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WWE No Mercy 2002 took place on October 20th, 2002 from the Alltel Arena, located in Little Rock, Arkansas. This pay-per-view featured wrestlers from both RAW and SmackDown brands, as the rosters were split up as part of the first Brand Extension. WWE No Mercy 2002 drew in a capacity crowd of 9,074 fans, with the maximum capacity of 18,000.
The event had two blockbuster main events featuring a main event from the RAW Brand and the SmackDown Brand, respectively. Representing Monday Night RAW, we had Triple H defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against WWE Intercontinental Champion Kane in a title-for-title unification match. The SmackDown Brand had Brock Lesnar defending his WWE Championship against The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match.
I will be reviewing each match and summing up how the matches progressed, for good and bad respectively. I will be implanting a simplistic rating system to rate the match based on psychology, spots, crowd participation and in-ring chemistry amongst the participants. The rating scale will be as follows:
5 Stars: Perfection – Excellent in-ring psychology and chemistry amongst all wrestlers involved. The crowd was into the match and on the edge of their seats from bell to bell.
4 Stars: Great – Great in-ring psychology and chemistry, but not quite to perfection and needs a little something extra. Good crowd participation, but left wanting more for their tastes.
3 Stars: Average – Average, run-of-the-mill match that had some decent chemistry or in-ring psychology. The crowd won’t be overly into the match but will pop at certain spots.
2 Stars: Lackluster – Ring Psychology and Chemistry wasn’t there for the wrestlers participating. The crowd was bored with the match and could care less about it.
1 Star: Poor – Little to no ring psychology or chemistry involved. The crowd hated the match and were either quiet or made up their own chants to get through it.
We kick things off with The Undertaker and Kane backstage, as Undertaker examines his broken hand which is covered up with a huge arm cast. Kane asks Undertaker how his week was… as we cut a hype video for No Mercy.
#1 Chris Jericho and Christian vs Booker T and Goldust - WWE World Tag Team Championship Match
We kick this match off with Chris Jericho and Goldust. Goldust tags in Jericho. As Booker T. enters the ring, Jericho chickens out and tags Christian in. Christian goes for the arm drag hip toss but gets countered into a clothesline. Booker T tags Goldust in, as he connects with a Flying Lariat Clothesline. Christian gets the upper hand and tags Jericho in. Goldust hits the drop-down uppercut to the jaw of Christian, then a Running Hip Drop to Chris Jericho.
Goldust slingshots/catapults Jericho outside the ring onto Chris Jericho. Booker T tosses Jericho back inside. Goldust hits the 10-punch combo in the apron but gets hits with a cheap shot by Christian followed by a Missile Dropkick by Jericho for the two count. Christian hits the Russian Leg Sweep for a two count. Christian tags Jericho back in. Goldust desperately tries to make the tag, but Christian runs in and cuts him off.
Jericho tags Christian in. Good teamwork by Jericho and Christian. Christian misses the dropkick and gets rolled up by Goldust for a quick two count. Goldust hits a Powerslam, as both men try to crawl to their respective corners. Christian tags Jericho in. Goldust hits a Neckbreaker and gets the hot tag to Booker T.
Booker T hits the Axe Kick and then the Flying Forearm Shot to Jericho, then the Axe Kick to Christian. Knee Lift to Jericho as he misses the Scissors Kick but can recover quickly and hit the Spinebuster for the two count. Booker T. hits a Sunset Flip out of the corner for a near fall. Booker T misses the Axe Kick and gets tangled up in the top rope, as Jericho tags Christian in. Booker T tags Goldust in.
Goldust hits the Shattered Dreams on Christian to the “golden globes”, then sends Jericho into Christian head first into his crotch. Jericho gets the advantage after a counter and applies the Walls of Jericho submission to Goldust. Booker T. comes in and breaks up the hold.
He catches Jericho with the Scissors Kick. Goldust goes for the cover and gets pulled outside the ring by Christian. Booker T hits the baseball slide to Christian sending him outside the ring, then reenters the ring.
