Building to Judgement Day 2001
WWF Tag Team Championship scene-
The Tag Team Championship scene is basically the catalyst for the entire Invasion angle. On the post Backlash 2001 Raw, Shane McMahon cajoles Vince McMahon and The Brothers of Destruction (all of who are rightfully pissed that they were made to look bad in closing moments of Backlash 2001) to put the WWF Tag Team titles on the line against two handpicked guys from WCW in the main event . Shane chooses Mike Awesome and Lance Storm. Storm and Awesome win clean when Storm spends the match working Taker's leg, who hot tags to Kane, who is effectively over powered by a fresh Mike Awesome (keep in mine Kane has an injured arm). The match ends when Awesome Awesome Bomb's Kane on the same shoulder as his bad arm and wins the title. Storm and Awesome leave through the crowd. Shane once agains cajoles Vince on Smackdown, basically listing the lineage of the tag team championship in WWF, and saying that if he wants to see those titles ever again, he'll put every other WWF title on the line to WCW guys. as well as giving his guys matches on Raw and Smackdown, Paul Heyman interrupts and demands ECW be equally involved, which sets in motion the entire Judgement Day 2001 card. Vince, Shane, and Paul each agree to a Fatal 4 Way match where teams from WCW, ECW, and WWF can have preliminary matches on Raw and Smackdown to qualify for the three vacant spots. Over the ensuing weeks,
-The Brothers of Destruction squash Lash Leroux and Evan Korageous, with Kane pinning Lash after a Tombstone. Kane hits a second Tombstone post match, but when he goes for a third Undertaker yanks the limp Lash away, Kane shoves Taker, simply bellowing, "WHERE WERE YOU!" and stomping to the back.
-Rhyno and Raven qualify when they beat Steve Blackman and Grand Master Sexay. Somewhat inexplicably, Sexay does the classic "walk out on the match and leave your partner to get destroyed " spot, while Rhyno Gores and pins Blackman
-Lastly, Edge and Christian beat The Dudleyz, who Paul Heyman announces have defected to ECW. Edge spears D-Von to win clean.
Also worth noting is that Storm and Awesome appear on TV only to be shown relaxing in the luxury box with Shane and Dusty. Dusty routinely avoids the pestering of WWF announcers asking what he role is in WCW or why he's there.
WWF Title scene
As mentioned above, this is put in motion on the Smackdown after Backlash, where Vince McMahon books WWF Champion Austin vs WCW Champion Booker T for Judgement Day. In a backstage segment later in the match, primarily to allow for a repeatable line in video package for Judgement Day, Vince says "If you lose that WWF title, you'll be forfeiting my father's legacy to those miscreants. And then, it'll be your....Judgement Day."
Over the insuing weeks, Steve Austin spends his wrestling appearances on Raw and Smackdown fighting any WWF guy with a WCW history handpicked by Vince, because remember, we're still dealing with bat shit insane Vince, who's using the opportunity to prove a point that's lost on everyone but him and his family. Austin beats guys like Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Saturn, Haku, Rikishi (Vince McMahon mistankenly calls him a member of the Samoan SWAT team), and, most surprisingly, Steven Richards, who has grown long hair and a scraggly unkempt beard, wearing a stained white T-shirt, basically implying that he is homeless. Every one of these matches with the exception of Richards, who is a squash. is meant to be competitive and elevate the guys mentioned.
Booker T meanwhile, is challenged weekly by someone looking to "defend the honor of the WWE". This leads Booker to competitve matches with people like Hardcore Holly, Bull Buchanan, Big Show, Essa Rios, and some of the more technically proficient guys who had lost to Austin would try to rebound by challenging Booker.
Booker and Austin are kept apart until the go home Smackdown show, where Austin cuts an impassioned promo about how, if he loses to Booker T, he would be forfeiting the legacy of the company that gave him everything to the company that had tossed him away like garbage, and he simply cannot allow that to happen. Booker's remark is a lot more to-the-point
"When I scissor kick yo ass, you're gonna get to lay there like the garbage you are, NOW CAN YOU DIG THAT, SUCKAAAAAAAAAAAA?"
