The Smackdown Six Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matt Vaughan
From the summer of 2002 until early 2004, the best wrestling matches in the world were largely the work of just six men: the Smackdown Six. They were Rey Mysterio, Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Kurt Angle, and yes, Chris Benoit. They wrestled against each other, they wrestled as tag teams; they were the backbone of Smackdown, and Smackdown the best wrestling show on television.
Join Matt Vaughan and a guest co-host as they explore this great era of wrestling week-by-week, from August 2002 to early 2004.
Truly a pay-per-view that needs no introduction, as the Hitman’s Last Great Year slams into the endpoint of that year. But there’s more to the card than just Bret being stripped of his dignity and WWF Championship, right? Well, sort of. Don’t worry, a super team of Matt, Daniel, AND Will break it all down and try to end the podcast with a bang. And we even have a bonus match so you’re not bummed out, hopefully!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Rick Steamboat, Boston Garden, March 8, 1986
Bret Hart is… not on this episode of Raw outside of a video package, and neither is Owen Hart, but their opponents at Sunday’s Survivor Series are here to fight… uh, other people. It’s not the best way to build to a match that will ‘never happen again’, but there are some pretty famous circumstances that lend to this odd Raw. Join Matt and Will as they break it down!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, Survivor Series 1992, November 25, 1992
Bret Hart wrestles his final match on Raw on this episode, defending his WWF Championship against Ken Shamrock. Who comes out on top? Well, you know. Right? Like, obviously? You wouldn’t be surprised to hear Shawn Michaels gets involved, right? This is wrestling, after all. Join Matt and Joel as they break it all down!
Some issues just don’t line up well with wrestling, and racism might just be one of them. On this episode, there’s more that is interesting about what has been cut out of this show rather than what was put in, with the Nation of Domination upset about their locker room being trashed, with Bret Hart and his boys seemingly responsible for it. Join Matt and Will as we navigate thorny issues infinitely better than WWF did at the beginning of the Attitude Era!
On this episode, D-Generation X gets named and stirs the pot, the Hart Foundation barely get a chance to speak, and Jerry Lawler says an all-time racist joke on the show, yikes. But the biggest news: The Legion of Doom are in the main event challenging for the tag titles, and if they don’t win, they’ll retire! So that’s something. Kris and Matt break it all down, including the tiny historic moments!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Jean Pierre LaFitte, In Your House 3, September 24, 1995
It’s the night after Badd Blood, and we have to grapple with the death of Brian Pillman and the tough-to-watch interview that takes place on this show with Pillman’s widow. But we also have to contend with proto-DX, a nameless group of children who sneer at all things authentic and might just be undercutting the show. Also, Faarooq picks way too man fights, and lumberjack matches are embraced and loved. Join Matt and Daniel as they hack their way through a show that is heavy on Attitude Era!
It’s the debut of the Hell in a Cell gimmick, and it might just be the best one they’ve ever done. Also, there’s a pretty significant debut (that really shouldn’t work, but does) toward the end that Matt and Will dig into. Also on the card: Bret’s in a tag team flag match (if you can call it that) and several matches get added or elongated as the WWF grapples with Brian Pillman’s sudden death. Join us for one legendary match and several other non-legendary bouts!
Badd Blood is coming right up, but first, here’s a Raw where almost nothing happens! Sure, Steve Austin is called to the carpet to answer for his stunner to Vince McMahon last week, but that’s just an excuse to have ol’ Stevie around the building. Matt and Will break all the exciting non-action down, plus they discuss the mechanics of No Mercy 64’s cage match, which is not easy!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, steel cage match, WWF Superstars TV Taping, December 1, 1993
This may just be one of the most important Raws ever, as Stone Cold kicks, whams, and stunners Vincent Kennedy McMahon, kicking off a feud that would bring the WWF to pro wrestling dominance for decades to come. Also, Dude Love and Mankind conspire to bring a third option up against HHH, and Bret Hart just beats up on Goldust’s knee before all hell breaks loose in the main event. Join Matt and Daniel in Madison Square Garden as they take in this seismic episode of Raw is War!
In this infamous show, British Bulldog defends his European Championship against Shawn Michaels in front of Bulldog’s countrymen (and women), and boy is the result rough. Also, Bret Hart wrestles what may be his last great match, and Owen Hart and Vader put on a really solid big-man-little-man match. Join Matt and Joel as they confront the ugly reality of One Night Only and the questionable decisions therein!
