SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following was originally published 15 years ago this weekend on PWTorch.com…
WWE house show report
June 14, 2003
Tulsa, Okla.
Report by Stacy Swan, PWTorch.com correspondent
Estimated Attendance: 2,000
(1) Scott Steiner defeated Test with a belly-to-back suplex. This was a surprisingly good match. Test played off the crowd’s heat well. The crowd was very much behind Steiner with a huge “BIG POPPA PUMP” chant. Test was using Stacy as a shield a couple of times–funny stuff! At one point, Test was griping at Stacy at ringside, then moved out of the way as Steiner went for a clothes line. Steiner stopped himself before hitting Stacy, but then Test knocked Steiner into her and she fell from the apron. Steiner won with a belly-to-back suplex (I don’t know if that’s the technical term for this move). Test threw a tantrum like a three-year old all the way out of the arena. Steiner celebrated with Stacy who did her bending over bit on every side of the ring.
(2) Mark Jindrak defeated Spike Dudley. The crowd was [i]so[/i] behind Spike, even though this was somewhat of a squash match. There were good spots and some scattered “ECW” chants. Spike clocked himself on the turnbuckle after missing a clothesline, resulting in a rather nasty-looking bump. Jindrak got a clean win over Spike, but the crowd remained hot for him even after the loss.
(3) Lance Storm defeated Lance Cade after Cade tapped to the sharp shooter. I felt sorry for poor Lance. First, he gets booed–which is to be expected. Big “USA” chant. Lance Storm is a gifted technical wrestler, and I was saddened to see his mat-based style completely lost on the po-dunk Tulsa crowd. There were lots of holds, and Storm spent a great deal of time trying to nail the sharp shooter that eventually won him the match. Scattered “boring” chants, but I cheered him on anyway. A good effort for both men, but again, this crowd just couldn’t appreciate his skills.
(4) Trish Stratus defeated Molly and Victoria (accompanied by Steven Richards) after she pinned Victoria. This was a number one contender match for the Women’s Title, so get ready for yet another Trish vs. Jazz match at Bad Blood. Did Ivory spontaneously combust? Didn’t she pin Jazz two weeks in a row? Despite the apparent memory lapse, this match was stellar with lots of great spots. Victoria and Molly spent most of the time teaming on Trish. Then Molly went for the pin and Victoria yanked her off. They turned on one another allowing Trish to regain momentum. Stratus pulls a double DDT, a bulldog, and the Stratusfaction, and pins Victoria to become the number one contender for the Women’s Title…again.
Fellow Oklahoman Jim Ross came out to say hello. I honestly couldn’t make out what he was saying. When you’re in the front it’s actually harder to hear because the sound is projecting so much. After he left the arena the Grand Finkmeister came back and started to announce the next match, but was interrupted by a “Boomer Sooner” chant. This involves one group yelling “Boomer” and the other group replying with “Sooner.” Fink took initiative and started leading the chant and getting everyone in the arena
involved. Great stuff!
(5) Rodney Mack & Chris Nowinsky (accompanied by Theodore Long) defeated the Dudley Boyz after Nowinski pinned Bubba Ray. I got the worst headache from screaming during this match. Let it be known that ALL Dudleyz are mad over in Tulsa. Nowinski came out and we instantly wanted his head on a wooden platter. Chants included such classics as “Harvard sucks,” “Tables,” “We Want Tables,” and “Spike.” Surprisingly enough, Spike ran in at the end after the Dudleyz found themselves in trouble. However, Nowinski got the pin on Bubba Ray…then paid for it dearly. The Boyz nailed the 3D on Nowinski right through a table. GREAT match!
(6) Rico (accompanied by Jackie Gayda) defeated Tommy Dreamer. Rico came out looking like a fuzzy, neon-green lizard. No, seriously. He looked worse than Jericho in that hideous black-and-white checkered getup he sometimes wears. Big time heat to say the least. Jackie looked great and played the crowd well.
Tulsans showed their “boundless intelligence” with scattered “fag” chants for Rico. I got the feeling though, that Rico was playing on this reaction when he continued to insert homoerotic innuendo throughout the match. First, he gets Dreamer around the waist from behind, and then just stands there for a minute. Tommy looked confused. Then Rico gets down on all fours and shakes his booty at Dreamer. Tommy grins and begins to comply. Then he nails Rico. No…wait. That’s not what I meant. Anyway, Rico picked up what I think was a clean win over Dreamer.
The Highlight Reel: Chris Jericho, Val Venus, and Goldberg. We were then treated to a Very Special Edition of Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel. The guest: Val Venus. I’m pretty sure I was the only Jerichoholic in the crowd. Everyone was hating on Jericho (Chris was wearing a Fozzy shirt and “tolerable” pants by the way). The Big Valbowski did his grind in the towel and the ladies went wild. Jericho confronted Val on his pornographic past, and then insisted that he could also make great porn movies. I insisted that I be involved. The crowd started the “A$$hole chant and flipped him off. Then, Jericho got Val’s towel from the turnbuckle, and did a really sloppy version of the “Venus grind.” Venus told him he didn’t have what it takes, and suggested that his movie be aptly-named, “Tiny Tim”. Or something like that. Val told Jericho he had the smallest penis in the locker room. Jericho got mad and clotheslined him. A beatdown on Venus ensued until Tulsa’s own Goldberg showed up. His music hit, and the crowd went wild. Venus escaped the ring, and Goldberg proceeded to tear poor Chris a brand new one. Goldberg got the spear on Jericho, and the latter limped out of the ring as fast as he could. Goldberg talked to the us saying how proud he was to get the spear on Jericho in his hometown. He left the ring slapping hands and signing autographs on the way out.
(7) Christian defeated Booker T to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Great spots, great pops, great match. Crowd was behind Booker T all the way, and Christian worked the crowd generating good heat. Booker did a spin-a-rooni, and the crowd was loving it. Christian used the ropes in the corner of the ring to pin Booker T.
(8) Rob Van Dam & Kane defeated La Resistance to retain the Tag Team Championships after Kane pinned Renee Dupre. The crowd went absolutely nuts for RVD. I was shocked that Tulsa loved him so much. He got a slightly bigger pop than hometown boy” Goldberg, as well as the Dudleyz. A “USA” chant followed La Resistance to the ring. The French boys must have taken the hint from Rico because they kept taking time out to hug each other. During their first “friendly embrace,” Van Dam decided to get silly and turned to Kane with open arms. Kane signaled a friendly “no thanks.” Rob shrugged, and went back to the match. An eight-minute RVD beat down ensued. Finally, Kane gets the tag and flattens Dupree & Grenier. RVD tags back in and nails the rolling thunder. Kane gets the chokeslam, RVD gets the five star, and Kane pins Dupree to retain the titles. Rob and Kane then celebrate by slapping hands all the way around ringside. The match of the night.
Biggest Pops:
1. RVD
2. Goldberg
3. Booker T/Dudleyz (Tie)
4. Kane
5. Jim Ross
Most Heat:
1. Jericho (by a LONG SHOT)
2. Test
3. Rico
4. La Resistance
5. Chris Nowinski
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS 15 YRS AGO FLASHBACK: 15 YRS AGO – WWE Smackdown Report (6-5-03): Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy headlines, Cena vs. Benoit, plus Roddy Piper, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Big Show
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