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Submitted by The Jakel on Monday, June 24, 2002 at 11:05 AM EST
- A number of Ohio Valley Wrestling and Heartland Wrestling Alliance wrestlers were backstage at last night's show. Mike Awesome, Horace Hogan, Haku, Race Steele, R.C. Haas, The Island Boys, Mike Sanders, Johnny the Bull, Steve Bradley, Lance Cade, Chad Collyer and E.Z. Money drove a 100 miles from Cincinnati, which is where the HWA is located, while Sean O'Haire, Prototype, Shelton Benjamin, Red Dog, Payne and Rob Conway drove over 200 miles from the OVW. Peripheralsanity sent this in I recently returned from King of the Ring. I drove five hours from my home in Michigan, and I must say, the Columbus crowd was hot nearly all night. Of the all the wrestling events I've been too, including Wrestlemania X8, it ranks up with the best of them. A few notes from after the show...... I'm not sure where the program went off the air, but after the Undertaker pinfall victory he proceeded to call out the Rock who remained at the top of the ramp. Rock charged the ring and hit Taker with the Rockbottom. Rock turned around only to receive a pedigree from the recovered Triple H. Undertaker shaking off the effects of the Rockbottom then chokeslammed Triple H and left the two star faces lying in the ring as he rode up the ramp. Undertaker returned a few moments later to clean up his mess. But he was beaten to the punch as the Rock and Triple H pummeled the Taker back and forth between them. Rock then went to do the people's elbow and looked frustrated because he had no elbow pad to toss. Triple H eagerly loaned the Rock his elbow pad. Rock then convinced Triple H to do a people's elbow which was funny since Triple H added a couple of groin trusts before dropping the elbow. Taker stood up one last time, and at this point it seemed as if the three were laughing at how silly the segment was getting. After getting pounded some more Rock opened the ropes for Taker to just walk away, and Taker stumbled and fell out of the ring like a drunk after last call. End of show "The Big Red Machine" from the LOP message boards sent this in KING OF THE RING 2002 LIVE SHOW NOTES Before the show started, my friends went out to check out the merch tables and saw Tommy Dreamer shooting some vignettes at a "lemonade stand." He was taking stuff from people in the crowd and putting it in his lemonade, then drinking it. A few minutes later, they passed by the merch area again, and the "lemonade stand" was gone. One of my friends went to use the restroom, only to find Tommy with the camera crew in there, eating stuff off the floor and such. The Heat graphic was played on the lower TitanTron screen for pretty much the last half hour before the PPV started. Then, at about 7:45, we were "treated" to what Howard Finkel called "a special bonus match" (the main event of Heat, obviously). It was the Hardy Boyz vs. Raven and Steven Richards. The crowd was very excited during this match, obviously... it was the first match of the night. There were no other matches before the PPV started. Fink, JR and King got great pops when they came out... so did the ref for the Hardy Boyz match. This was my first live WWF/E event, despite being a devout wrestling fan since 1984. We sat in section 102, above the floor but close enough to really enjoy it. Close enough for wrestlers to see our faces, and for us to see theirs. It was odd not hearing JR and King, but we could see them well from our vantage point, and it was easy to guess what they were saying. JR really works when he's doing commentary. To get enough volume, he really wrenches his body forward. The crowd in Columbus was well-behaved as usual, but still very excited about the show. As with any crowd, there were ups and downs, but I think we gave them the reaction they wanted. I did see one man get escorted out in handcuffs, and a few others were escorted toward the exit by security at one point, but they were not handcuffed and didn't really seem like they were being thrown out. The show's opening pyro was pretty huge. We were just about 50 yards from the floor, and the heat was still incredible! RVD vs. Chris Jericho First of all, Nationwide Arena was nearly FILLED with smoke after the pyros went off. They always seem to have trouble with that. Maybe if they turned the fans on BEFORE the show starts? I dunno, I guess I missed my calling when they were looking for somebody to plan for that stuff. The fans were going full-tilt, but didn't really help much. The smoke pretty much dissipated by the 3rd match or so. LOTS of "RVD" chants during this match. The crowd reactions were very hot, very loud. Cheers for RVD (obviously), and jeers for Jericho (obviously). RVD's outfit got a pretty good pop from some Cincinnati residents in our section. I guess they're Bengals fans. Who knew there were some left? Huge pop from the crowd when RVD leaped over the ropes and tackled Jericho at the bottom of the ramp. King did an in-ring interview with RVD after he won the