Booker T connects with the Missile Dropkick off the top rope to Jericho. The middle rope suddenly breaks as Jericho tries to go for a Lionsault. Goldust takes advantage and hits a Bulldog Facecrusher for a two count to Jericho. Christian and Booker T. brawl outside the ring into the crowd as Jericho connects with a Diving Moonsault from the top rope (to improvise) to get the pin fall and the victory. Chris Jericho and Christian retain the WWE World Tag Team Championships.
Match Rating: 2 ½ Stars (Solid tag team match to kick things off. Jericho and Christian had control throughout most of the match. Good teamwork in particularly by Christian and Chris Jericho. Booker T and Goldust did very well and attempted to make a solid comeback to grab the victory but it was not meant to be. The rope breaking was a malfunction that Jericho was able to improvise and change the finish on his own accord. This didn’t hurt the outcome but made things a little awkward toward the end, especially when Jericho attempted to go for another Lionsault and quickly thought twice about it, as he forgot about the middle rope breaking then improvised with a standard Diving Moonsault.).
#2 Torrie Wilson vs Dawn Marie
Torrie wastes no time in attack Dawn Marie. Torrie puts the boots to her as the bell rings. Torrie connects with a series of clotheslines inside the ring. Dawn Marie counters the corner clothesline with a Big Boot to the face. Torrie Wilson hits the Sunset Flip to the two count.
Dawn Marie drops Torrie across the ropes as both women exit the ring. Dawn drives Torrie back first into the apron, then sends her back inside the ring.
Dawn Marie scoop slams Torrie Wilson back down to the mat, then hit a headbutt to the groin area of Torrie Wilson for a two count. Torrie fights back, as both women roll around on the mat catfight style, with the referee included. Dawn Marie sends Torrie into the ropes. Torrie catches her with the boot, but Dawn counters with a clothesline.
Torrie Wilson hits the Snap Suplex for a near fall. Torrie hits a low-level dropkick for another near fall. Torrie slingshots Dawn Marie into the turnbuckle, then a schoolgirl pin for a two count. Finally, Torrie Wilson hits a Swinging Neckbreaker on Dawn Marie to get the pinfall victory.
Match Rating – 1 Star (No Al Wilson at ringside. Your typical “Divas” style match, as much as I personally hate to put it that way. This was one of those matches that should have taken place on SmackDown to fill in air time versus airing on Pay-Per-View. Not much more to say about it other than this was a time filler that had a little storyline attached to it, but WWE didn’t’ do anything to really capitalize off it in this encounter between Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie. Therefore, I give this match a one-star rating.).
#3 Ric Flair vs Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam charges outside the ring and jumps Ric Flair before the match could begin outside the ring. RVD jumps off the apron and hits the SideKick to Flair. He drapes Flair over the security railing and hits his signature leg drop off the ring apron across Flair’s back/head. He throws Flair back into the ring, then hits another Spinning Side Kick. He hits the Rolling Thunder Splash for a near fall, as the bell rings to start the match.
Flair tries to fight back with a knife edge chop but gets sent upside down into the corner. RVD catches Flair with a Spinning Wheel Kick, then a series of mounted punches. RVD springboards and this the SideKick to Flair for a two count. Flair hits a low blow, then a chop block to the knee of Van Dam to regain the advantage.
Flair works over the knee of RVD, as he stomps over the knee of Van Dam. Flair connects with a Knife Edge Chop, then a series of rights and lefts then stomps away and chokes out RVD in the corner. Ric Flair hits the Knife Edge Chop, then a series of punches and chops. Flair sends RVD into the corner and applies a leg lock over the middle rope as he continues to work the leg.
Flair kicks the knee out from under Van Dam. Flair hits another chop block to the injured knee of RVD. Flair hits a hard Knife Edge Chop to Van Dam once again. Flair hits a Belly-to-Back Suplex to set up the Figure 4-Leglock. Flair applies the hold, as Rob Van Dam screams out in agony.
