The Rock is in the back again and this time a doctor is trying to check him out. The Rock doesn’t need a doc to check him out though and he side steps another attack attempt from Meat. He finishes by telling the doctor he is looking at the next WCW Champion. We see all member of Team WWF in one locker room,  the members of Team Alliance in another, and they all are gathered around TV screens as the first of the doubleheader Main Event is about to start!

We see a clip of what started it all and it began at the InVasion PPV. (Again, more on that here.)  Stone Cold Steve Austin betrayed the WWF at the PPV by breaking Kurt Angle’s ankle lock on Booker T nd then hitting him with a Stone Cold Stunner. This would cost Kurt the Title and Austin would join The Alliance. Austin would ally with Vince and become a whine-baby Heel, you know the type. Kurt Angle challenges Steve Austin to a rematch on RAW and Austin would except the challenge. Before we see the video end there is a bunch of clips of Austin hitting stunner’s and he promises that The Alliance will make Kurt bleed. This was well done video, I must say, and probably second best after the Jericho ones on this show.  And of course the “Bodies” are hitting the floor all throughout the build up and the song plays too.

The Challenger, Kurt Angle enter first and I said this last time, it’s weird to see him come out and not have his music accompanied by “You Suck” chants. Stone Cold Steve Austin enters after Kurt hits the ring and the reaction for the WWF Heavyweight Champion isn’t very positive. Austin stops atop the apron, so he and Angle can have a staredown. Austin breaks the eye contact first and they meet each other in the middle of the ramp. Austin throws the Strap before the two begin to throw hands. Stone Cold gets the edge and throws Angle into the security rail. After some big chops to the chest of Angle, Stone Cold delivers some more to his back as he goes to the ground. Steve returns Kurt to the ring and the bell finally sounds. Angle is hot and Lou Thesz press’ Steve and the crowd is electric. He puts Austin in the corner next and after a few punches Angle is stomping a mudhole in Austin. This is some good in ring psychology here to have Kurt Angle use some of Stone Cold’s own moves early on. Kurt attempts to whip Austin to the other turnbuckle but Austin reverses it. Kurt comes flying back out of the corner though and levels Steve. Austin reverses another Irish whip and this time it is into the ropes but Kurt hits the crossbody and he goes for the cover. Austin kicks out at two and once again reverses an Irish whip. This time it goes in Steve Austin’s favor when he lands an elbow to the back of Angle’s melon. Austin starts to work the knee of Kurt Angle next and does so with stomps, next he leverages it on the bottom rope and jumps onto it. Kurt finally regains the advantage after reversing Steve’s heal lock into his own patented submission hold, The Ankle Lock. Steve manages to get to the ropes but it takes the official to break the hold.

Steve Austin leaves the ring but Kurt Angle is quick on his tail. The limping Austin turns quickly and lays Angle out with a clothesline. They return to the ring to exchange some blows but Austin is quick to throw Angle from the ring with a back body drop. This is a solid bump for Kurt here. Steve leaves the ring to return Kurt to the ring but he take a moment to flip the fans of first. This is awesome Stone Cold Heal work here and the crowd is giving it right back to him. Austin now uses some suplexs that, even JR mentions, are very similar to ones executed by Kurt Angle, This is just something I am a big fan of and it makes it feel as if they actually scouted each others move repertoire. After Kurt Angle finally reverse a suplex he delivers a triple set of German suplexs. Kurt picks Austin up for a fourth but Steve manages to break free with some elbows. He tries to clothesline Kurt but Kurt ducks under it and Steve is again in the air for another German suplex. He isn’t satisfied with one though and delivers another before Stone Cold can wiggle free. That last one though had a brutal landing, as Steve Austin lands awkwardly on his neck. But this doesn’t stop Kurt Angle from dropping him on his head for two more. Kurt is on his feet and pumping the crowd up in anticipation of the Angle Slam. Austin wiggles free though and regains the advantage with an eye rake followed by a kick to the back of the knee. The slow the pace for a minute and just deliver some punches and this is warranted as they have been non-stop action since the moment they both entered the arena. The next highlight comes when Steve Austin place Kurt on the top turnbuckle and climbs up there too so he can suplex Angle off. When he does this the crowd has a great reaction. They both eventually come to their feet and Austin needs the ropes assistance to do so. Steve is quick to hit a kick to the midsection and sneak in the Stone Cold Stunner. The crowd counts along but are forced to stop at two. Steve blames the ref for a slow count but when Angle is on his feet Steve hits another Stone Cold Stunner. This time Kurt rolls from the ring to avoid getting pinned.

