PWTORCH PPV FLASHBACK
WWE BAD BLOOD PPV
JUNE 15, 2003
LIVE FROM HOUSTON, TEX.
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler introduced the program.

(1) Christopher Nowinski & Rodney Mack (w/Teddy Long) beat Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley at 7:10. Basic stuff. In the end, Long asked D-Von why he always "has to get the table for Bubba." D-Von paused, considering racial discrimination, but then fetched the table anyway. However, Nowinski surprised Bubba by hitting him with his mask and scored the win. (*)

Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff each burped three times while Terri had the privilege of holding the mic. Austin won the first rung of their Redneck Triathlon. The burps sounded prerecorded (and gross). Trashy TV, but likely prompting a few laughs from many viewers.

(2) Scott Steiner pinned Test at 6:40 to win the managerial services of Stacy. Steiner missed a dive at Test off the apron and landed flat on his face. Other messiness kept this from every becoming even close to average. Test hit himself in the head with a chair, although it was the intended finish in that case. (3/4*)

(3) Booker T beat Christian via DQ at 8:01. The finish of this was one of the big talking points afterward. Christian teased getting intentionally counted out to save his title. The ref - changing a rule on the fly - announced over the house mic that he'd give Booker the title on a countout. That caused Christian to run back to the ring, but then he immediately hit Booker to get intentionally DQ'd. The ref, who already changed one rule, could have just restarted the match or awarded Booker the belt, but he did neither. Christian saving the belt in cheap fashion fits his gimmick, but contradictory booking in the finish made a bad joke out of everything. The match itself was also very disappointing. The eight minutes it lasted seemed like merely the first half of a decent match, and the bad finish took it down another notch. (*1/4)

Jerry Lawler introduced Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff in the ring for the "Pie Eating Contest." Austin agreed to let Bischoff go first as long as he got to pick the woman. Bischoff agreed, thinking it was one of four beauties backstage. Instead, Austin picked Mae Young. Bischoff kissed her, but that wasn't good enough. Mae low-blowed Bischoff and then gave him a crotch rub in the corner Bronco Buster style. Austin then forfeiting his turn, making it 1-1 after two rounds. Austin then gave Mae the Stunner, which silenced the crowd. No pop for Austin on that.

(4) La Resistance beat Kane & Rob Van Dam at 5:50 to capture the WWE Tag Team Titles. Blah match. Miscues with RVD and Kane cost them. (3/4*)

(5) Bill Goldberg pinned Chris Jericho at 11:00. Goldberg dominated early, then Jericho took over after he sidestepped a Goldberg attempt at a Spear at ringside. Goldberg rammed through the ringside barrier and sold his shoulder the rest of the match. Goldberg made several comebacks. Jericho stopped one comeback with a low blow and then applied Walls of Jericho. Many fans chanted "Y2J." Goldberg powered out, then finished off Jericho with a Spear and Jackhammer. Afterward Goldberg got in the face of a ringside fan with a pro-Jericho sign. (**3/4)

(6) Ric Flair pinned Shawn Michaels at 14:07 after Randy Orton interfered with a chairshot. Exactly what you'd expect in terms of the spots they performed. Flair did his Flair flip, Michaels did his kip up and superkick. Lots of chops, too. The big spot was Michaels diving off the top rope onto Flair, crashing him through a table at ringside. (***3/4)

Bischoff and Austin were supposed to have a sing-off, but after Bischoff embarrassed himself singing his own theme, Austin changed the contest to a Mud Pit Match. He then threw Bischoff into a mud pit with several pigs set up on the floor. Austin drank some beer.

(7) Triple H beat Kevin Nash to retain the World Hvt. Title at 21:00. A bit methodical and plodding at points, but overall an intense battle. Hunter used a hammer and screwdriver as a weapon. Special ref Mick Foley took some weapons away and got shoved off the apron for his trouble. Hunter, Nash, and Foley all bled. Hunter won clean with the Pedigree. No big stunts. Flair and Orton helped Hunter up afterward. (***1/4)

***

PWTorch Staff PPV Roundtable Reviews

Jason Powell, assistant editor (5.5)

With Steve Austin giving Mae Young the Stunner after the pie eating contest, Mick Foley taking a couple of big bumps and one stiff chairshot, and Triple H and Kevin Nash using a variety of weapons in a bloody brawl, this was the darkest WWE event in a long time.

The Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff skits were too frequent and should have been done in a single 12 minute segment to avoid both guys losing so much steam by the end. Poor Bischoff has fallen from credible heel to meaningless comedy foil in far too short of a time.