RVD reverses the hold and pressure on Flair, as the hold is eventually broken up by the referee. Van Dam fights back and Sunset Flips over the top rope for a two count. RVD hits a backslide pin for another near fall. RVD misses the front dropkick, as Flair struts around the ring and goes for the Figure 4-Leglock but gets countered into a small package pin for a two count.
Flair climbs the top rope and gets caught by RVD, then gets press slammed down to the mat. RVD hits the Rolling Thunder on Flair for a near fall. Van Dam hits the Spin Kick on Flair, then the Five Star Frog Splash to Ric Flair for the pinfall victory.
Match Rating - 3 Stars (Solid singles match. Flair worked over the knee and applied excellent ring psychology as only Flair can do. RVD did very well and got in his moves, as he and Ric did well together from a in-ring chemistry perspective. Good, solid match with a clean victory for Rob Van Dam. Flair could still “go”, even though he was well past his prime as RVD was in the pinnacle of his career at this stage of the game. Good stuff overall.).
#4 Tajiri vs Jamie Noble
The match starts off with Tajiri connecting with a Baseball Slide Dropkick to Noble. Tajiri hits an Asai Moonsault to the floor on Noble as he throws him back into the ring for a quick two count. Noble hits the High Knee Smash to the back. Tajiri counters nails a Roundhouse Kick, followed by a scoop slam then a knee drop for the two count.
Jaime Noble hits an Electric Chair Drop on Tajiri for a near fall. Noble hits the Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker for yet another two count. A series of reversals leads into a Crucifix pin attempt by Tajiri that’s countered into a backslide pin for a two count by Jaime Noble. Noble rolls through the Sunset Flip attempt and drops the elbow drop across the back and spine of Tajiri. He applies the Surfboard Stretch to Tajiri to continue working over the back area.
Tajiri attempts a Diving Moonsault, lands on his feet, then catches Noble with a beautiful Tornado DDT. Tajiri catches Noble with a series of martial arts kicks, drilling Noble as hard as he can. Tajiri connects with the Handspring Elbow, followed up by a Crescent Kick for a two count.
Tajiri hits a modified Octopus Stretch, then a German Suplex pin attempt for a two count. Tajiri hits the Knife Edge Chop. Noble charges after Tajiri in the corner, Tajiri dodges and applies the Tarantula to Noble. Tajiri goes for the Buzzsaw Kick.
Noble counters but is caught with a slingshot to the turnbuckle followed by the Buzzsaw Kick. Tajiri went for the cover but is distracted by Nidia. Noble recovers and hits the Liger Bomb, but Tajiri kicks out.
Noble goes for another Liger Bomb, Tajiri counters with a Hurricanrana attempt, but Nidia holds on to the legs of Noble, causing Noble to fall on top of Tajiri and get the pinfall victory.
Match Rating – 2 Stars (Not a bad match, per say, but not very good either. You had your usual flips, counters, and a few high spots as to be expected by both Tajiri and Jaime Noble. The storyline with Nidia was very silly in my opinion. I know it’s supposed to come off as comedy, but I don’t see anything remotely funny about it. The match itself was aright but nothing too extravagant or worthwhile to brag about.).
#5 Triple H vs Kane - Champion vs Champion winner takes all
The match starts with Kane choking out Triple H in the corner. Triple H counters but gets taken down with a hard right hand. Triple H delivers a series of right hands, then Irish whips Triple H into the corner and gets beaten down with a series of rights and lefts, then a throat thrust, and a back body drop to Triple H as he rolls to the floor.
Kane kicks Triple H into the ring barricade. Both men enter the ring, as Triple H decks him with a right hand then a clothesline for a two count. Kane follows through with a clothesline in the corner to Triple H. Kane misses the body splash in the corner, as Triple H drops Kane with a Neckbreaker. Kane sits right up. Kane catches Triple H off the ropes into the Powerslam for a two count.
Triple H catches Kane with a Knee Smash followed up by a hard clothesline sending Kane out to the floor. Kane catches Hunter by the throat, Triple H counters and sends Kane into the steel ring post with a High Knee Smash to the back. Both men reenter the ring.