Raw returns to Muncie and the big question is this: who will Stone Cold stun next? Someone eats it tonight, rest assured. Also, Bret Hart and the British Bulldog take on the Headbangers for the tag titles, and they… have a hard time? Weird. Also, Shawn Michaels cuts a promo that required some significant editing, because he’s such a pain at this point in his career. Listen now as Matt and Will break it all down!
The road to Badd Blood starts here! Steve Austin is here to cause yet another ruckus, Bret is taking on Vader in a No Holds Barred match, and a strange special cage match in announced for Badd Blood. Also, there’s a pointless midcard triple threat main event! How fun. Matt and Will break it all down, so avoid a Stone Cold Stunner and pop this into your ears!
It’s the last In Your House PPV with the house set, but it’s also the first In Your House PPV that is over 2.5 hours, and you can just feel the need to stretch it all out. Yep, lots of filler here. But there’s also Bret Hart defending his WWF Championship against The Patriot, in the least subtle title defence of Bret’s ‘Canada vs. US’ era. Also, the main even between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels is wild, even if it doesn’t feature the most conclusive and satisfying ending. Join Matt and Daniel as they arrive at ground zero and talk to you in your house! (Or wherever your ears are, I suppose.)
Bret’s facing The Patriot at the upcoming PPV, so he takes some shots at him during the show, but there’s more to the show than that: Shawn Michaels and HHH team up for the first time (but certainly not the last time) and Brian Pillman drops a bomb on Goldust. Join Matt and Will as they break down the chaos!
BONUS MATCHES: Bret Hart vs. Vader, Friday Night’s Main Event, August 29, 1997, and Owen Hart vs. The Patriot, Friday Night’s Main Event, September 5, 1997
Shawn Michaels is back in action tonight, but he’s got some insurance in the form of a random old wrestler returning. Also, a very crucial member joins the Nation of Domination, and the Hart Foundation sets their sights on the Patriot, who may not be that bright a bulb. Join Matt and Kris as they break it all down and wonder aloud about Commissioner Slaughter’s loyalty!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect, SummerSlam 1991, August 26, 1991
Bret Hart is back on top of the WWF, but he’s got a new commissioner to contend with, plus a PPV match against the Patriot. Shawn Michaels is here, and he’s got a few things to say, jack. Plus: Brian Pillman in a dress! Join Matt and Alex as they break it all down!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog, SummerSlam 1992, August 29, 1992
It’s one of the biggest shows of our entire podcast run, it’s time for SummerSlam, and it’s time for Bret Hart to try to beat the Undertaker while keeping an eye on the special guest ref, Shawn Michaels. That match has an all-time fantastic ending, but there’s the other side of that coin with the Owen Hart-Steve Austin match, which famously ends in disaster. Join Matt and Will as we climb the blue steel bars of a classic cage match and break down the biggest party of the summer!
Bret Hart takes on the Patriot in Pittsburgh, but he’s still stewing about Shawn Michaels being the guest referee for his impending match against the Undertaker at SummerSlam. There’s also a tag title match AND an arm wrestling match, so join Matt and Daniel as they break it all down!
Raw is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which means the Hart Foundation is back in Canada, and the fans are rabid. The Harts headline the show in a six-man flag match, but who is going to step up against them? Also, Shawn Michaels has an announcement that leads to a dramatic confrontation between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon. Join Matt and both(?!) his brothers, Alex and Will, as they break down a historic show that happened in their hometown!
We’re back in San Antonio, the hometown of a certain boytoy, and he is back! As is Sid! Sort of. We also have old man Jerry Lawler teaming up with his so to take on an even older Ivan Putski and his son, which I guess is what we’re looking for? But ultimately, it’s all about Steve Austin and the tag tournament final, and who steps up to be his partner. Hey, wait is that disco music I’m hearing? Hmm… Join Matt and Daniel as they tap their toes and break it all down!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, SummerSlam 1994, August 29, 1994
We remain in Canada for Raw this week, and the Hart Foundation is here to gloat. But they won’t be able to celebrate for long, because Steve Austin is here, and he is in several segments. Also, we get more Japanese wrestling action, but now with more irritating commentary, and the main event has a whole locker room of guys watching from all over the arena. We’re on the road to the SummerSlam, so join Matt and Will as they roll their way there!
