The Rock Returns! WWE Summerslam 2001 Review

The Invasion storyline rolls on, as the WWF and Alliance square off at Summerslam 2001!
03:36 Intercontinental Championship: Lance Storm vs. Edge
06:02 APA & Spike Dudley vs. The Dudley Boyz & Test
08:23 WWF Light Heavyweight & WCW Cruiserweight Championships: Tajiri vs. X-Pac
11:33 Chris Jericho vs. Rhyno
13:09 Ladder Match for the Hardcore Championship: Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam
15:29 Steel Cage Match for the WWF & WCW Tag Team Championships: DDP & Kanyon vs. The Undertaker & Kane
17:02 WWF Championship: Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle
20:45 WCW Championship: Booker T vs. The Rock
23:27 Final Thoughts
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[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Jericho: And at SummerSlam, I'm gonna take care of that smelly... greasy... nasty animal. And I'm gonna get you too, Rhyno! Man I loved the interactions between Jericho and Steph

[@tmage23]

Back when you could say mean things about Stephanie McMahon in character without getting yelled at backstage by her husband and father.

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

@@tmage23 well she did invent women’s wrestling tho lololol

[@redbigun]

@@totallynotalpharius2283 The Women's Revolution where the 5 women out of 40 fight for the title.

[@inuenndo_]

@studio732jrl2 not really but you had to be there, the implications of how she is responsible for giving women a chance

[@nathanielparham319]

Me too Jericho is a genius

[@Simeautomatic100]

*This is random but I LOVED that Green & Blue SummerSlam logo! Wished they kept it*

[@MastaMS21]

Same. Still to this day I associate Summerslam with this logo despite the change since 2009.

[@Hilversumborn]

Why did they change it?

[@Plus27]

Yeah same here. I liked how it was animated to be spinned like a boomerang

[@saiful_journey]

Agree

[@DasNordlicht91]

Way better than the star one they've been using for the decade.

[@murphymoerf]

+ half a star for the Storm-Edge match for Storm saying "splendid"

[@enigmaskull3495]

3:52

[@Facelessman254]

If I could he serious for a moment

[@tinotica]

Kurt Angles ankle locks were always so entertaining whenever he randomly let out a “wooooooo” as he was doing it!! (No Way Out 2001, Invasion, Summerslam 2001, etc.)

[@enigmaskull3495]

19:23

[@tinotica]

@@enigmaskull3495 during the match, he does it twice (once on the floor and then as soon as he drags him in the ring)

[@30thcenturyhomer]

And unforgiven 2001

[@stevenmacaulay8807]

I always loved when he would scream " tap you son of a bitch" .. Kurt was a truly one of a kind talent, could make you fall over laughing or make you feel like he was actually in a real fight, 10/10 performer.

[@tinotica]

@@stevenmacaulay8807 same. I think he first did it at No Way Out that year. “Cmon Rocky. Wooooooh! Tap you son of a b***h! Do it NOW!! I’ll break your F**KIN ankle!!”

[@tyrone5969]

The Smackdown Fist stage was one of THE greatest stages EVER. So iconic. It fit absolutely perfectly with the era of wrestling, the energy of the show, and the rest of the branding.

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

That fist was a bitch to transport

[@UncledadBFD]

And climbing on it on the games was the best of fun

[@lunattt4274]

The led lights on the newer arenas are lame imo but they can’t use the old style anymore because they look shit in 4K

[@BBoy4040]

"YOU CAN'T BEAT KURT ANGLE FOR THE WWF TITLE! CAN YOU ARGUE THAT POINT?!?!? CAN YOU DISGAREE WITH THAT?!?!? HELL NO." Hearing JR say that in that tone is so hilarious for some reason

[@stfi7566]

I actually think the best part of that was Heyman’s vacant stare during J.R.’s rant. He looks like he genuinely didn’t expect it.

[@enigmaskull3495]

20:39 Angry JR

[@LanternSpawn]

Someone laced his barbecue sauce with coffee that morning.

[@tafua_a]

"In pro wrestling a gimmick works best when it's just you as yourself. Turns out, I'm an asshole!" - Paul Heyman, who no doubt pushed JR to his limit in this era

[@glennwelsh9784]

Rock's promos at this time were utter fire. He buried Booker T so brutally that I actually felt bad for Booker. Sure, he's worked next to guys like Hogan and Flair for years in WCW, who are some of the greats when it comes to promos. But Rock's quick wit and humor put him on such another level that Booker seemed unaccustomed to such savagery and completely outmatched.