Austin takes the fight to the outside and is fast to bang Angle’s head off the ring post. He picks Angle up and does it again. This is when we see the blood start to flow from the forehead of Kurt Angle. Austin then tries to grab the Strap but the ref, Earl Hebner is quick to take it from him. This pisses Austin off and he gives him the bird. He picks Angle up and bounce him off the ring post one more time. At this point the blood is really starting to flow from the head of Kurt Angle. Steve finally returns Angle to the ring to make the cover. But he some how finds a way to kick-out and this pumps the crowd up. This must piss Steve of because he throw Angle from the ring again and bounces him off the ring post some more. Angle finally does something and reverses a drop with a backslide. This then leads into Kurt shoving Austin into the security wall, that he then flips over. Austin is first to his feet though and suplexs Angle over the wall and to the bare concrete. By the time Austin picks Angle back up a pretty big pool of blood had acquired where Angle lay.

When Austin puts one foot over the security wall Angle is quick to grab his foot and apply the ankle lock. This makes an awesome shot as Angle is screaming as the blood pours down his face. He then drags Austin up the ring stair and into the ring. Angle then is quick to apply the ankle lock again but Austin gets to the rope to break the hold. Stone cold rolls from the ring to rest but Angle is right there after him. The belly-to-belly suplex that Kurt delivers next is quite the bump. Whenever Kurt Angle rest for a second a puddle of blood soon accumulates. After they lay on the mat for a moment, Kurt bounces Steve’s head off the time keeper’s table before he returns him to the ring. Kurt goes straight to the top rope and the fans pop in surprise when Kurt hits the moonsault. But Austin manages to get one knee up and Kurt is slow to cover. The fans count along as the ref bangs the mat but, once again, are forced to stop at two. When they eventually regain their composure Austin gets the advantage and locks in the cobra clutch. A move that JR mentions is reminiscent of his Ringmaster days. After a moment Angle is weak and this move moves to the mat. The crowd start to clap and this helps Angle to “Hulk” up. He tries to breaks Austin’s clutch by kicking off the turnbuckle and landing on top of Austin. Stone Cold absorbs the fall though and is able to maintain the hold. The ref, after some time, raises the hand of Angle to check for consciousness. He gets to two and a half before Kurt starts to “Hulk” up again and this time he finds success by throwing Austin from the ring. Austin is quick to return to the ring and wait in anticipation to hit the Stone Cold Stunner. Which he soon does and the crowd is electric. They somehow manage to get louder though when Kurt kicks-out next. Kurt then uses the body of Austin like a ladder and uses it climb to his feet. Austin is quick to kick him in the midsection but this time Angle catches his foot. Kurt then smoothly transitions this into the Angle slam and the crowd is wild. Kurt eventually rolls over to make the cover but Austin kicks out. Kurt applies the ankle lock again but Austin is quick to the ropes to break the hold.

When Austin returns to his feet he chooses to strike the ref instead of Angle. This allows Angle to come from behind and hit Austin with a DDT, when he turns around. Kurt makes the cover and we see a ref come running from the back. But the delay allows Austin to kick out. Kurt tries to pick Austin up but Steve hits him with a low blow. The ref gives him a hard time for the so Steve hits him with a stunner. The crowd really turn the heat up following this ref bump. Austin leaves the ring and returns with the Title. He is about to plant it upside the head of Angle when another ref is there to stop him. For his good deed the ref is awarded a stunner. The distraction allows Angle to hit another Angle slam and attempt another cover. This time a WCW official, Nick Patrick comes running out but instead of making the count he rings the bell and Steve Austin looses by DQ. Austin is quick to leave with his title as Angle puts the ref in an ankle lock, as his music starts to play. This was one hell of a match and the in-ring product was just as good as the story they told. From the use of each others moves to the goofy finish, that I still enjoyed, it was a tremendous match from start to finish if you can’t tell by how much longer this match is. Austin has said on his podcast that this is one of his finest matches as a Heal and I would have to agree. Take the time from your day to watch this one again if you haven’t in a while. Match Time: 22:30

Finally The Rock has returned to PPV after taking a hiatus to make The Mummy returns. We see a quick video of The Rock’s return and the start of his feud with Booker T. It really wasn’t much more than Booker challenging Rock to a match at SummerSlam after he betrayed The Alliance. The clip is basically The Rock giving the Rock Bottom to the entire WWF roster except Booker T. Who we would see give The Rock the Rock Bottom through a table. Shane would come of the top rope to put him through another and that’s are build-up folks. Now lets get into the Main Event.

The WCW Heavyweight Champion, Booker T makes his way to the ring first and is joined by Shane McMahon. As he makes his way to the ring JR and Heyman argue as to who is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. When Booker hits the ring post, and raises the Title, the crowd show him pretty good heat. Their emotions quickly turn around when they hear The Rock’s theme begin and the true “Most electrifying man in sports entertainment” makes his way to the ring. I have to be honest and think The Rock received the best entrance pop of the night here and rightfully so.

