Grilling JR - No Mercy 2001 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Welcome back to Grilling JR with the voice of wrestling Mr. Jim Ross!

Today we’re continuing our look back at the World Wrestling Federation from 20 years ago as we focus in on No Mercy 2001. It took place exactly 20 years ago today on October 21st but first let’s talk about how we get to the show.

Kurt Angle drops the WWF Title to Steve Austin as we covered a couple weeks ago on Monday Night Raw on the 8th. It’s not normal practice to change the World Title 4 TVs away from the next pay-per-view but after 9/11 and Unforgiven and to push this show everything is just shortened isn’t it?

The next night on SmackDown it’s announced that Mick Foley has returned and is now replacing William Regal as the WWF Commissioner since Regal turned and went to the Alliance. He announces that at No Mercy Kurt Angle will get his rematch but it’ll be a in 3-way against Steve Austin and Rob Van Dam. This is the biggest showcase for RVD at this point in the WWF and it’s only 3 months after his debut. How much influence did Paul Heyman have in this or was his talent too obvious to be hidden?

How great is it to have Mick back in the locker room?

Later on that same night Rob Van Dam...is pinned by Chris Jericho after Steve Austin interferes and costs him the match. This gives Jericho a shot at the WCW Title. Is it hard to keep RVD a heel in the Alliance while the crowd is actively cheering him?

Jericho’s heat after turning on the Rock is electric though. Was Chris just a better heel at this point?

As we discuss these two top talents being face and heel but in reality the WWF is being presented as the babyface promotion vs the Alliance being the heel promotion … this is tough to be creative at this point is it not?

Maven does a quick match losing to Tazz on Smackdown. Was Maven ready to be on TV?

What did you think of the Tough Enough concept?

In your Ross Report you discuss Russ Haas’ recent heart attack and his issues. For those who don’t know who Russ … Charlie’s brother … is the Haas brothers were an Oklahoma tag team in developmental. What was going on with Russ at this time considering he would pass away by the end of the year?

You are in the ring at Madison Square Garden on October 14th which is the WWF’s return to New York City since 9/11 and you make notice to the NYPD, NYFD and emergency service personnel in the crowd. Did you ask for that assignment and how honored did you feel getting to do that?

I want to discuss what Dave Meltzer wrote about in the Observer regarding that show:

“There used to be a saying that "How the Garden goes, so goes the wrestling business." It's probably just a saying, more because the perception of what is hot and isn't is often based around New York as the media center, so it's probably closer to the perception than the reality of wrestling.

But with that, many can point to not just the Madison Square Garden sellout streak ending with the 10/14 show, but ending on a show headlined by Austin vs. Rock in a unification match, as one of the most telling signs that the boom period is over.”

Is that a reflection on business at the time or regarding 9/11 in your mind?

This show is also promoted as the return of the Rock to MSG as it’s his first date there since January of 01. We know the boom period is over in retrospect as the Invasion angle winds down but did you already feel it at this point?

The big story in the Observer the same week is about how the WWF was losing fans over 30. This is 20 years ago...and there’s nothing more important and talked about more than the 18-34 and 18-49 demo for TV ratings. What was the office’s position on why viewers over 30 were tuning out?

How did the WWF not pick up the WCW viewers? Was it the Invasion angle not having the names?

The biggest story coming out of the go-home Raw for No Mercy was Rob Van Dam supposedly showing up late in the ring for an Alliance promo and it becoming part of a storyline. Did you ever hear this story?

The build towards the pay-per-view is quick and rushed and not all that great. RVD supposedly though has heat because people are getting busted up a lot in his matches. Do you remember anyone complaining to you about it and anyone talking to Rob about it?

Christian is put with the Alliance to continue to heat him up. How underrated is Christian at this point in his career?

Is it hard to promote a 3-way main event? Too many people to feature and promote?

Well we’re here now Jim. No Mercy from St. Louis, MO at the Saavis Center in front of 15,647 people with a gate of $762,255 and it’s critically acclaimed. The Wrestling Observer readers gave it a 92.2% thumbs up.

The show opens with Matt & Jeff Hardy beating Lance Storm & Hurricane Helms in 7:42 to retain the WCW World Tag Team Titles. From the Observer: “A hot opener. Both announcers talked about how Helms started out training with the Hardys in North Carolina. Ivory, Molly and Lita were all at ringside, which is at least one person too many. Ivory interfered to start a brief heat spot on Jeff. Hurricane did a caped plancha on both Hardys to the floor. Storm had the half crab on Jeff when Lita came off the top with the huracanrana. Crowd was really hot for the wrestling holds and prelim matches. Matt ended up delivering the twist of fate on Hurricane, followed by Jeff's swanton, and Matt got the pin. They were clearly treating the WCW belts as secondary to WWF belts, which in everyone's mind they are. But they've got to change that perception or they might as well just drop the belts. ***¼”

The whole WCW titles being promoted as secondary to the WWF titles really hurt the titles but these 4 just went out and killed it. Was Lance Storm someone on his own without the Invasion could’ve been more in your mind?