match, but the crowd didn't get to hear it. We DID hear Heyman talking to Brock next. Brock vs. Test The winner of this was pretty much a no-brainer, but I must say... Brock's music sounds GREAT live. The man is absolutely huge. The crowd didn't really know who to cheer for in this match, but Brock seemed to get a pretty positive reaction from the crowd. Test, while not a favorite of mine, does work very hard. There were a few very clearly-blown spots in this match, but the crowd didn't seem to notice, except for your occasional "smart-mark" jeers from select areas of the crowd. Brock won with the F5, which got a very good pop from the crowd. He seemed a bit surprised by it, but didn't really react to us one way or the other, but just headed to the back with Paul. We heard Coach interview Bubba Ray, and Mark Lloyd interviewed Lance Storm & Christian. Plenty of "USA" chants during that one, and lots of heat for the Canadians. I really like where that angle is going... Jamie Noble vs The Hurricane Nidia looked like she's been doing a lot of physical conditioning since Tough Enough. Trust me, it's a Good Thing. Her "trailer park trash" look is really working for her, but I'd suggest a different hairdo... something late-'80s, maybe. Jamie got a LOT of heat during this match, and he played the crowd pretty well. Some guys in the front row were really dishing the heat to him, and he played right along. Nidia's kiss on the Hurricane got a collective "UGH!" from the crowd. Hurricane's entrance got a VERY loud pop, but his 2nd chokeslam (the successful one) got an even bigger pop. Hurricane acted like he really enjoyed the crowd during & after that match. I just wish he could hang on to that title for a decent amount of time. We heard Terri interview Eddy Guerrero, but I'll be damned if any of us understood what the hell he said. Flair vs. Eddy The first of two legends I never thought I'd see live came out first. Flair's entrace (not to mention every single knife-edged chop) elicited a horde of "WHOOOO!" cries from the crowd... over and over and over again. Columbus folks really love the "WHOOOO!" I guess. OK, I'll admit I did it a few times. Flair looked in great shape, and although he didn't juice (bleed), the match was very entertaining by two hard-working men. Eddy got some pretty intense heat. Benoit seemed to come out of nowhere, and didn't really get a reaction until he put the crossface on Flair outside the ring. On one hand, the crowd was cheering because it was the first time we've seen one since he came back, but some were giving him heat, too. Bubba Ray's interference got a huge pop, and so did Flair after winning. Molly vs Trish I personally loved this match. It was well-executed, and entertaining. Aside from the usual "we want puppies" chants, the crowd seemed genuinely supportive of Trish. I really think this women's division is starting to earn some real respect. There were a couple moves in this match that I'd never seen before. Trish is very expressive when she sells moves. We could hear her clear up where we were sitting. Aside from the wrestling, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that yes, they do look even more beautiful in real life. I think you know what I mean by "they." The only "WHAT?" chants of the night happened during Kurt's interview backstage, thank God. Of course, maybe that's only because NO ONE USED THE MIC IN THE RING THE ENTIRE NIGHT, but come on, folks. How long are you going to keep doing that? Austin is gone. Let it go. Kurt doesn't sell like it bothers him anymore. Let... it... go. Kurt vs. Hogan The moment I'd dreamed of since I was a kid in Spider-Man underoos came next. Hulk Hogan broke through that black curtain, wearing the red & yellow with the boas, the bandana, and the tie-dyed pants. A year ago, I was certain that I'd lost my chance to ever see that happen. Hogan played to every section of the crowd, but I'm going to claim it right now... our side was loudest, and he knew it. He got in the ring and did his usual working of the crowd, but at one point, stopped and pointed toward our section, not just our side of the arena. I shouted until my voice wouldn't work anymore. He gave us the thumbs up and a big smile. The man is huge, let me tell you. He seemed to be moving very well tonight. His moves were faster, crisper, and he sold better than in past weeks. Kurt came out to thunderous "YOU SUCK" chants. I'm starting to think they might be turning him face soon... I'm not sure. But I still chanted it anyway, because it was fun. When Hogan removed his wig, the place went nuts. Kurt got plenty of heat when he grabbed the chair & went after Hogan. He got the biggest heat of the night when he won, but I didn't care. You could have sent me home after that match, and I would still have been happy. Does that make me a Hogan mark? Maybe so... if it does, well... it feels pretty damn good, "brother." Hogan left the ring in darkness, still selling the anklelock by leaning on the ref for "support" as the Goldust/Rock/Booker