Austin goes for a Stunner but Booker T rolls out of the ring, only attempt to go back in and fight Austin. This leads to big pull apart to end the go home show
WWF Intercontinental Championship scene
In contrast to the Austin, Booker feud. Triple H immediately sets after trying to murder DDP. DDP however avoids most of these attempts and is always trying to make peace with Triple H. Finally, DDP cuts an in ring promo where he begs Triple H to come out and listen to what he has to say. Triple H reluctantly does so. DDP implies that Triple H and he are not so different.
"We both clawed our way up from adversity. We both are hard working men. We both are the faces of our respective companies. We both come home to beautiful wives and big houses. The difference is, the reason why you're at where you're at is because you *censored* the right girl."
Triple H goes to strike DDP, but he ducks it and hits The Diamond Cutter out of nowhere, leaving Triple H laying. The next show, we get an interview via satellite with Kimberly Paige, asking how she feels about the situation. She plays the sympathetic good wife at first, but then asks Triple H, "Remember No Way Out Hunter? You barely beat Steve Austin. What makes you think you can survive The Diamond Cutter?" Triple H goes apeshit on his opponent that night, Evan Korageous, who cuts a jobber promo about "having something to prove" after being squashed by Kane and Taker a few weeks ago. Triple H leaves Evan in a pool of his own blood with sledgehammer shots after a clean victory, where DDP revives his old gimmick of casually filming with a tripod at ringside. The two mostly trade promos where, on the go home episode of Smackdown, DDP introduces his new New Jersey Triad, Chuck Palumbo and Kanyon. Triple H beats Palumbo and Kanyon clean by Pedigreeing Kanyon, but are jumped by the other two guys, and Triple H is left laying.
Women's Championship scene
In the post Backlash Raw. the first thing we see is Chyna pulling up in the parking lot of the arena, only to be rammed on the driver's side door by a white Hummer. Three black clad masked figures flee the hummer. Vince McMahon cuts an in set promo letting us know that Chyna has been taken to a medical facuilty and it's been determined that she can't wrestle again, so the Women's title will be vacated and a new champion will be crowned in some manner at Judgement Day. Because of the agreement made on the post Backlash Smackdown, Paul Heyman introduces ECW's contribution to women's wrestling.....JAZZ! Jazz is booked as uncontrollable monster, basically assaulting any female she can. Lita steps up to defend WWF and to stop the monster. Jazz makes some homophobic remarks about Matt and Jeff, which leads to a series of mix tags featuring some combination of Team Extreme vs Rob Van Dam, Jazz, and some other interchangable ECW stars. The go home Smackdown features Jazz teasing hitting Stacy Kiebler with a chair backstage, and Lita running up with a chair of her own. However, Jazz shoves Stacy towards Lita, causing Lita to accidentally wack Stacy, Lita calls for a medic while Jazz walks away laughing.
WWF European Championship scene
This feud begins two weeks after Backlash 2001, when Elix Skipper, Matt Hardy, and RVD get into a backstage argument about who the true show stealer of all three promotions combined is. As Matt and Lita are interlinked, these two feuds play out simultaneously in matches until Judgement Day 2001
WWF Hardcore Title scene
The Hardcore Title from this point forward is used almost exclusively as a WCW TV Title style third tier belt, and never defended on Pay Per View. Rhyno loses the after qualifying for the Tag Team Fatal Four Way in a fluke win to "Above Average" Mike Sanders during a match with Albert in which Justin Credible interferes (more on that below) and Mike Sanders takes advantage of the 24/7 rule to win. The next show , he is pulverized by Sabu who wins the title. Mike is stretchered out after. Unless otherwise specified, Sabu defends the Hardcore Title on TV completely independent of what I'm doing.
Additional matches
The Invasion angle causes a rift in X-Factor when Justin Credible joins ECW. X-Pac challenges Credible to a tag team match with X-Pac and Albert vs Credible and a partner of his choosing
Steve Blackman has been cutting promos against Grand Master Sexay but Sexay has been incognito since screwing Blackman, to the point where Steve Blackman vs Grand Master Sexay is bumped off of the PPV.
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