Triple H hits a Swinging Neckbreaker for the near fall. Triple H then hits one more Neckbreaker for good measure, working over the head/neck of Kane to soften him up for the Pedigree later. Kane tries to counter but is met with a Double A Spinebuster for the two count. Triple H slingshots Kane throat first across the middle rope. Triple H counters a clothesline and applies a Sleeper hold. Kane reverses the hold into a Belly-to-Back Suplex.
Kane clotheslines Triple H in the corner and connects with a Sidewalk Slam. He climbs the top rope and connects with a Flying Clothesline. Ric Flair makes a run-in and shoves the referee out of the way. Kane takes down Flair and hits Triple H with a Big Boot. Flair slips Triple H the title belt, as Triple H hits Kane in the face. Triple H goes for the cover as Kane kicks out.
The Hurricane (Kane’s tag partner) makes a run-in and attacks Ric Flair outside the ring. Triple H comes out and attacks The Hurricane. He connects with a Pedigree to The Hurricane on the arena floor. Triple H enters the ring as Kane sets up. Kane gets up and clotheslines Triple H numerous times, then punches Triple H with a flurry of lefts and rights. He catches Triple H with a Powerslam for the near fall.
Triple H jumps off the top rope, Kane catches him and goes to deliver a Superplex, but it’s countered as Kane is shoved to the mat. Triple H jumps off the rope to deliver an elbow drop but gets hit in the face with a Big Boot. Both men are laid out on the mat. Kane gets up first and calls for the Chokeslam. Triple H counters with elbows to the head. Kane goes to hit Triple H with the boot but hits the referee instead. Kane gets sent to the floor.
Triple H goes to attack Kane, but this is countered into a huge Chokeslam through the table. Ric Flair tries to chop away at Kane but gets decked with a huge right hand. Triple H gets tossed back into the ring. Flair comes in with the sledgehammer. Kane blocks the attack and snatches the sledgehammer away.
Kane threatens to strike Triple H with the sledgehammer. As he inches closer, Triple H gives him a low blow. Hunter has the sledgehammer in his hand as Kane picks him up for the Tombstone Piledriver. Triple H strikes Kane in the head with the hammer. Kane somehow recovers and delivers a Chokeslam to Triple H. Kane gets the cover as another referee runs down to make the count. Kane gets a two count as Flair drags the referee outside. Kane catches Flair and gives him a Chokeslam.
Triple H charges after Kane and shoulder blocks him into the corner. Kane stumbles out and gets hit with the Pedigree. The referee recovers and makes the count of three. Triple H wins the match and retains the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and unifies the title with the Intercontinental Championship.
Match Rating: 3 ½ Stars (Very good match that picked up the pace and tempo as it went along. Triple H and Kane worked a slow, methodical match. The match picked up steam as it went along, especially after Ric Flair got involved. Kane put up a good fight with Triple H, as both men gave it there all in the ring. Kane came off looking very strong in the match and believably could have defeated Triple H, but it was not meant to be. Certainly, one of the best matches of the night, so far. Good finish.)
#6 Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit - Tournament finals for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The match kicks off with Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle in the ring. Kurt takes down Mysterio with an arm drag. Kurt takes down Mysterio, then goes behind and paint brushes (smacks) the head of Mysterio as he attempts to psyche him out. Kurt Angle picks up Rey Mysterio with the Double Leg Takedown, tossing Rey Mysterio across the ring. Kurt with the go behind waist lock as Rey stomps on Kurt’s foot to counter, then hits a low-level dropkick to the knee and a running leg drop to the head. Mysterio flies off the top rope and hits a Front Flipping Headscissors, then smacks the head of Angle as the “Olympic Gold Medalist” gets pissed off. Edge is tagged in. Edge takes down Kurt Angle, as Kurt reverses with the hammerlock then the Irish whip shoulder block by Kurt then a series of Arm Drags and a Dropkick to Angle. Benoit gets tagged in.