“2. Test pinned Kane in 10:09. Notice the WCW guys who go over on a WWF mainline star are actually WWF guys. The two put together a good match. Kane threw Test over the top rope. It was a press-slam spot although he didn't get Test all the way up. Test clocked him with the ring bell right in front of Nick Patrick to establish Patrick as the heel and pretty much tell everyone a screw job was coming. Test got a chair but Kane dropkicked the chair into his face. Kane grabbed the chair but Patrick stopped him from using it. This distracted Kane so Test could do what was supposed to be his kick of death, but was more like a football kick to the chin for the pin. After the match, Kane choke slammed Patrick twice and left him for dead with a power bomb. ***”

It’s a fair assessment Dave points out that a lot of the WCW guys who were winning were really WWF guys. How much of this is just ego and short sighted booking?

Test getting a win over Kane is a big deal. Why didn’t Test ever just get to the top?

“Stacy Keibler showed Matt Hardy her lingerie. Matt was mesmerized. Lita showed up. They hugged. Matt's mind was elsewhere. Trouble in paradise. 3. Torrie Wilson pinned Stacy Keibler in 3:08 in a lingerie match. The deal is they had to wrestle in lingerie. Probably more conservative lingerie than people were thinking, but what people were thinking probably wouldn't have done the trick because these two tried to wrestle. It wasn't good, in fact it was embarrassing by most standards. Keibler brought out a cat-o-nine tails and whipped both Wilson and ref Jack Doan. They rolled all over Doan. Then they got up and did this Malenko-Guerrero series of cradles. Seriously. I wonder if those two ever thought when they came up with all those reversals that they would be used in a match like this six years later? Wilson tried this Tajiri springboard bodyblock off the ropes. Tried being the key word, and then cradled Keibler. It was probably better than it had the right to be and probably isn't worth rating as a wrestling match.”

How...who...someone...why Jim? And then to have them do cradles? I mean I know this isn’t something we can do now but why isn’t someone saying if they’re going to do lingerie why wrestle?

“4. Edge beat Christian to win the IC title in a ladder match in 22:16. They need to retire the ladder match until at least Mania. These guys went out there and killed themselves and the basic reaction seemed to be we've already seen this. They took falls on ladders. At one point Edge did what looked like a reverse DDT off about six or so feet up from an eight foot ladder. Christian then did an actual reverse DDT on Edge from the same height. Christian brought in two chairs for the concerto but Edge managed to throw Christian's head into a chair. Edge brought out a third ladder. All three were stood up under the belt. After all three ladders were set up, they both climbed, and lost balance and both flew over the top rope to the floor. Christian was climbing, and in a reverse of their previous finish, Edge gave him a low blow with a chair. Finish saw Edge lay Christian over on his back on two of the ladders with his head on a chair and whacked him with a second chair, then grabbed the belt to win. Can't fault the effort, but it just seemed way too early in the program for Edge to win, let alone to do the ladder match. This wasn't designed to be the blow off of the program. ***¾”

Too much too often for the ladder match but they’re still going out and killing themselves and their bodies to sell that they’re top guys. What was holding them back from being higher up in the card? Is it just all the talent?

“5. Dudleys retained the WWF tag titles beating Big Show & Yoshihiro Tajiri in 9:19. Tajiri did his springboard off the ropes into a double elbow on both Dudleys. He then blew mist, but it wound up in the eyes of ref Jimmy Kourderis. Show choke slammed Bubba, but no ref. Rhyno came out and got a huge pop, like scary huge, when he gored Show. Tajiri gave D-Von a kick to the side of the heat for a near fall, but ended up being vanquished with the 3-D. Somewhere in there, Paul Heyman made a comparison with the Midnight Express and the Dudleys. Not sure I'd go that far. Rhyno after the match said the alliance wasn't going to be a joke anymore. Somehow I think when we check back in two months, that'll be a comedy line. ***¼”

Meltzer can be nostradomus sometimes there. Rhyno’s pop is gigantic. Once again a guy who sooner could’ve been more. Show & Tajiri is a funny concept but it was tried and done a lot with Show. Why couldn’t he just be a giant? What was missing then?