[@harshckuk]

What in the blue hell is a Spinaroonie ?

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Unlike Billy Gunn, Booker was able to recover with his funny segments with Goldust. Rock even put Booker over in 2003.

[@dc8rdecoded]

Not to mention Rock’s promos on Booker was what put off Sting from joining WWE in his prime.

[@raider7375]

@@dc8rdecoded never heard that. I thought it was the ddp stalker angle.

[@rogregg29445]

@@dc8rdecoded exactly it’s bullshit

[@joshhale9355]

What really helps make the Stasiak thing so funny is the nonchalant way everyone would dodge him and just carry on like nothing happened. That whole gag was so stupid but in the best way, and Stasiak was really good at playing that meathead goof character you can’t help but laugh at.

[@mr.onethirtyeight5088]

I forgot all about that and yup the no selling and carrying on is F'N Hi-Larious!

[@johnepants]

I wish Stasiak got a little better push here. He had a great character, was all in on it, and could have been a good mid card guy like The Hurricane

[@JC-wn3ig]

And that’s why when he was once known as… MEAT

[@ADAM_COLLECTS]

He faced a lot of problems; he took himself too seriously, defected to WCW, then went back, so he was at the mercy of the McMahon's due to this and.... he had all sorts of mental health issues. Bless him for finding a career after the fact, chiropractor. Not easy to get through that.

[@brandonyouth5241]

Watching Stasiak here makes me wish they could've bring back PMS

[@tyrone5969]

I love the fact that everyone in the scenes where Stasiak runs into things just completely no sells it, and continues the segment without blinking. For a little comedy segment like that, you can't find a better pair than William Regal and The Rock, because their ability to pull off the whole "serious for comedic effect" thing levels above anyone else's.

[@KingLex87]

"Let the bodies hit the floor .. more like let the boobies hit the floor!!!" -Chris Jericho 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ChattGM]

Lmfaoooo classic. Remember dying laughing when Jericho said that. The crowd reactions after he delivered his punchlines made it more funnier too XD

[@nerdguru86]

@@ChattGM facts.... Jericho knew how to use the mic.

[@zlinedavid]

Today, it’d be “Let the bubbly hit the floor”

[@thebrownbaldy]

😅😅😅😅

[@cville991]

I thought Kurt Angle said it first. 🤣

[@SavoxYT]

"The light heavyweight championship was irrelevant for a very long time" Yeah. Thanks a lot, Gillberg...

[@alexhobbs1208]

Gillberg didn't book the belt that way.

[@DisrespectfullyClassieMarcEBla]

Either y’all have no memory cells (with all do disrespect) or didn’t see Gilberg during his run but he was over. Twerk why do you own the replica lol

[@hulk6785]

He was the longest reigning Light Heavyweight Champion when it was defended in WWE (448 days). Hell, he was the only champ for the whole year 1999; the reign lasted from November 17, 1998 to February 8, 2000.

[@DatBeastard]

@@hulk6785 True, however most of his run with the title is just yet another dig at WCW, poking fun at Goldberg's undefeated steak. It was funny for a little bit but went on far too long imo (him as champion that is). But like Brian pointed out, it was a title that could of been utilized better. At least New Japan took it a bit more serious as part of the J-Crown belts.

[@LastsayianTTV]

@@hulk6785 yeah that’s like giving James Ellsworth that same run then bragging about it like how you just did . Gillberg winning it was a cheap pop that shouldn’t have went longer then Kane’s 1st title run 😂

[@DoctorProfessorPablo]

I vividly remember watching this PPV. I spent most the day hanging at the park with my friends, they come over, and mom ordered Chinese food. To be young again.

[@taureanmcnabb6913]

Wrestling and Chinese food! Why wasn't I invited lol jk SummerSlam was something else back in the day, still glad it's around for it's legacy sake!

[@Facelessman254]

What day in August was this summerslam? My birthday is on the 25th and I remember sleeping at my friends house watching this live on tv here in the UK.. It might have even been my 9th birthday.. Great times 🙏

[@abedfo88]

@@Facelessman254 I always used to go around my friends to sleep on Friday nights because he had Sky TV. Classic RAW Is war 👌. Im pretty sure WCW highlights were on channel 5 on Friday evenings at somepoint also.

