Summerslam (2001 TV Special) User Reviews

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR!!!

[morantjavonte · 8/10 · 10 December 2021]

SummerSlam 2001 Thoughts

Summerslam 2001 was the 14th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWF. It took place on August 19, 2001 at the Compaq Center in San Jose, California. Attendence was said to be 15,293 with a PPV buyrate of 570,000. It was the last SummerSlam of the WWF name and some may refer it as the last of the Attitude Era. Reason for that is though WWE tells the present that the AE ended at WrestleMania 17, in terms of style and writing, Wrestling wasn't much different until the next year which was the Ruthless Agreesion rise of new stars.

8 matches took place at the event. WWF purchased WCW and later ECW and it took things in a new direction where the Invasion storyline happened. Every wrestler, ref, manager, represented a promotion under a McMahon's control (Kayfabe wise). Unfortunately this storyline didn't go as great as many would dream about as later learned behind the scenes Vince didn't quite have control of everything.

The Good - I thought the WWF Championship match sold really well. The cheap finish unfortunately ruined its chance as an instant classic but the match was tremendous as Angle worked really well with Austin as both were tearing up the joint. Angle's face run was brief but he did well with the crowd over him. This could arguably be Austin's biggest booed reaction on PPV as Austin was hard to get booed as he was too badass to be hated. Jeff Hardy vs. RVD was a great ladder match as the chemistry was good and continued to get better as years gone by. Also felt the main event was great. It was a great way to close the show.

The Meh - Questionable booking also had some scratching their heads. Not exactly bad booking but some were odd choices. The Rock would be part time starting his Hollywood film career which gave him a leave of absence and many felt it would have been a cool idea to see Booker T beat The Rock. Angle too despite winning by DQ was clearly for protection of Austin who many felt didn't have the same vibe he had since returning from injury late 2000. The undercard card was decent and all were worth watching again.

The Bad - Nothing was really bad. However DDP being booked as a stalker and getting tortured was disrespect to the WCW legend. DDP at the time was said to have attitude problems backstage but he still didn't deserve to be used like trash.

Overall - An excellent show despite the Invasion storyline never working out. WWF had some stars out of action like Triple H, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero (released), WCW contracts still under hold option had the N. W. O, Flair, Sting & Goldberg not in action yet, as well as ECW stars either refusing to sign or also in the same boat with WCW. Still all above decent matches made a great PPV card and possibly the second best PPV of 2001.

Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good

0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:

1. Edge vs. Lance Storm - WWF Intercontinental Championship - 3/5

2. Spike Dudley and A. P. A vs. Test and The Dudley Boyz - 2/5

3. Tajiri vs. X-Pac - WCW Cruiserweight Championship & WWF Light Heavyweight Championship - 2/5

4. Rhyno vs. Chris Jericho - 2/5

5. Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy: Hardcore Championship (Ladder Match) - 4/5

6. Kanyon & DDP vs. Undertaker & Kane: WCW Tag Team Championship & WWF Tag Team Championship (Steel Cage) - 2/5

7. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle: WWF Championship - 4/5

8. The Rock vs. Booker T: WCW Championship - 3.5/5

Best Match - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle

Worst Match - Undertaker & Kane vs. Kanyon & DDP

Most Memorable Moment - Booker T spinaroonie then Rock Bottom by the Rock

Top 5 Performers

1. Kurt Angle - Great Performance

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Great Performance

3. Rob Van Dam - Great Performance and big bumps

4. Jeff Hardy - Same with RVD

5. Booker T - Looked good hanging in the WWF ring in early start.

great, worth the money

[hardy_boyz_lover · 18 March 2003]

I was in attendance at the filming of Summerslam 2001 on August 19th 2001 in San Jose, CA and it was great. It was one of the only ppvs to be featured in Northern California and it was well worth the ticket price. There was a very intense audience and the superstars gave it there all. Included is a great variety of matches, including a cage match and a ladder match. I recommend all wrestling fans to see it at least once.

Awesome show!

[leethebee1990 · 10/10 · 14 August 2006]

SUMMERSLAM 2001 FROM SAN JOSE, California!

This is my second favourite show of all-time! Great from start to finish, seriously!

Match 1: Edge Vs Lance Storm For The Intercontinental Title Good match to kick off the show with the right guy winning due to Edge being so over at the time and he is getting back to that popularity right now, but the fans loved him back then, nice way to start things off indeed!