Benoit takes down Edge with the shoulder block, then Edge counters and hits the knee lift to the midsection of Benoit. Edge follows up with a Gutbuster for the two count. Edge rams the knees to the chest of Benoit, then softens him with a Side Backbreaker for another near fall. Edge and Benoit exchange Knife Edge Chops. Edge catches Benoit off the ropes and connects with the Flapjack, then the Oklahoma Rollup for a two count.
Angle kicks Edge in the back, as Benoit whipped him into the ropes. Benoit bounces Edge off the ropes yet again, except Edge ducks Benoit and Spears Angle off the apron. Benoit gets the near fall as Angle takes the cheap shot to allow Benoit to get in a quick elbow drop, then another two count. Benoit tags in Angle. Angle applies a Sleeper Hold with the Body Scissors.
Edge connects with a stiff right hand, as Edge hits a boot to the face. This unfazed Kurt Angle, as he hits the Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Kurt and Benoit double team Edge, as Benoit is tagged back in. Benoit delivers a Knife Edge Chop to the corner on Edge, then Irish whips him sternum first to the opposite turnbuckle.
Benoit hits a series of Short-Arm Knee Lifts to the midsection on Edge. Chris Benoit connects with a series of German Suplex’s, then takes a cheap shot to Rey Mysterio on the apron. Benoit climbs the top rope and gets crotched, as Edge takes him down with a Superplex.
Edge makes the hot tag to Rey Mysterio. Rey Mysterio hits a forearm shot to Angle then a headscissors to Benoit followed up by a Baseball Slide Dropkick to the corner of Benoit. Rey hits a big dropkick to Angle to the floor. Benoit draped over the middle rope as Mysterio hits a leg drop off the top rope for a near fall as Angle beaks up the pin. Benoit counters a Springboard Bulldog into the Crippler Crossface. Edge breaks up the hold. Edge rams Angle to the steel steps outside the ring as Rey Mysterio goes for the 6.1.9. This gets countered by Benoit as “The Crippler” has Mysterio hoisted in a Powerslam position only for Edge to dropkick Mysterio onto Benoit for the cover and near fall. Mysterio climbs the top rope and gets caught with a Belly to Belly Suplex.
Kurt Angle is tagged in. Kurt stomps away at Rey Mysterio. Kurt connects with the Vertical Suplex. Angle goes for another suplex, but Mysterio counters it into a front suplex. Angle catches Mysterio off the ropes with a Belly to Belly Suplex for a two count. Tags in Chris Benoit. Benoit with the T-Bone Suplex for another two count. Benoit with a series of Knife Edge Chops to Rey Mysterio. Mysterio kicks Benoit in the face, then takes him down with a head scissors to the turnbuckle, head first. Edge and Angle are tagged in. Edge comes in with a series of clotheslines to both Angle and Benoit. He connects with a Back Body Drop to Angle. Edge-O-Matic (Inverted Facebuster) to Benoit for a two count. Double Team Spear and Bronco Buster sequence by Edge and Rey Mysterio to Chris Benoit in the corner. Edge puts Angle on the top rope, then catapults Mysterio to Kurt Angle as Mysterio hits the Hurricanrana for a near fall. Benoit goes for a Diving Headbutt but inadvertently hits Kurt Angle by accident.
Angle hits a German Suplex to Edge. Mysterio hits the boot to the face off the catapult by Edge. Chris Benoit applies the Crippler Crossface to Edge out of nowhere. Edge tries to fight out of it as Mysterio hits the 6.1.9. to Benoit to break the hold. Angle hits the Angle Slam to Mysterio, then applies the Ankle Lock to Edge.
Edge counters this into a near fall attempt as the crowd erupts. Edge hits the Spear as Benoit pulls Edge off Kurt Angle to save the match for his team. Baseball Slide to Chris Benoit as Rey Mysterio hits a Moonsault off Edge’s shoulders to Chris Benoit outside the ring. Edge attempts the Edgecution but its countered into the Ankle Lock by Kurt Angle.
Edge counters into an Ankle Lock of his own. Angle counters it again to another Ankle Lock and Edge has no choice but to tap out. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit are crowned as the first ever new WWE Tag Team Champions for the SmackDown Brand!