segment ran on the TitanTrons. By God, that segment was hilarious! Goldust continues to entertain me with his antics... he & Booker are definitely an odd team, but something just... works there. It was great to hear Rock put over Columbus, just like he does to every town... but even greater because it was his first PPV back. RVD vs Brock for KING OF THE RING Well, this match really lost some steam since it followed the Hogan match. Lots of pops for RVD and his moves, but strangely also for Brock. Brock won, but then the crowd seemed like they didn't know whether to cheer or not. The backstage segment with HHH and the nWo was cool... I just wish they'd done something more with it, but it does set up a bit of uncertainty... HHH didn't actually REFUSE the nWo's help, he just never gave the signal. HHH vs Undertaker We could see Taker getting on his bike backstage from where we were sitting, but it was too noisy in the arena to hear it. HHH's entrance was nothing short of spectacular live, despite the glitch at the beginning. HHH was very clearly hurting during this match. I think his kneecap is still bothering him, but especially that elbow. This match was very long... on the order of nearly 40 minutes, I think. The crowd got very quiet during this match, until Rock's music hit and then things really livened up. Rock's interference got a huge pop. When he went to the announce table, there were some ladies who were um... well "marking out" might be too tame. One particular girl was in tears, and Rock did apparently give her a hello before turning back to the match. I kept expecting to see the nWo run in, but it never happened.. not even after the show went off the air. Speaking of afterwards, here's what happened. Taker went to the back, but left his bike at the top of the entrance ramp. OK, it wasn't really a ramp at all, but you know. Rock and HHH got up slowly, and Taker came back down. He attacked Rock & HHH, but lost the upperhand as Rock and HHH kept punching him back and forth to each other. Rock laid him out and HHH stood in the corner, watching. Rock went for the People's Elbow, but didn't have an elbowpad, so he took off his shirt and tossed it. People's Elbow on Taker. Rock and HHH celebrate a little, Taker gets back up and punched around some more. Rock goes for the Elbow again, but has no shirt or elbowpads. HHH pulls his off and tosses it to Rock. Crowd explodes with laughter. Rock hits the People's Elbow again. Rock motions to HHH to beat down Taker. HHH preps Taker for the Pedigree, but Rock stops him and tells him to try the People's Elbow. Taker sits up, Rock kicks him once and he falls back down. HHH starts to do the People's Elbow, but Rock stops him and tells him to face the other side of the arena. HHH turns around, pulls off his other elbowpad, and hits Taker with the People's Elbow after a little "pelvic thrusting" motion of his own. Huge pops from the crowd, lots of laughs. Taker staggers to his feet, stumbling toward the ropes. Rock sits on the middle rope, Taker takes the cue and falls out between them! Taker is really out of character at this point.. too funny! Taker raises his hands in victory, even tho Rock's music is playing. Rock and HHH celebrate a little more, Rock explains how he didn't mean to hit HHH with the chair. They shake hands, and Rock leaves. HHH leaves the ring, but gets back in and points at the crowd, walking in a circle, thanking us and telling us he appreciated us coming. He never used the mic, though. Neither did Rock. HHH walked to the back and that was the end of it. While not technically a great PPV, it was indeed my first live event. I have no voice right now, but I'm happy as can be. HBK3966 sent this in I just got home from the King of the ring in Columbus. I was in the front row to catch all the action. Here is what happened when the camera's went off the air. The Rock come back to the ring after Taker was talking trash to him. Rock Bottom on Taker. Then peoples elbow on Taker. Rock turned around and walked right into a pedigree from HHH. Taker back up, and chokeslammed HHH. Rock and HHH then got up and they took turns punching the champ. After they got him on the mat, People's elbow on Taker again, by The Rock, and then Triple H did a version of the peoples elbow. They took turns punching the champ once again, and then the Rock held the 2nd rope and Taker fell to the outside and left to the back. Rock went to shake the hand of HHH but HHH was asking Rock why he hit him in the head with the chair, and after they explained their actions to each other they had a little dance off(funny stuff). They shaked hands and Rock left the ring. Triple H then posed to the fans for about 5 minutes or so. Great Show!!! Before the show the Hardys took on Raven & Steven Richards. Matt hit the twist of fate on Richards and then Jeff hit the swanton bomb on him. Matt picked up the 3 count for the win *NEW GALLERY* Must See! Torrie Wilson Out PARTYING HARD in the Clubs!
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