Match 2: Six-Man Tag Team Match Pretty good action a nice bump by Spike through the tables, entertaining enough.

Match 3: Tajiri Vs X-Pac For The Cruiserweight Title Yet again, fun to watch and I actually like Sean Waltman so I had no problem with the winner.

Match 4: Chris Jericho Vs Rhyno This one actually had a proper story to it unlike the previous matches. The action wasn't quite so good but still good enough.

Match 5: Jeff Hardy Vs Rob Van Dam In A Hardcore Title Ladder Match Very good stuff, the best so far. I am a HUGE RVD fan so I had no problem with him winning much like the previous month at Invasion. Some nice spots too.

Match 6: Tag Tean Title Steel Cage Match I haven't got to much to say on this because it was pretty boring, but at least it FINALLY ended this awkward feud.

Match 7: Kurt Angle Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin For The WWF Title A FREAKING CLASSIC! I absolutely LOVE this match-up and it is my 2001 match of the year without a doubt. These two guys went at it for 25 minutes with non-stop action and with Angles blood loss, several referee bumps and Angle kicking out of THREE Stone Cold Stunners, this became extra special. I do not agree with the other reviews on here, first off, Austin wasn't a good heel, he was a GREAT heel and secondly, the ending wasn't pathetic, it made PERFECT sense and Angle was meant to look like the hero in the end and Austin a coward which was their respective roles. AWESOME STUFF!!!! Main Event: Booker T Vs The Rock For The WCW Title Well it was obvious who was going over here, still entertaining nevertheless though! Decent match where The Rock came back to win the WCW Title, justice was served I guess. This capped off a perfect show! I just HAD TO comment on this show. Thank you people for reading and thank you WWE for putting on such a spectacular show!!!!

A highly recommended Summerslam!

[avi0107 · 9/10 · 21 July 2008]

Match 1: Edge Vs Lance Storm For The Intercontinental Title! Pretty good opener. Two very capable superstars delivering the good. Good opener. 6.5/10

Match 2: Six-Man Tag Team Match Great! Love it, the ending was just awesome. 7.5/10

Match 3: Tajiri Vs X-Pac For The Cruiserweight Title Pretty good, very technical and entertaining. 7/10

Match 4: Chris Jericho Vs Rhyno Good but not great. I did expect more but was still a good encounter. And Stephanie was hot. 7/10

Match 5: Jeff Hardy Vs Rob Van Dam In A Hardcore Title Ladder Match. Awesome! When these two men go at it, there's no doubt it will be great..now add a ladder to it. Awesome match. 9.5/10

Match 6: Tag Tean Title Steel Cage Match Squash match and I still enjoyed it. But certainly not the best of Taker's career. To be honest, I don't like Taker in Tag teams, even with Kane. Both are much better single. 6.5/10

Match 7: Kurt Angle Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin For The WWF Title Match of the night along with Jeff vs Rvd. It was brutal bloody, intense....awesome. I do consider this as a classic but the ending was literally cruel. None less...brilliant performance by both athletes. 9.5/10

Main Event: Booker T Vs The Rock For The WCW Title Good but not great. It was what I expected and a good way to end a great Summerslam. 7/10

Summerslam 2001 Review

[Kevan-409-34061 · 9/10 · 29 June 2012]

This year's Summerslam had a lot of build up, continuing the WWF/Alliance feud.

1. Intercontinental Championship - Lance Storm vs. Edge This was a great opener, as both men worked very well together. The action was fast paced and never got boring. I feel this match is underrated, as the match was good from start to finish and also helped start a new feud. 8/10

2. 6 Man Tag Team Match - The Dudleys & Test vs. The Acolytes & Spike Dudley I honestly didn't expect this to be a good match but it turned out to be an entertaining one. Everybody worked pretty well together, and there was a pretty sick spot in the match. I wouldn't skip this one. 6/10

3. Cruiserweight Championship - Tajiri vs. X-Pac Another fast paced match where both men worked hard. I was disappointed at how the match ended but that doesn't take away from a great match from the smaller guys of the WWF. 7/10

4. Chris Jericho vs. Rhyno I enjoyed the storyline with Stephanie McMahon wanting someone to take Jericho out. This was also a very entertaining match. It had its slow spots with Rhyno taking over and punishing Jericho, but both men's styles made an entertaining match. 7/10