The Rock opens up with some of his quick right hands and knocks Booker T to the mat with a back elbow. Soon as this window opens he leaves the ring to chase Shane McMahon. Shane slides into the ring and The Rock is right there after him. Booker T is there too though and meets Rock with some kicks. Shane stays on the apron but The Rock counters an Irish whip and Booker knocks him off the apron. The Rock follows this up with a Somoan Drop and the crowd is going bonkers. Booker reverses an Irish whip of his own next and send The Rock flipping to the mat, with a knee to the midsection. They trade some punches in the corner before The Rock reverses another whip that he follows with a clothesline. Booker T hits a kick to the midsection, to slow The Rock down, and follows it with a nice ax kick to the chest of Rocky. He goes for the cover but is only rewarded a two. They trade some more punches before The Rock throws Booker from the ring by his hair. He then takes Booker to the announce table to bounce his head off from it. The Rock attempts to bounce Booker’s head off the stairs but he reverses it and it’s Rock’s head who meets them. Booker then atomic drops The Rock onto the security wall before he punches him off it and into the crowd. Booker then lays Rock out with a brutal clothesline onto the concrete. He face drops him onto another security wall and then proceeds to stomp The Rock before he returns him to ringside. The Rock tries to rally behind some punches but Booker is quick to whip him into the ring post. Booker then gets into with the ref and Shane uses this to his advantage to climb into the ring and expose a turnbuckle.

He finally returns The Rock to the ring and Rock is again trying to rally behind some right hands. They are short lived though as Booker T is quick to hit another ax kick. Booker goes for the cover but again, only a two. The Rock manages to duck under a clothesline next but when he comes back off the ropes Booker T hits him with a flying forearm. Another cover attempt and another two. Booker applies the rest hold sleeper next and is slowly wearing down The Rock. But just like last match The Rock stops the count at two and a half. He finally breaks the hold and after a double leg takedown, he is applying a sharpshooter. Shane is quick to get on the apron and draw the refs attention. This also draws The Rock’s eye and he heads for Shane and tosses him onto the ring. When he turns around though, Booker T plants a superkick onto his chin. Another cover and another two for Booker. The Rock ducks under a clothesline and takes Booker to the mat with a clothesline of his own. The Rock then catapults Booker into the exposed turnbuckle and follows it with a DDT. He goes for the cove but it is The Rock’s turn for a two count. We see Shane lay a chair in the corner of the ring and then run to the other side with the Title. Booker crawls for the chair but the ref is forced to stop it. This allows Shane to come into the ring and lay The Rock out with the Strap. The ref  throws the chair back outside the ring as both men lay prone on the mat. At this time we see the APA enter ringside and Faarooq starts to chase around the ring. When Bradshaw is there to meet him on the other side with a clothesline, that flips Shane completely over, the crowd explodes. The ref leaves the ring to check on Shane and send the APA into the back. At this time we see Booker T hit The Rock with a Rock Bottom. Booker makes the cover and the ref slides back into make the count. But once again its only a two for Booker. The Rock hits some right hands and his rally begins. He follows them up with a flying forearm and the crowd is once again buzzing. A belly-to-belly overhead throw is next and The Rock is going for the cover. But it’s his turn to only get a two count. A spinebuster is next and the people are on their feet as The Rock removes his elbow pad to drop The People’s Elbow. The Rock goes for the cover and it takes Shane pulling the ref out to stop it. The Rock goes outside the ring and the crowd is nuts when he delivers the Rock Bottom onto Shane. When The Rock returns to the ring, Booker T is in waiting and hits a spinebuster of his own.

Booker T hits the scissor kick next and is setting up for the spin-a-rooni. The Rock is there to greet him, when he finishes spinning, with The Rock Bottom and the fans finally get to finish their three count. And The Rock’s return to PPV is a success as he is the new WCW Heavyweight Champion. This was a great match but it had a tough spot to follow. These two individuals are legends of the wrestling business and it is easy to see why after a match like that. This is another one that is worth taking the time to watch. Match Time:15:19

I took over for the SummerSlam series starting in 1996 from Eric Ames and this is the best one so far. Unlike most of them up to this point the whole card was filled with above average matches. The InVasion angle would soon die out but this PPV is one that stands the test of time. The WWF came out on top with a 5-3 match victory and the two main Title. If you have ever read my Chairshot Classics before, you should know that I like to see what Dave Meltzer thought of the card. He isn’t for everyone but some people are into them so I like to provide some and he usually isn’t far off with his assessment of the matches. NJPW is excluded from that statement though. As I always do, I gather these ratings from www.profightdb.com . Dave thought really highly of the card if you consider his pre Kenny Omega standards. The only real bad review was the Tag Title match and that received one star. The Austin/Angle match was the highest rated, rightfully so, with 4.5 stars. Four other matches received between 3 and 3.75 stars and are as follows; Rock/Booker-3, X-Pac/Tajiri-3.25, Jericho/Rhyno-3.25 and RVD/Hardy-3.5. I must say for the most part I agree with Dave’s overall assessment here.

Well than concludes this edition of Chairshot Classics SummerSlam series. Join me next time as we head to SummerSlam 2002 for an 8 match card that has a Main Event featuring The Rock and Brock Lesnar for the Gold. Be sure to always #UseYourHead and give me(@james_callear) and The Chairshot a follow on Twitter. And don’t be afraid to tell me how you feel about SummerSlam 01 on the Twitter.

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