[@Facelessman254]

@@stfi7566 Thanks! I can't believe that was 20 years ago almost I remember it like it was yesterday

[@Facelessman254]

@@abedfo88 Same! My friend had Sky and internet back then (I didn't) so most Friday after a week of primary school I would stay at his and watch Raw.. And sometimes PPVS on a Sunday if we didn't have school the next day. Some of the best times of my life. We even had those old Video recorders that played VHS tapes so we just watched either old PPVS we had on VHS like unforgiven 2000 (personal favourite of ours) or we would record a ppv using a blank vhs tape and watch it after school on a Monday

[@Alex_DC413]

Man, Jericho dumping on Stephanie is a drastic departure from Dusty Rhodes getting banned from the mic for telling Stephanie to talk to the hand. Also, I joked with my brother that I wanna give Austin/Angle 5* just because Angle actually hit a moonsault

[@redbigun]

People hated young heel Stephanie back in the day. But, I'd give anything to have that Stephanie back over the older corporate, overly sensitive Stephanie.

[@toptenguy1]

Yep, Jericho actually got A LOT of leeway regarding that. it was like "his thing". lol

[@lynackhilou4865]

@@toptenguy1 yeah him and the rock would always find a way to put her in their promos

[@tinotica]

Steve Austin’s final summerslam and the only summerslam where nothing off-script happened during his match (years past: rope turnbuckle break, breaks his neck, knocked unconscious, and tangled upside down in the ropes)

[@thekidfromiowa]

Austin wins the 1996 KotR and they follow up that momentum by...relegating him to the pre-show on Summerslam.

[@tinotica]

@@thekidfromiowa it was ridiculous. And of course during that match, the rope breaks

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

@@thekidfromiowa Are you serious?? Then the WWF truly didn't know what they had with their talent till the middle of 1997. Otherwise, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash would have never gone to w c w, since Vince would realize their talent and do what he could to keep them there.

[@ajk]

I wouldn't say the rope turnbuckle break in 96 was non-scripted. If you watch closely, Yoko pulls on the rope himself so it breaks as he falls to the mat. So that I would say was meant to happen, remember this was at the time Yoko was at his heaviest while in the WWF, and not long before he left because of that in fact, only doing one more PPV (Survivor Series) afterward.

[@tinotica]

@@ajk hmm. well if that’s true, we could still say something bad off-script happens at every televised match Stone Colds been in

[@harshckuk]

I will never forget the sign in the crowd " Booker is my butler " during the buildup to Rock Booker T match

[@darnellwilliams8783]

Rock and booker had a great match can't belive he gave it two stars it deserved 4

[@johnepants]

The reason the built up the fell feud as Booker copying the Rock is because that’s how WCW tried to book him during his title run. The problem is, they didn’t let Booker show off his awesome personality at the time so nobody bought into it.

[@OtterKing133]

I’m sad to say my love for wrestling is Dwindling quite a bit, But I can’t resist these Wrestling With Wregret Videos, thanks for all the smiles over the years Brian!

[@stevenmacaulay8807]

I hear that but honestly, with roh, impact, njpw, mlw and aew i would say if you give those a chance your opinion may change... plenty of alternatives with their own thing going on without the bland boring booking of wwe.

[@monstermatt3453]

@@stevenmacaulay8807 One watch of AEW and he’ll be put off by the guy who wrestles with his hands in the pockets and asks everyone to sell for his slow motion kicks

[@orinanime]

@@stevenmacaulay8807 I'm down with NJPW. But all of the modern American programs/circuits can't hold my interest. It seems like it's Nothing but new characters/gimmicks I can't get into or a handful of old-timers that should stay retired.

[@stevenmacaulay8807]

@@orinanime i would highly recommend aew , i know theres stuff you might not like but they have alot of variety the same with say mlw, i really recommend the latter. You do get some old guys but theres quite abit of young talent there and some good stories like with hammerstone/fatu. MLW is like roh but with some personality.

[@orinanime]

@@stevenmacaulay8807 I'll look into it.

[@BASSTakena]

Thanks to your Classic PPV reviews, I found a respect and admiration for Booker T. His work in late 90's/early 2000's WCW was top notch (can't remember which show it was, but those back-to-back matches against Martell and Saturn, both of those he wasn't supposed to win and the second one was called on the fly... Amazing). Which is why it pains me to see him being buried and/or thrown aside when he went to WWF/E. Sure, later he won back some of that shine, but imagine fair and long feuds against The Rock, Stone Cold, Eddie Guerrero, Benoit... Let's not forget the dishonor of making him lose against Triple H, when the angle was racist as hell, and everybody wanted to see H being punished.