The main event was better than expected and didn't do anything to ruin the Hell in a Cell credibility. Foley delivered a big performance and will get a lot of credit (and some jeers) for what he added to the match, but Triple H and Kevin Nash also deserve credit for exceeding most of our expectations. That said, I've become somewhat desensitized to the sledgehammer and even the barbed wire stick, but the match lost a lot of credibility with me when Triple H hit Nash over the head with the small hammer. Simply put, any strike that kills characters in campy horror movies should not be treated as nearfall material in pro wrestling.

Flair and Michaels came through with a strong match and brought the burned out crowd back to life just in time for the main event. Fortunately, the last four matches were just entertaining enough to make up for the lackluster first half of the show.

Pat McNeill, columnist (5.0)

Ric Flair's match with Shawn Michaels was the highlight of tonight's card and it was very good. Still, one broken table doesn't make a match of the year candidate. The Nature Boy and the Heartbreak Kid obviously can't put on the sort of show-stopping, jet-flying performance we saw from them 12 years ago. However, these two guys have good chemistry together and I'm looking forward to their return match at SummerSlam.

Hey, while we're speaking about people who carried no-talent loads tonight, let's hear it for ol' Triple H. The Game deserves a lot of respect for his efforts against the completely uninteresting Big Daddy Cool. Of course, he also deserves his share of the blame for his behind the scenes influence in creating this match-up in the first place. The nicest thing I can say about Kevin Nash is that he showed up and treated this match seriously. It wasn't awful. Mick Foley bumped and bladed. Triple H bumped and bladed. And Kevin Nash... bladed.

Bruce Mitchell, columnist (2.5)

Bad Blood had plenty of Blood, and even more Bad. When the only good thing in the first hour and a half is the heel chemistry between Test and Stacy Kiebler your show is off to a poor start.

WWE desperately needs some new acts, and it might be the right thing in the long run to give acts such as La Resistance and Rodney Mack the opportunity to grow but on this show the green performers weren't good at all.

The finish to the IC match between Christian and Booker T was really stupid. The ref tells Christian he can't get counted out or he'll lose the title so he whacks Booker in the head with the belt for the deliberate DQ and keeps the belt?

The Dudley's tension makes three tag teams in WWE, and two on Raw doing the exact same Will They Or Won't They Split Up storyline.The Redneck Triathalon was predictably unfunny. I don't know who Steve Austin was calling "a jerkoff" when that's all he does anymore in these half-assed skits. Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels may have been the best match on the show, but it wasn't all that good. After seeing it I wish they'd left this missed opportunity Dream Match to the imagination. Goldberg is a real problem. WWE is too stubborn to book him the only way fans want to see him, and he's awful at selling and transitions.

The main event was laid out right, with every trick in the book and all that blood thrown in, so Kevin Nash deserves credit for getting the match up over two stars. Sad to see Mick Foley is still a masochistic sickie. The Brand split on pay-per-view is not off to a good start.

Wade Keller, editor (4.5)

The final three matches and the Austin-Bischoff stuff were the four memorable elements of the show. The four undercard matches were to varying degrees either disappointing or entirely forgettable. Christian vs. Booker was the most disappointing, especially that Russo-like logic by the referee before the finish. Goldberg vs. Jericho was a good match. The fans don't like Goldberg, and we can debate from here to eternity why, but his arguing with a fan at ringside after the match is not a viable solution to fan apathy toward him. The match itself was booked well given the ego of Goldberg and the need to protect Jericho in the long run. Goldberg dominated early, then got so aggressive it backfired and Jericho took over. Then Goldberg made a comeback and won. Jericho got in enough even-steven offense to stay credible despite the loss, especially since he's the heel and heels are expected to lose.

Flair vs. Michaels was what I expected. I was hoping for more than I expected, but realistically they gave what they could. What they could give was good, even very good in some ways, but not great. Flair seemed a half a step slow at times, but overall I just don't think a match between those two 12 years ago, on a move-for-move basis, would have been much different. Only it would have been four and a half stars just because the offense would have been a bit crisper and the bumps a bit more spectacular. They can be proud of their effort, and the finish was the right finish for business.

Nash did what he could and nothing more, which was wise. But it says something when in the defining match of his career in many ways, a match where everybody was down on him and he needed to prove he belonged, that he didn't even attempt to do anything out of the ordinary. He just doesn't have the ability, nor do I think he has the desire. It's just not worth it to him at this point. Hunter was very good, and Foley did just enough.

Steve Austin giving Mae Young the Stunner was one of the bigger judgment miscues of his career. I'm shocked he agreed to do that because the crowd reaction was predictable. Mae Young was being a good sport about everything and there was no reason to give her a Stunner. Austin-Bischoff was too long and not funny. Not a great show, but decent. WWE needs to be better than decent.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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