“6. Undertaker pinned Booker T in 12:12. Very good brawl. This may have been the most impressive Booker has lost since coming here as Undertaker isn't the easiest guy to have a good match with. Not that Undertaker didn't hustle, because he worked hard and gave Booker a lot more offense than he usually does. Great crowd heat as well, especially for the big spots. Booker did a missile dropkick for a near fall early. Booker came off the topes into a foot up by Undertaker, who got a near fall after a DDT and a Hogan legdrop. Huge pop for the spinneroonie, both a lot of cheers and boos. Booker used his ax kick for a near fall as Taker got his foot over the ropes. Booker did a low blow, but ended up taking a last ride power bomb out of the corner for the pin. This was not the right finish. ***¼”

Should Booker had gotten the win here? It’s been a little bit in 2001 where Undertaker wasn’t really motivated but he had his boots on in this one. Was Taker excited to work with Booker?

“7. Chris Jericho won the WCW title from Rock in 23:44. The crowd was electric before they even locked up, almost like Rock-Austin from Mania. They need to bottle this crowd and take them on tour. Jim Ross brought up some of the great title events in St. Louis history, and they were throwing out names like Kiniski and Brisco and Flair. For some reason Jim Ross brought up the Black Scorpion (Flair was Black Scorpion at the 1990 Starrcade in St. Louis), which somehow I didn't think quite fit into that category. Heyman said the WCW title dates back farther than any title in the sport. Well, if you consider the WCW and NWA title as one, which isn't technically correct but many do, then it would be correct at least as far as this country goes. Both guys wrestled babyface style with Rock playing the old St. Louis champ role. When people think of the unique style of St. Louis main events, with the babyface vs. babyface clean title match where fans like both guys but root for the title change because they know it's history, this was pretty close to it. Well, until Stephanie showed up. Rock used a rock bottom through the spanish announcers table. Jericho blocked a rock bottom in the ring but was hit with a spinebuster. Rock set up the people's elbow, but Jericho blocked it and put on the walls. Rock nearly got the ropes, but Jericho pulled him in. Crowd was ready to explode for a clean finish, but that wasn't the story for today. Stephanie showed up and threw a chair in the ring. Jericho knocked her off the apron. Rock hit a DDT and then threw Stephanie in the ring and gave her a rock bottom. Jericho gave Rock a reverse russian leg sweep face first on the chair for the pin. After the match, Rock grabbed the chair, but instead of hitting Jericho with it, handed it to him. ****½”

The slow burn on Jericho’s top heel run continues but these two in the ring is just electric. But here’s Stephanie for the finish just to have some McMahon’s involved. But the real question is...the Black Scorpion Jim?

This is Jericho’s first major top title and the irony of it being the WCW championship after he was told he would never be a top guy in WCW is just the icing on the cake is it not for him?

“8. Steve Austin retained the WWF title in a three-way over Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam, by pinning Van Dam in 15:15. Angle, who was supposed to be an odd man out, ended up being the star of the match. Lots of spots where they'd do their finishers and the third guy would break it up. Van Dam went up with both guys laid out for the frog splash, but they both moved so they kept it a mystery who he was going for. Angle with german on Van dam and save. Austin with a stunner on Angle and save. Van Dam with split legged moonsault on Austin and save. Angle slam on Van Dam and save. That was one too many as the crowd didn't pop for the last one. Austin tried a piledriver on the table on Angle, who flipped out of it and Austin landed hard on the table, which didn't break. Vince came out. Van Dam did a spin kick on Austin. Angle did a belly-to-belly superplex on Van dam. Austin did a stunner to Angle, who rolled out of the ring, avoiding the pin. McMahon hit Austin hard in the back of the head with a chair, busting him open. Van Dam hit the frog splash, but Angle recovered and made the save. Angle then hit five german suplexes and an Olympic slam on Austin but Shane made the save knocking Angle out of the ring. Vince attacked Shane and they rolled over the announcers table, while in the ring Austin hit Van Dam with the stunner for the pin. Finish was actually flat after an awesome match because the attention was with the McMahons at the finish and not on the finish itself. After the PPV ended, McMahon got in the ring and raised Angle's hand to a big pop, and then went to raise Van Dam's hand, but Van Dam blew him off.”

No rating from Meltzer but I mean he called it awesome. 3-ways are always tough but these 3 had such great chemistry it’s hard for this not to be good. Vince kills Austin with that chair shot which I mean is funny in hindsight with all the issues that RVD is having busting people open. But there’s just so much McMahon in there.

What did you think Jim? Thumbs up?

Jim it’s tough to put a major pay-per-view together in 2 weeks and it shows how the build is lackluster and plans change, pal...and considering the next night on Raw the Invasion is blown up but we’ll cover that next month!