[@adamwright1630]

X Pac is the epitome of being "ahead of his time". He would be over huge in the business today. Massively underrated. He would be over huge today.

[@scotthardie5141]

100% same with Tajiri though

[@adamwright1630]

@@scotthardie5141 Wouldn't argue he'd be over now, but he was over then too. No one caught more shit than X Pac with the fans at the time.

[@jules8876]

@@adamwright1630 Having "X-Pac heat" is hardly the same as "being over".

[@spikeannoyed]

As he is 150lbs soaking wet, like all today’s “stars”

[@adamwright1630]

@@jules8876 My point was more that that his style was more in line with the way the business has gone in the past decade. No way he'd get that heat if he was performing today.

[@joshzumstien6289]

THANK YOU for giving heel Steve Austin props! I have always maintained, since it happened, that heel Austin was awesome. I know that Steve was such a beloved Babyface that most fans rejected it outright just because it was different, but if you actually watch his work at this time it was some of the best stuff of his career. Everything that he did with Angle and McMahon was pure, pure gold.

[@michaelsinger4638]

The timing of it was the problem.

[@dukes1993724]

Don’t do it in 2001. Wait a few years

[@JamesKlemm87]

@@dukes1993724 You're right but Austin would've already been retired by then.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

The real reason why Christian betrayed Edge was because their grandma didn’t loved Christian

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

The most realistic reason to turn heel

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I can't wait until Christian Cage turns heel in AEW. He's an ok protagonist but IMO, the Christian character mostly works as a villain.

[@tinotica]

@@outlawrip-offartist4161 Christian, Bret Hart, Test, and Edge during 2004 turning heel were all perfectly justifiable. I guess Canadians just do it better lol

[@ONLY_RR7]

@@tinotica Bret retired in 2000 tho?

[@Hellwyck]

@@outlawrip-offartist4161 *heel

[@DaddyFutbol]

It's sad how wwe f'cked up potentially the best idea in wrestling history: invasion

[@Disneymagic24]

half of it wasnt their fault. im sure you know but all those wcw contract for goldberg and stiener and such were so huge they couldnt afford to sign them till they ran out. so they had the 2nd and third string guys. now also they could have waited for the invasion

[@DaddyFutbol]

@Awesome Sauce funny yet extremely accurate

[@kylefunderburk4194]

@@Disneymagic24 Yes, they absolutely should have waited, but there were many more issues than a lack of talent. Most of those issues were caused by WWE. Burying of championships like the WCW Championship was idiotic. Turning every WCW and ECW guy heel and every WWE guy babyface made no sense, it was just lazy. People really didn't want to boo Booker T, RVD, Billy Kidman and DDP. Fans didn't really want to cheer for guys like X-Pac either. And the goal of putting the other side out of business was also very lazy. Not having ECW Championships was also lazy, but it's probably a good thing they were omitted because they would have been buried even more.

[@Maniac_Matt]

Sooooo many angles, feuds, etc. could have come from this...

[@dantegood2195]

@@kylefunderburk4194- So the WCW guys should have been the babyfaces? How does that work? It was always destined for failure, because after 5 years of NWO fans were sort of fatigued by a “we’re taking over” storyline.

[@chrisbreezy3048]

It took revisiting this PPV to remember how great that WWF Title Match between Austin and Angle really was. Kurt may not have won the belt, but we did get Milk-O-Mania the very next night in Sacramento, so I'd say it was worth it.

[@DasNordlicht91]

I was a big Angle mark at the time, so I was pissed that he got screwed at Summerslam, and very happy when he got payback the next night with the Milk-O-Mania moment.

[@enigmaskull3495]

“Milk-O-Mania is running wild!” - Jim Ross

[@jcace13]

Oh that's why he has a big plaster/band-aid on his head for that segment.

[@SamNieztsche]

@@enigmaskull3495 "The Billion Dollar Princess has become the Dairy Queen!"

[@CDpanda365]

The more I hear that Last Ride call, the urge of dusting off my copy of Just Bring It intensifies...