Is this one of the greatest PPVs of all-time, despite being less than two hours long and with only four matches? Well, probably! Join Alex and Matt as they break down a solid opening brawl, an unexpected junior heavyweight exhibition, a decent big-man match, and the legendary 10 man tag match that headlines the show. So sit down, make sure you’re not sitting in the Hart section of the Saddledome, and enjoy!
Bret Hart calls into this show from Calgary, but is he really there? Plus, the Undertaker’s secret is revealed by Paul Bearer, and a tag team debuts in a very random manner, as does a WWE broadcasting legend(?). All this and more with Matt and Daniel on the-very-much-not-final episode of The Hitman’s Last Great Year!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Ted Dibiase, Saturday Night’s Main Event, April 27, 1991
Ahmed Johnson explains why he joined the Nation of Domination, then promptly scuffles with a bunch of white bikers and gets injured, Owen Hart defends his title in a strange new contest where THREE wrestlers wrestle at the same time, and Mankind campaigns for Steve Austin’s attention. There’s a lot going on, but join Matt and Will and they will break it all down!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Macho Man Randy Savage, Saturday Night’s Main Event, November 28, 1987
It’s handcuffin’ time, with Steve Austin and Brian Pillman going head to head with three members of the Hart Foundation stuck to the ringposts outside. But Austin also has unfinished business with Ken Shamrock, which may or may not lead to a match on this episode. Also, Faarooq pledge to rebuild the Nation of Domination with two new members, leading to some drama in the final moments of the show. Join Matt and Daniel as they break it all down and do some loving nitpicking.
BONUS MATCH: The Hart Foundation vs. The Rockers, Saturday Night’s Main Event, April 28, 1990
Some backstage drama leads to our hero Bret (as well as our ‘antagonist’, Shawn Michaels) legitimately tossed out of the building before the show starts, so this episode of Raw had elements that were made up on the fly. And it turned out okay! The Nation of Domination is changing in big ways, Austin vs. Pillman is promoted a LOT (and might… not happen), but everything is touched by the HBK-Hitman drama, and Matt and Will break it all down!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper, Wrestlemania VIII, April 5, 1992
It’s crowning time, as we prepare to crown a new King of the Ring, potentially crown a new WWF Champion (but almost certainly not), and we can crown one half of the tag team champions as better than the other. Spoiler: only one person actually gets crowned. In between, there’s some decent matches and some flat-out snoozes, but it does have the best-ever Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin match, so that’s worth something, no?
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, ladder match, Smack ‘Em Whack ‘Em, July 21, 1992
It’s time to undo a lot of the promises that were previously made for the upcoming King of the Ring PPV, as Bret Hart can’t wrestle Shawn Michaels, but Steve Austin can! Also, Steve and Shawn defend their newly won tag titles against the LOD, but the ending is a bit underwhelming. Really, this is a night of a bunch of odd endings, with strangely decisive victories and other shenanigans. Join Matt and Daniel as they cover the go-home show for King of the Ring, which you will be so eager to buy when you see how the show ends.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, King of the Ring, June 13, 1993
It’s a night of questions: can Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels co-exist long enough to win the tag titles? What will the Undertaker do to keep Paul Bearer from spilling the beans about this mysterious secret? And how can you have Honky Tonk Man AND an Elvis impersonator on the same show? Matt and Will try to uncover answers for these questions and more on today’s episode!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect, King of the Ring, June 13, 1993
The main event of King of the Ring comes into focus when Bret Hart says he’ll beat Shawn in less than 10 minutes or never wrestle in the US again, and Shawn says he’ll take Bret on as long as the Hart Foundation are handcuffed to the ringposts. Sounds pretty intriguing for a match that never happens, right? And what does Shawn say that ends up being partially responsible for that match never happening? Matt and Daniel break down the upcoming storm clouds that threaten our sunny days on this week’s episode!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna, Wrestlemania X, March 20, 1994
The road to King of the Ring begins here, with the eventual winner of the 1997 King of the Ring losing in the first round. Huh? Well, that’s okay, because Mankind is here with Paul Bearer, who looks like a mummy, and Bret Hart ends the show by insulting Shawn Michaels until the show simply has to go off the air. But did he do it on purpose? Join Matt and Joel as they try to break it all down.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Hakushi, Monday Night Raw, July 24, 1995
