Smackdown!

Mobile, Alabama
January 25, 2001

SmackDown! kicked off from Mobile, Ala., with the match between the Undertaker and Rikishi, which was made on RAW IS WAR. During the bout, Haku came out to the stage to watch the action. After the Undertaker hit Rikishi with a DDT, Haku ran to the ring to pound on the Taker, causing a disqualification. The two Samoans assaulted the Taker until Kane came down to even the odds. After the brothers cleaned house, the Undertaker grabbed Kane's arm and lifted it in the air in a show of solidarity!

In the backstage parking area, Mr. McMahon arrived at the arena. The Federation chairman was irate at the driver of the limousine, who had been 20 minutes late in getting him to the arena, so Mr. McMahon fired him!

Mr. McMahon then walked to the ring. The Federation chairman talked about how he has tried to be fair as of late. The owner also spoke of how Kurt Angle manhandled Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley on RAW, and how Trish Stratus was Pedigreed chest-first into the canvas, and how Stone Cold Steve Austin ended the evening by assaulting Triple H. Mr. McMahon said that to ensure that SmackDown! wouldn't be a repeat of RAW, he had given Stone Cold and Triple H the night off. Mr. McMahon said that there would, however, be a culmination of the tensions between Triple H and Stone Cold -- and the two would meet in a match at No Way Out, with the contract signing taking place this Monday on RAW.

Mr.

McMahon then said he would take part of the blame for what happened on RAW, but he said that Triple H deserved some of the blame too for what happened to Trish Stratus, and so did Kurt Angle, for manhandling Stephanie. Mr. McMahon demanded that Angle come to the ring, which the World Wrestling Federation Champion did.

Angle told Mr. McMahon that he respected him. The Federation Champion then asked for Mr. McMahon's forgiveness for accidentally hitting Stephanie, and he said that if he could turn back time, he would have stopped Triple H from assaulting Trish.

Mr. McMahon said that sorry wouldn't cut it. In the interest of fairness, Mr. McMahon said that Angle would defend his Federation Championship on SmackDown! against Kane!

In another match set up by Mr. McMahon in the interest of fairness, Jeff Hardy and Bradshaw took on Matt Hardy and Faarooq! Both Lita and Jacqueline watched this unique battle from the locker room area. The Acolytes pounded the hell out of each other, and ultimately, the Hardy Boyz beat on Faarooq -- and it turned out that the Hardyz had been pulling a fast one the whole time! Matt hit the Twist of Fate on his partner, and then Jeff hit the Swanton for the win!

Mr. McMahon was then shown in his locker room speaking on the phone with someone. He told the person that they had been through a great deal of trauma and they needed to get their rest. Mr.

McMahon then got a call on his other line, and his calm quickly turned to rage -- it was Linda McMahon's doctor on the phone! He told the doctor to double up on his wife's medication, and never to call him at the arena ever again! Mr. McMahon then went back to the other line to reassure whoever it was that everything was OK. But again the chairman's mood turned bleak when he saw that Triple H had arrived at the arena!

After a break, Mr. McMahon confronted Triple H about the Game's presence at SmackDown!, after he had given him the night off. Triple H said he had heard that Stone Cold would be at SmackDown!, and that just because Mr. McMahon had given both superstars the night off, it didn't mean a damn. Mr. McMahon then confronted Triple H about assaulting Trish on RAW -- and the Game questioned if the owner was more concerned about Trish or about his own daughter. Mr. McMahon then asked Triple H to leave his office.

The Rock headed to ringside to provide color commentary for the Intercontinental Championship match between Chris Jericho and the Big Show. Although The Rock was still irate at the Big Show for chokeslamming him through a table at the Royal Rumble, it was Chris Benoit who interfered in the match, kicking the Big Show for what Show did to him on RAW. Rock then joined in on the action as all three men pounded on the Show -- and Rock gave the Show a Rock Bottom on the floor!

Stone Cold Steve Austin was then seen backstage at the arena -- just as Triple H had predicted! Moments later, Triple H was shown in the same area looking for the Rattlesnake, but Stone Cold had already vanished.

Next up, Tazz faced K-Kwik. During the match, Kaientai came out! Taka called K-Kwik a rapping fool, and he said they were mesmerized by his hip yet funky hair. As K-Kwik looked to see what was going on, Tazz snuck up behind him and locked on the Tazzmission for the win. After the match, Taka bragged about fooling K-Kwik, and Funaki added, "Indeed!"

Stone Cold was then shown in the parking lot, downing a couple of Steve-weisers. Moments later, Triple H went out to the parking lot, but all he found were a bunch of empty beer cans.

Christian then challenged Test for the European Championship. Prior to the match, Christian said he had a "test" of his own: His opponent is either (a) a reekazoid, (b) has more teeth than the entire population of Mobile, or (c) is about to become one of the shortest reigning European Champions of all time. The answer, said Christian, was (d) -- all of the above. The end of the match came when Test reversed the impaler into a huge boot to the face and pinned Christian to retain his title.

As Triple H paced backstage, he looked over to a TV screen to see Stone Cold and Kaientai talking and enjoying a beer. Moments later, the Game approached Taka and Funaki, and again, the Rattlesnake was nowhere to be found.

Triple H took out his aggressions on Taka and Funaki.

Michael Cole then gave fans an update on Chyna. Cole said that an MRI had revealed bone fragments in Chyna's neck, and the Ninth Wonder of the World would have to have exploratory surgery.

In tag team action, Hardcore and Crash Holly -- accompanied by Molly -- took on Bull Buchanan and the Goodfather of the Right to Censor -- accompanied by Steven Richards and Ivory. Competing in their hometown of Mobile, the Hollys picked up the win when Ivory's interference backfired and she accidentally hit Bull with the Women's Championship, allowing Hardcore to pin him.

Backstage, Harvey Wippleman ran up to Triple H and told him he was needed immediately in Mr. McMahon's office.

Moments later, Triple H met up with Mr. McMahon outside the office and asked what the chairman wanted. Mr. McMahon said he never sent for Triple H, and at that point, the men knew it had been a plot by Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two men then went in the office preparing to ambush the Rattlesnake, but they couldn't find him. Suddenly, the Game saw Austin standing behind Mr. McMahon, but when he went to hit Stone Cold, he hit Vince instead! Stone Cold then pounded the hell out of the Game and Mr. McMahon!

The main event on SmackDown! was the Federation Championship match between Kurt Angle and Kane. During the match, Haku and Rikishi viciously double-teamed the Undertaker backstage. Moments later, the big Samoans came to ringside.Haku hit Kane twice with a chair, and then annihilated him with a thrust kick to the face, allowing Angle to retain his title. After the match, Haku and Rikishi double-teamed Kane until the Undertaker ran to the ring to save his brother. But Taker was still in bad shape from his attack just moments earlier, and Rikishi knocked him down and squashed him with a Banzai Drop.