thought highly of the TLC match and it received 4.5 stars. Two other matches on the card broke three stars, The Main Event Triple Threat received a 3.75 and Jericho/Benoit received 3.25 stars. The rest of the card didn’t rate well and I have to agree with Dave on his assessment here.

As always #UseYourHead and give me (@james_callear) and The Chairshot a follow on Twitter and join me next time for SummerSlam 2001!

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