If you’ve ever wondered what Steve Austin’s first world title main event on a PPV looked like, search no further than this iteration of the In Your House shows! Taker defends against Stone Cold, but both men are defending against the hooligans at ringside, the Hart Foundation. Also, Vader and Ken Shamrock really punch each other, and Rocky Maivia and Mankind collide for the first time, too!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Kevin Nash, WCW Monday Nitro, January 10, 2000
The Hart Foundation is on the prowl, looking for Shawn Michaels, but they can’t track him down. That’s going around these days, as apparently the Undertaker has lost the WWF Championship? It’s a bad look for the Dead Man, but he’s on the case. Listen as Matt and Kris break it all down, plus a…
BONUS MATCH: The Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs, 2/3 Falls Match, Saturday Night’s Main Event, May 1987
Brian Pillman spends most of the show praying for the success of Bret Hart and the newly formed Hart Foundation `97, but do they receive divine assistance? Owen certainly hopes so, as he takes on Rocky Maivia for the Intercontinental Championship as his injured brother Bret watches on from his wheelchair. Also, even though Steve Austin has a WWF Championship match in two weeks, he’s still intent on coming after the Hart family, but will he pay for it? Matt and Will break down another show that is a stepping stone toward the Attitude Era!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit, Owen Hart Tribute Match, WCW Monday Nitro, October 4, 1999
You want to hear about a historic episode of Raw? How about a show that kicks off (in part) the Attitude Era? Well, that’s what happens when Steve Austin gets his hands on Bret Hart, and then an ambulance driver. Also, we have a couple surprise returns, and Vader is behind bars in Kuwait! Matt and Daniel break it all down!
There’s no false advertising here: ‘Taker gets his revenge, bringing the fight to Mankind (and Paul Bearer) in a decent brawl, though his spirit of vengeance is thwarted by a less-than-operational lighter. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Also, Bret Hart and Steve Austin tangle once again, this time in the main event of the show, and both men end up hobbling out, but who won? Join Matt and Joel as they break it all down, plus they offer a few thoughtful wrestling gimmick ideas to the world.
This might be one of the worst episodes of Raw ever, as the WWF heads to South Africa and they forget how to record commentary for matches, apparently. There’s a PPV coming up on the weekend, but you wouldn’t really know it. It’s befuddling, it’s baffling, it’s bad, and Matt and Will break it all down for you. But at least there’s a bonus match, right?
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. The Dynamite Kid, Prime Time Wrestling, October 8, 1985
Half the roster is overseas yet again, so just about everyone is pulling double duty on this episode, except Owen and Bulldog, who spend half the show watching the monitor in the back and cutting in. Also, Steve Austin gets one of his first huge reactions from an excited college crowd, and Shawn Michaels is here to vent! Join Matt and Daniel as they break it down, and as they unintentionally create a new mashed-up horror icon.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, No Holds Barred, Raw, March 27, 1995
Owen Hart and the British Bulldog are headed for a tag team separation, but wait, what’s Bret Hart doing here? After a tearjerking moment, we move onto wondering about the Undertaker, and his current relationship with Paul Bearer. All this, plus Stone Cold speaks, and Jesses Jammes comes to the ring with a six year old. Join Matt and Will as they forge the bonds of brotherhood, much like a certain family from Calgary…
It’s the night after Wrestlemania, and the big news is Bret Hart’s turn to the dark side the night before, which Bret cements with his (awesome?) actions on this show, and he adds a significant anti-America twist. Also, the next PPV is already in sight, and a rather odd #1 contender has been set for Undertaker’s WWF Championship. Also, this edition of Raw ends abruptly and hilariously, so enjoy as Matt and Joel break is all down.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, Wrestlemania X, March 20, 1994
It’s the granddaddy of them all! Sort. It’s pretty much a one-match Wrestlemania this time around, with Bret Hart taking on Steve Austin in the legendary submission match. Daniel and Matt break down all the glory, including how glad we are that it isn’t an I Quit Match, how fighting in the crowd was still very novel, and how hard the commentators push the famed double-turn. Elsewhere on the show, the main event gets interrupted several times, maybe for its own good. So check out a very non-Wrestlemania-feeling Wrestlemania! It’s the only one we got!