Match Rating: 4 Stars (What a match! Very exciting match from bell-to-bell. Ton of action. Lots of technical and high-flying maneuverers and spots. Amazing performance by all four men. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, as was I, watching this match progress. A very beautiful and well-crafted tag team match that should be viewed by all wrestling fans. Very good stuff, and an excellent finish.).
#7 Trish Stratus vs Victoria - Women's Championship
Both women lockup, as Trish delivers some nice forearm shots to the face. Victoria with the headlock takedown to Trish for a two count. Trish fights back, Irish whips Victoria off the ropes as Victoria catches her with the shoulder tackle. Trish hits the Running Clothesline for a near fall. A series of Roundhouse Kicks to the chest and face of Victoria for a two count by Trish Stratus.
Both women exit the ring. She picks her up over her shoulders and bounces her off the ring barricade. Both ladies reenter the ring. Victoria slingshots back in and connects with the Tope Atomico (Springboard Senton) for the two count. Victoria sends Trish into the corner, then catches Trish with the Monkey Flip out of the corner. She tries it one more time but Trish counters, positioning her off the turnbuckle. Trish hits the Stratusfaction Headscissors from the turnbuckle for the two count.
Victoria regains the advantage with the Avalanche (Overhead) Backbreaker. Victoria smacks Trish around, then scoop slams her down. Victoria spins her around and connects with the Tilt-A-Whirl Side Backbreaker. Victoria tries to climb the top rope but is caught and dropped with the Electric Chair Drop by Trish for a near fall.
Trish connects flush with the Chick Kick across the face for a near fall. Trish hits two Swinging Neckbreakers, then attempts the Strautusfaction Bulldog out of the corner. Victoria counters but Trish is able to reverse this into a roll-up or the pinfall and the victory.
Match Rating: 1 ½ Stars (The best women’s match of the night, but that is saying too much at all. You see the early development of the feud between Trish Stratus and Victoria take place at this show, with early developmental signs as we knew both Trish and Victoria would both progress and move on to become future WWE Hall of Famers down the road. In terms of this match, it was not the best match these two women have ever had obviously, but I felt it served the purpose of extending their feud and giving the women something to build off of, going forward.).
#8 Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker - Hell In A Cell match for the WWE Championship
Brock takes down Undertaker with the waist lock, as Undertaker fights out of it. Brock hits a huge Powerslam on The Undertaker off the ropes for the two count. He proceeds to ram his shoulder into Undertaker in the corner. He misses the charge into the turnbuckle, as Undertaker nails Lesnar with the cast. Lesnar quickly exits the ring. He tries to exit the cell, which is padlocked. Both men enter the ring as Lesnar corners The Undertaker and goes after the broken hand.
Lesnar applies a standing armbar to the bad hand as Undertaker screams out in agony. Undertaker drills Lesnar with the stiff right hand, using the cast as a weapon, followed up by another shot to the face of Lesnar. Brock Lesnar has been busted open by the cast. Undertaker rams Lesnar face first into the steel steps.
Undertaker drives Lesnar face first into the steel structure. Undertaker scales the cell and drops the foot across the chest, then mangles Lesnar’s face as he rubs Lesnar against the steel cage. Undertaker rams Lesnar once more into the steel as the referee goes in to make the cover and Brock kicks out. Undertaker rakes Lesnar’s face across the steel, as Lesnar screams out in pain. Lesnar is thrown head first into the steel, as Undertaker continues the assault on Brock Lesnar. Undertaker positions Lesnar on the apron, then blasts him in the face with the cast, followed by a leg drop across the head.
Undertaker jumps off the top rope and drives the knee into the head of Lesnar as both men land on the floor. He rams Brock into the steel once again. Heyman tries to get involved. Undertaker knocks down Lesnar with a stiff right hand, then kicks Heyman down with a big boot. He tosses Lesnar into the steel steps. Paul Heyman gets up and is busted open as well. Undertaker grabs the tie from Heyman’s suit and chokes him out as he drags Heyman face first into the cell with it. Lesnar regains his composure, picks up Undertaker and starts ramming him into the steel ring post, then the cell structure.