[@shawnadmire5309]

I hear...THE UNDERTAKER!!!...has the greatest..THE LAST RIDE!!!....of all time

[@pepito2847]

The rivalry between Heel Austin and Babyface Angle was pretty interesting

[@sophieschollsreinkarnation5078]

the night after Survivor Series: Austin was Babyface again (the man who tried to kick WWF out of business just the night before), Angle was Heel again (the man who saved the WWF the night before) ...

[@zeospark9715]

X-Pac gets shit on a lot due to his overexposage (especially creating the "X-Pac Heat term) but I rarely find matches he is in where they are bad. Dude's a good wrestler

[@AndreNDP]

In reference to the Angle face push, I felt the quality that they really emphasised for him wasn't patriotism, it was loyalty and the tenaciousness in which he'd pursue that loyalty.

[@javiers5599]

I never thought I'd hear the word 'Himbo' come out of Brian's mouth

[@PacRimElectric]

I was there. The two memories I have is Kurt Angle putting in the ankle lock on SCSA and him walking him back into the ring and the cage match.

[@nbr6116]

The Moment I remember most from this PPV is the Clothesline Bradshaw Throws at Shane in the Main Event from Off-Camera. Such a Cool Angle for death to come from

[@Hellwyck]

*angle

[@jjbjjb273]

I really wish vince mcmahon had waited a year and got all the wcw big players and had the real Invasion man it would have be epic.

[@LanternSpawn]

Yeah it would've made much more sense if Eric Bischoff was brought in and then they would do it given a proper build, kind of like when ECW was brought back in 2005.

[@eastsidereviews727]

15:30 RIP the career and credibility of Kanyon and DDP.

[@ryankeefe6222]

Kanyon talked about this match in a shoot interview before he passed that since he’d never been in a cage match he wanted to do all this stuff like he wanted taker to choke slam him off the cage and things like that be he kept getting shot down

[@enigmaskull3495]

And 16:34

[@jamesgordon7040]

What happened to DDP in WWE was fucking criminal man. He could’ve been a major star until at least 04-05 . Freaking sad man

[@SamoIsKing]

Austin vs Angle is still one of my favourite matches ever. I believe Austin has said in the past it was his favourite match he worked as a heel.

[@adamdavis1737]

I think if you can watch this show without thinking about the whole invasion angle, you can just appreciate it as a really stacked pay-per-view. In my opinion this was the best thing to come out of that whole invasion period. I thought it had some really quality matches, and is one of the few pay-per-views these days I can sit and rewatch from start to finish and be entertained basically the whole time. Sadly some of these WCW guys didn't end up having anything to do in the company once the invasion angle wrapped up. But I still think this show was sweet. For me I feel like it's better because it doesn't have the terrible story super attached to it

[@kevinsmith6104]

I always like those flying chair shots

[@heyyou9693]

"Spike being thrown hither and yon" is a fantastic description.

[@MentalLiberation]

20:40 JR laying it in heavy. Love it! Great commentary

[@tyrone5969]

Have they ever tried explaining why Edge and Christian claimed they were brothers for years, and how they fooled everyone for so long?

[@sbcj9]

God its like going back to my childhood. I remember a friend of mine use to record the ppvs for me during this period so I could watch the whole invasion story line in real time. I remember all these matches. Going down memory during this era.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

It’s odd to see Lance storm not wearing a Canada theme attire

[@ShawnSandiego]

Pretty sure he wore those in ECW already too.

[@objectionable9891]

The amount of serious bumps austin takes at this point in his career is amazing, suplexes on the outside to a guy who probably should have retired after owen spiked him in the 90s, he really does deserve the admiration he gets

[@at3479]

Yeah, this makes sense to have The Scorpion King lead the charge against an invasion as opposed to leading an invasion like he did in The Mummy Returns

[@The_Hero74_]

This comment is perfect 😂

[@samcalderas870]

In all fairness, The Scorpion King was it's own stand alone, origin movie.

[@thekidfromiowa]

At that point The Rock was a wrestler who happened to do movies before he became a movie star who happened to be a former wrestler.

[@johnepants]

2001 was really the year Kurt took that step into being legit. I know he won the title the year before, but he was more of a lucky Honkey Tonk Man heel then. 2001 gave him some of his best matches and storylines yet with Benoit, Shane, and Austin

[@aaronlishus897]

Definitely agree!