It’s the Raw before Wrestlemania 13, and our guy Bret Hart is in a steel cage match against Sycho Sid for the WWF Championship, which adds a lot of ~intrigue~ as Steve Austin and the Undertaker try to help their Wrestlemania opponents! Also, we get a fairly historic Bret Hart rant afterward, and Will and Matt discuss (and decide) on who in the WWF is ‘daddy’.
This week, we go to the battlefield, as Monday Night Raw becomes Raw is War. It’s the 200th episode of the show (though it’s never remarked upon), and the visual look of the show has taken a big step forward, with another piece of the Attitude Era snapping into place. But is there more to the show than several jobber matches and an unnecessary debate? Matt and Joel look the show up and down and break it down for you.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Diesel, In Your House: Rage In A Cage, February 18, 1996
We get international on the podcast, as the first ever European Champion is crowned in Berlin, Germany, in one heckuva match. Also, Bret Hart opens the show against HHH, and Steve Austin calls in from the good ol’ US of A with some complaints about air travel. Matt and Daniel cross the Atlantic to talk about all the action and break it all down!
Raw gets EXTREME when the Paul Heyman’s hardcore fanatics stream into the Manhattan Center on a night where most of the WWF roster is overseas. Vince McMahon promises and delivers a big surprise, a significant Attitude Era mainstay pops up in the front row, and an all-time classic tribute video debuts. Matt and Will jump through proverbial flaming tables to bring it all to you!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Terry Funk, Terry Funk Presents Wrestle Fest, 1997
Bret Hart is the WWF Champion, but he has no time to waste, because he’s got to defend the belt against Sycho Sid! He’ll try to stave off the big Arkansan at the beginning of the show, then the middle, then at the end, but that damn Texas Rattlesnake, Steve Austin, is causing a ruckus. Also, a very famous tag team is on the show a couple years before they became stars, and Jerry Lawler starts an extreme feud. Join Kris and Matt as they cover the fallout from Final Four!
The WWF Championship is up for grabs in a star-studded and chaotic main event, pitting four top superstars against each other for the recently-forfeited title. Also, the tag titles are defended by feuding champions, and Jerry Lawler insinuates something horrible and hilarious about Rocky Maivia’s deceased family members. Join Matt and Will for a real one-match PPV, if there ever was one!
It’s like Raw, but on a Thursday! But actually, this is an historically significant show, with Shawn Michaels forfeiting the WWF Championship just before the Final Four PPV on the weekend, due to smile-loss-related reasons (and maybe a knee injury). Also, Rocky Maivia goes for his first bite of championship gold, and the four guys who are now vying for the WWF Championship on Sunday run into each other. Join Matt and Daniel for a fun (and for one San Antonian, emotional) Raw on a Thursday.
It’s time for Royal Rumble Raw, but conspicuously absent from the show: the Royal Rumble. But what we do have is a stadium full of people in Toronto, and two title matches! Join Matt and Will for the first two hour Raw and the last ‘normal’ Raw of 1997, before things go haywire next week.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit, Mayhem 1999
A week after his big WWF Championship win, Shawn Michaels is finally back on Raw, and he’s going to confront several of the men involved in the Final Four match at the next In Your House PPV. Also, Ahmed Johnson is wandering around backstage with a 2x4, and Joel and Matt question the stopping power of a Heart Punch.
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair, Souled Out 1998
It’s time to hit the clubs, baby, because The Smack Addict Podcast is hitting up Webster Hall for our lone episode covering Shotgun Saturday Night! Here’s your chance to see the only televised one-on-one match between Bret Hart and Mankind, plus Sycho Sid gets wild with a chair. Grab a drink, tip your waitress, and hang out in the crowd with Matt and Will as they dodge dancers and break down the comings and goings on an exciting Saturday night!