Paul Heyman takes off his belt and slides into Lesnar through the cell structure. Brock proceeds to tie up The Undertaker, with the belt wrapped around the cast of Undertaker as Heyman grabs the other end and pulls. With Taker with no room to go, Brock grabs a steel chair and continues to smash Undertaker with it in the back, then viciously assaults the broken hand/cast with the chair. Brock rips the cast off to expose the hand, but Undertaker fights back as he keeps the cast on.
Brock slams the bad hand of Undertaker against the steel. Undertaker fights back and kicks Lesnar, but Brock regains his composure and goes back on the offensive as both men reenter the ring. Lesnar rips the cast off, as Taker’s broken right hand is now officially exposed. Lesnar stomps away at the broken hand, as he wraps Undertaker’s hand around the middle rope and gets in one more shot.
Brock positions Undertaker on the top rope. Brock uses the cell roof as leverage to position himself on the top rope and kick the Undertaker in the face. Undertaker retaliates with a low blow and shoves Lesnar down to the mat. Undertaker scales the top rope and dives onto Lesnar with the big Elbow Drop.
Lesnar stun guns Undertaker across the top rope but is sent to the steel off the ring apron with a Big Boot by The Undertaker out of sheer desperation. The Undertaker dives out of the ring and connects with the Suicide Dive into the steel on Lesnar, as Undertaker goes face first into the steel as well. Brock capitalizes and sends Taker into the cell. Brock Lesnar picks up the steel steps and rams the steps into The Undertaker, busting Taker wide open as blood pours profusely out of his forehead.
Both men enter the ring. Undertaker tries to fight back but gets planted with a Spinebuster. Undertaker fights back and uses the adrenaline as he nails Lesnar with the broken right hand, then stomps at the fingers of Lesnar. Undertaker grabs Lesnar and goes “Old School”, as he attempts to jump off the top rope on Lesnar but gets thrown off the top rope with the arm drag. Undertaker counters the F-5 attempt by Brock into the Chokeslam but gets a near fall.
Undertaker clotheslines Lesnar into the corner, then gets caught with a boot to the face on the second clothesline attempt. Lesnar mocks Undertaker and attempts the Last Ride Powerbomb, but Undertaker counters and plants Lesnar with the Running DDT off the ropes. He goes for the cover and gets the two count. Lesnar with the shoulder blocks into The Undertaker at the corner, followed by a 10-punch combination. This gets countered into The Last Ride Powerbomb!
The Undertaker signals for Tombstone Piledriver. He hoists Lesnar up, but Lesnar is able to counter it into the F-5 and nails it. Brock Lesnar goes for the cover and gets the three count. Brock Lesnar wins the match and retains the WWE Championship.
After the match. Brock Lesnar exits the ring, grabs his WWE Championship and climbs to the top of the cell. He stands over the cell with the WWE Championship held high in the air, as Undertaker looks up from inside the ring in disbelief as No Mercy goes off the air.
Match Rating: 4 ½ (All I can say is WOW! What an unbelievable match. This was a bloodbath and a very good Hell in a Cell match. Both Lesnar and Undertaker gave it their all and then some. The main event did indeed deliver the goods on mostly all levels. Even Paul Heyman got into the mix and was busted open. This match goes down as one of the overlooked Hell in a Cell matches that should be seen by all WWE fans, past and present. This is definitely a Top 5 Hell in a Cell match candidate, along with Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels and Undertaker vs Mankind, respectively.
The only reason I did not give this a 5-star rating is that I felt both men could have somehow, someway exited the cell and used the outside ring mechanics (i.e. more weapons, maybe climbed the cell and did some spots, etc.). Maybe I am being a little nitpicky with this, but it is my opinion and that’s one of the things I felt was missing that could have really pushed this match to a whole new level. Aside from that, just an amazingly bloody brawl that closed what would have been a fairly mediocre show all-around.).
Overall Show Rating:
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