[@JoshGjonaj]

Hey Brian the RVD and Jeff Hardy wasn't the first time the Hardcore Championship was defended in a ladder I believe Bossman and Mankind face eachother in one for it

[@ryanleikness3414]

Sorry but hes right. But did anyone else remember that match?

[@JoshGjonaj]

@@ryanleikness3414 I remember it being the build up for Rock and Mankind

[@ryanleikness3414]

I was too young. Was only 5. I got into it in 2000. But I dived into the titles history later. Fun fact. The Hardcore title was born on my birthday.... I miss that title

[@kenterminateddq5311]

9:18 Something tells me that Paul Heyman's line would not work today even if Retribution was still a faction. 23:58 Basically, Brian Zane gives Summerslam 2001 a "Mike Sanders out of 10".

[@MentalLiberation]

A wrestler that actually was around at the time, if I'm not mistaken, that wasn't used.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@Jay Harv28 Maybe as a mouthpiece.

[@stuffsomedumb5665]

Heel Austin was hilarious. He knew EXACTLY what he was he was doing with that character, and it was awesome.

[@jjenk911]

Man, Lance Storm was totally underrated, and he was booked correctly in WCW with his Canada angle. He should have been a world champion before retiring.

[@carlosmontesinos1544]

I've always said that babyface american hero Kurt Angle vs heel canadian patriot Lance Storm was one of the biggest of the many lost chances of the Invasion. Just shy from Rock/DDP for the undisputed people's championship.

[@tafua_a]

@@carlosmontesinos1544 Their characters would have been so great working against each other... Lance could have been the perfect straight man to Kurt's antics

[@e-rab_malibu34]

Brian I am not gonna lie you have singlehandedly got me back into wrestling. Thank you

[@ForWhatItsWorth_]

About time. I always wanted to see your thoughts on Austin vs Angle. One of the most underrated matches ever.

[@Sp_Oon]

The Classic PPV intro is top notch ngl.

[@NandoA130]

I said it once and I'll say it again, RVD v. Jeff Hardy was always a dream match back in the day. I know it wasn't their cleanest match but they always entertained

[@NandoA130]

@@attiepollard7847 true but it made sense cuz Jeff was barely getting a singles run in the midcard and RVD was ECWs top dog so he had to win to keep him looking good considering no one else from the alliance other than Booker T looked any good

[@jakeheerwagen8007]

You’ve now done 2 out of 3 of the PPV’s that I own on VHS. So I get even more nostalgia from it. You’re a beauty Brian

[@dc8rdecoded]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Taker’s first use of “Decade of Destruction” was at Survivor Series 2000 when he did an interview before his match with Angle. I definitely remember that coming up during his feud with Triple H at ‘Mania X-7.

[@d-vardcage3446]

You are correct sir

[@toptenguy1]

Crazy that this made him feel a bit old... And he continued for 20 MORE YEARS. lol

[@NyxTheScary]

Storm matches are always a guilty pleasure of mine. Also hearing Brian say "Himbo" was not on my bingo card of 2021

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Paul Heyman: the dudleys are the best tag team in wwe history Me: actually they are ranked 5

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

So who are the other 4 then?

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

@@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734 4 edge christian 3 hart foundation 2 hardys 1 new day

[@thesprock5270]

@@guillermosierracuellar9812 😂, New g@y ain’t top 5. That has to be a WWE generated opinion.

[@brendanroberts1310]

@@guillermosierracuellar9812 what no lod or the steiner brothers

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

@@brendanroberts1310 lord ranked 6 And the Steiner bros ranked 17

[@superrobz]

“What is two plus 2? Do you know booker?”

[@jrcarter9175]

"Oh, that's easy! 2+2? Thomas Jefferson, sucka!"

[@marcohavokkhaos]

This is the first live PPV, I attended. It was in my hometown, went with my best friend and my dad. Epic show, second to Mania 17, for the year.

[@Peweskimooxy]

I was there! Only show I ever attended. It being August 2001 is quite a bookend to my childhood, knowing what happened a couple weeks later. Only thing I remember is being excited to finally find out how Jericho would just appear during his entrance, and I was staring intently, but the guy just fuckin teleported in, even in person!

[@josephgrace5955]

I know Devon was being a company guy guy and tried to thank “everyone” but when you look at all the beatings he took- I am glad Bubba thanked Spike in particular in the HOF speech.

[@RKStrikerJK5]

16:40 the way Taker treated DDP was a definite low point for me concerning him overall. Just complete trash. And every time one of the WWE guys who used to work in WCW or JR trash-talked WCW, I would've done anything for their time down south to be thrown back in their face.