5. Ladder Match for the Hardcore Championship - Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam I might be the only person that didn't think this match lived up to its expectations. Don't get me wrong, these two worked hard and put on a good ladder match, but I thought it would be more "hardcore". There were some botched spots but still a fun match to watch. 7/10

6. Steel Cage Match for the WWF & WCW Tag Team Championships - Undertaker & Kane vs. DDP & Kanyon This was really a squash match. Not horrible but it was still pretty disappointing. I'd skip this one. 4/10

7. WWF Championship - Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle This was an awesome, hard fought battle that was really marred by a screw job finish. The crowd was really behind Angle throughout the match, and a win from him would have made them erupt. He took a beating early in the match, but came back and appeared to have Austin beat. Great match none-the-less, I would highly recommend watching this is you haven't already. 9/10

8. WCW Championship - Booker T vs. The Rock While not as good as the previous championship match, the ending was much more fitting to close the pay per view. Both superstars worked well together to create an entertaining main event. Thankfully the finish was solid and sent the fans home happy. 7/10

Summerslam 2001 was a great pay per view from the WWE. There was only one bad match, while all of the rest were worth watching. The opener and Austin/Angle matches were both awesome. I highly recommend this DVD!

Some of the bookings really sucked

[amanwhorocks · 5/10 · 9 August 2015]

1. Intercontinental Championship: Lance Storm Vs. Edge - Good chosen opener. 8/10

2. Spike Dudley/A.P.A Vs. Test/Dudley Boyz - Really quick Tag match. Heel side won, hehe. 8/10

3. Title Vs. Title Match: Light Heavyweight Champ-Tajiri Vs. Cruiserweight Champ-X-Pac - Don't like X-Pac but together with Tajiri they put some solid effort! 8.5/10

4. Rhyno Vs. Chris Jericho - Clean victory for y2J, and he has got the pleasure of kissing Princess Stephi :) 8/10

5. Hardcore Championship: RVD Vs. Jeff Hardy - I guess we saw it last PPV.-_- But this time we put ladder. Shame, they screwed the spinning back kick. RVD became new champ. 8/10

6. Tag Team Championship: DDP/Kanyon Vs. Undertaker/Kane - Jeez, that was terribly booking, Chris after while ran away and the faces were 2 on one. Lol. Then Taker totally destroyed DDP. Stupid for both sides. 1/10

7. WWF Title Match: Champ-Austin Vs. Kurt Angle - Great match, but no decision. Stone Cold get disqualified :-/ 8.5/10

8. WCW Championship: Champ-Booker T. Vs. The Rock - Champ went first, whatever. Hm match was quite fair, Booker T. looked like looser from very beginning, and then Rock became WCW Champ. Sigh. 6/10 Last 3 matches were one great disappointment.

All About The WCW Integration

[zkonedog · 4/10 · 21 February 2022]

Earlier in 2001, Vince McMahon bought out his competition--WCW. So, the WWE had to find a way to integrate that group into the main fold. The way they did it? The Alliance, a conglomeration of WCW newbies and WWE traitors. More functionally, it was a way to distribute all championship belts without it turning into strictly "company lines", as it were. Though an intriguing idea, in theory, I feel like it comes off as a very bland/vanilla here.

Some further thoughts...

-The fact that I had absolutely no interest in the first 3/4 of this card does not bode well. I will admit that by this point I was not following professional wrestling on a week-to-week basis any longer, but I wonder if there is perhaps a cause-and-effect relationship there.

-I'm not a fan of the way WWE handled Stone Cold's heel turn. While it produced an all-time classic WrestleMania moment in 2001 ("Stone Cold is shaking hands with Satan himself!"), the aftermath was a pretty big buzzkill. I consider Austin to be the most engaging personality in the history of professional wrestling, so seeing his character reduced to hob-nobbing with the villains is an enormous risk that doesn't ever really pay off (at least not yet). Also, I don't think Angle is the guy to put over on his behalf--just not enough juice for my tastes.

-Rock/Booker-T is the best and most interesting match on the card. Those two really know how to put on a show. But ending-wise, it almost seemed like a McMahon subtle message about who is really in charge here.

I know this event is likely better for most than what I've given it here. But truth be told, I'm still quite let down by the disappointing aftermath of the brilliance that was WM 17.