[@marcohavokkhaos]

I love how Rock and Austin were the main events, of Summerslam, from 1998-2002.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Until now I Realized that the alliance lost the opportunity to include the Ecw championship to their team I mean there was Booker t the WCW world champion but they also had Rhyno you know the last Ecw champion at the time

[@michaelrivera8360]

WWE:"well if it didn't happen here it didn't happen pal"!!!

[@dc8rdecoded]

ECW was tied up in legal troubles, so they couldn’t use their belts, unfortunately.

[@cumexolaf3276]

The Rock vs Booker T was a dream match to me before the Invasion. But they made it a burial.

[@nrmufc]

Binge watching these reviews. They're really good Brian

[@michaelrivera8360]

That Stone Cold vs Angle match is something else 2001 was really Austin's year in ring

[@jimsoczka9668]

Very nice! New pay per view review afterwork, on my birthday enjoying a Steve Austin's Broken Skull IPA

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Also Let the body hit the floor was the theme song of 2006 Ecw

[@bigfest6498]

Spike used to take some nasty hits. Seriously scary hits. I don't know how many times I thought "yeah...he ain't coming back from that"

[@rickytpb2164]

In a perfect world this is where the nWo debut in WWF. They jump The Rock after he beats Booker T and join The Alliance. Also Steve Austin is Team WWF in a perfect world.

[@ficogonzalez9133]

Thank You so much zman for this birthday gift love this great content

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Let the bodies hit the… FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

[@ProudBostonian]

I had this PPV on VHS back when it came out!! I can’t believe it’s been 22 YEARS!!

[@LestatandBerial]

If memory serves me right, Austin has said this match with Kurt Angle was his favorite as a heel during this time period

[@brdarlin]

man those RVD and Jeff Hardy matches were a blast back in the day

[@johnmcgraw972]

In just a few weeks after summerslam our Lives would change forever on 9/11

[@victormendoza7976]

Uploaded just in time to enjoy with breakfast.

[@Reiderreiter]

This late-summer run from Kurt Angle as the shining knight of WWF is seriously underrated. It’s seriously some of his best work. I can’t fully commit to saying that the Invasion as a whole was the worst thing ever because the Kurt Angle vs. Stone Cold feud was white hot and is still one of my absolute favorites.

[@gbrooks2]

This is the first video of yours that’s popped up on my feed in... 6 months? I think I stopped watching during the WNW but never unfollowed, etc... anyway, great review! Cool that footage is allowed again. Time to dive through your archives!

[@darkram13]

Every single clip you chose for the Ladder Match looked incredibly dangerous, tough to watch albeit very exciting

[@scorpionqueen11]

I've considered going back and watching RAW and the early PPVs from the start and up til I started watching in 2007. But that would be an insane task. Thanks for the history review, Brian!

[@AlexanderKahrs]

Also, I feel like Angle really pushing his patriotism is more just him leaning more into his general gimmick...and is just getting bigger pops since he's on the "right team" in WWF. I hear ya about it feeling kinda odd, tho. (EDIT: Good example of what I'm seeing is the fact he basically did "his" version of Austin's famous beer truck bit...but with a milk truck lol)

[@Y2KPlatinum]

Angle 8/20 says I just drank your milk!

[@BluThundr]

Late to mention but i'm really glad you highlighted that Jim Ross rant about "HOW STONE COLD KNOWS HE CANNOT BEAT KURT ANGLE FOR THE WWF TITLE CAN YOU DISAGREE WITH THAT." Just the pure raw energy from JR and Heyman on commentary during this time was the best commentary duo of all time, god man.

[@Merricat_likesu]

“It’s an Umdertaker match” Yay! “From the invasion” “…ohhh”

[@MrAce-lm8es]

Silver Spoon Muthafuckah 🤣🤣🤣 I was in stitches after The Rock said that. Shout out to Y2J Chris Jericho for the "2 Specific Places" promo. "My, my, my, Stephanie Sure Has Grown Over The Past Year, And In 2 Specific Places, at least." 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I hear there's a Hooters down the street! 😂😂😂😂

[@brianthebrute92]

Your videos are the highlight of my week, mahalos brotha 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@kokotheclown2588]

The light heavyweight belt is a beauty of a belt the design and the plate was odd but it gave it a cool design really underrated belt along with the European title

[@canonballkid8829]

2001 bought some prestige to the belt also. Jerry Lynn, Jeff Hardy, X-pac and Tajiri were great workers.

[@Tormund_Giantsbrain]

"Let the bodies hit the floor" Bin Laden : Aight bet.

[@SteRDLK]

Bin Laden: "fuck America" Stephanie: "well actually this is an attack on my family"

[@CeeMigoLoCo]

Did anybody else notice Jericho totally drop his knee into Rhyno's face right before the clip of their match ended?!? 😂

[@sazrulsazli]

Holy madness…. Thanks brian👏👏👏

[@marcohavokkhaos]

My friend thought Angle was going to win, cuz he saw a piece of confetti. Little did we know, the next PPV, would be in Angles hometown. Angle vs Austin, was match of the night. Despite, a very screwy DQ finish, 5 stars. Then Rock vs Booker, made everyone go home happy.

[@tylercooper2051]

Idk if u did so on purpose, but I very much so enjoy your pronunciation of the word super. Very much so sounds like your about to continue with it, and say super....star, but then cut yourself off lol. You may be able to idk if wanted try it lol a very good Chimmel impression idk if I spelled his last name correctly or not. P.S. got lazy towards the end, as it is one hell of a run on sentence lol.

[@JMC1396]

Im enjoying seeing you go through the pay per views around the invasion angle, looking back there was a lot wrong with this time period, but i feel nostalgic for it because it was around the time I started watching. People watched at school, but i didnt really start watching until my cousin lent me a vhs called " 3 faces of foley", which i became obsessed with so started watching.Summerslam 2001 was the first pay per view I watched, id only realise when I got more into wrestling how damaging the bad stuff was ( I had no idea who DDP was, and just enjoyed watching undertaker and kane destroy some people i was told were evil stalkes), but Ill never forget watching angle vs austin and getting caught up in just how intense it was. I heard people in school insulting this goofy kurt angle guy, and to see him busted open but not giving up, the suplexes, the moonsault, made me feel like I was seeing something no one else could see haha.

[@ComXDude]

Dare I say it, Jericho's match-ending Walls of Jerica was halfway to a Liontamer, and I am at half-mast

[@h_noel7380]

The logic behind that ladder match for the "Hardcore Title" always kind of bugged me. With the 24/7 rule always in place, especially if you're the challenger and a heel, why not just let your opponent climb the ladder and retrieve the belt. Ok, so he wins... and as he's celebrating his victory, nail him with a chair or something and pin him. You're the champ and you didn't have to risk your body.

[@blackrose8418]

Sure but we watch for entertainment not logic

[@ericgus692]

The 24/7 rule was waived for this match

[@williamerazo3921]

@@ericgus692for this Match. But after the match 24/7 is back on

[@wwemagazine]

The Chimel-esque "SuUuUper" is the kind of nice little touch that keeps me coming back week after week

[@KegOfMeat]

The hardcam being on the opposite side is always so jarring and distracting. Also. Jeff vs RVD was not the first Ladder Match for the Hardcore Title, it was Mankind vs Big Boss Man in 1998

[@jackcarraway4707]

DDP really should have been the one to feud with Rock. Booker T is a good worker, but DDP had the charisma to keep up with Rock and it makes sense to have the People's Champion from both companies square off.

[@jackcarraway4707]

@@attiepollard7847 DDP pitched him vs. Rock to Vince.

[@adamhenley8295]

Still can’t believe I was at this PPV back in the day - it was the end of a fabulous trip across the US (I drove Route 66)

[@sonicplys64]

I was on RAW the following night in Sacramento for Austin Appreciation Night. Yes, I was there live for the Kurt Angle Milk Truck incident. One of the craziest nights of my life.

[@DefConprime28]

This was around the time period but I finally checked out of watching wrestling until the year 2017 where somebody told me to watch Shane McMahon versus AJ styles so I have no idea what happened in wrestling from 2001 until 2017

[@rockthered8141]

The less you know, the better off you'll be.

[@cerburrows9380]

You missed the entirely of the RA era. And so so much

[@scotthardie5141]

Wow, a Shane match brought you back... ?

[@AtomicCody]

Ah, the song "Bodies" by Drowning Pool. Used for this show, the ECW relaunch in 2006, and a bunch of "WWE Extreme Moments" videos in the mid-2000s on KZbin.