It’s night after the Royal Rumble, and there’s a lot of uncertainty around who will be challenging for the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania. At the beginning of the night, Bret Hart makes a drastic decision, Steve Austin insults everyone, and Gorilla Monsoon does his best to remedy the situation later on. Also, Austin takes on The Undertaker in Raw’s main event, which ends in delightful chaos. Join Matt and Will as they break down a pretty darn enjoyable Raw!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog, In Your House 5: Season’s Beatings, December 17, 1995
It’s Shawn Michaels’ time to shine in the Alamodome, as he battles Sycho Sid (and a legit case of the flu) to try to recapture the WWF Championship in his hometown. Also, the Royal Rumble match itself features one of the more controversial endings in its illustrious history. Join Matt and Daniel as they travel back to a simpler time, when hometown boys can come home and beat up a tall man from Arkansas in front of thousands of fans (including some people who actually paid for their tickets to this show).
We’re a week away from the Royal Rumble in San Antonio, so Shawn Michaels is already in the city, hanging out with many of his fellow San Antonians at a bar. Back in the arena, Bret Hart hobbles out to do commentary for a match, because Stone Cold Steve Austin ran out and attacked him on the weekend. Also in that match: Stone Cold Steve Austin runs out and attacks someone. And of course, WWF Champion Sycho Sid quotes Friedrich Nietzsche.
BONUS MATCH: Three Way Nine Man ‘Tag Team’ War Games, Fall Brawl 1998
Bret Hart takes on Vader in the main event of this episode of Raw, but the real concern is whether or not Shawn Michaels will resist interfering while doing commentary. Also, Owen Hart and Mankind take part in a Tough Fella Punch-‘Em-Up (or whatever they’re calling it this week) and Sid steals a cameraman to show off his powerbombing skills. Matt and Kris talk it all out, so hit play and join ‘em!
Bret Hart opens this episode of Raw by coming to the rescue of Savio Vega, and by the end of the episode, he’s in the middle of a big mess of main event stars who all want the WWF Championship. Also, HHH tosses an adult woman at another man. Join Matt and Kris as they try to make sense of it all!
On this episode, Marc Mero gets one more bite at the Intercontinental Championship apple, but will HHH come out on a top all the same? Also, Bret Hart headlines an underwhelming Raw main event, and Matt and Will talk at length about the wonders of WWF Livewire, and what happened one late December when Sid was given a mic and had to talk to fans live on the phone. Jingle jingle baby, it’s time for merriment and powerbombs!
With the latest PPV in the rear view mirror, it’s time to start building to Royal Rumble 1997! On this episode of Raw, Bret Hart comes out to complain about his plight, then he promptly turns around and attacks Stone Cold Steve Austin during a match. Also, the epic Milton Bradley Karate Fighters tournament comes to a conclusion, Jerry Lawler tries to out Goldust, and Billy and Bart Gunn come to blows to cap off their tag team break-up, but the conclusion is less than stellar. Join Matt and Will as they get on the road to the road to Wrestlemania!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid, Monday Night Raw, July 11, 1994
It’s time for Bret Hart to get another shot at the WWF Championship, which is around the waist of Sycho Sid! It’s time to see if Shawn Michaels can behave himself on commentary at ringside! It’s time to find out what an Armageddon Rules match is, and why it exists! It’s time for Matt and Daniel to break down the final In Your House PPV of 1996! It’s time for you to listen to it! IT’S TIME!
We’re just around the corner from In Your House: It’s Time on PPV, and did you know that the main event for this episode is a No Holds Barred match between The Undertaker and Mankind? No? Well, you’ll hear about it 18,000 times over the course of the show. Also, Bret Hart talks about excellently executing, and Sycho Sid (almost) completely decimates Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Will and Matt break is all down, plus a bonus match!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair, October 12, 1992 (As seen on ‘Smack ‘Em Whack ‘Em’ on the WWE Network/Peacock)
On this week’s episode, Shawn defends his defensiveness and takes the mantle of ‘man’s man’, Flash Funk dropped a moonsault legdrop on a hockey playing grappler, and there was a convoluted dust-up at a house show in London, UK, that was shot on what appeared to be the camcorder your dad got for Christmas 1995. Matt and Will break down all the excitement of the third hour of taping in Connecticut, plus a bonus match!
BONUS MATCH: Ten Team Tag Team Elimination Match, Survivor Series 1987
This show opens with a Bret Hart match (as a little treat) as Bret goes hermano-a-hermano with Owen Hart, leading to some interesting shenanigans after the match. Also, we finally hear from Shawn Michaels, and he’s coming to us live from Jose Lothario’s living room in San Antonio, and he’s not too impressed. He wants Sycho Sid, and it sounds like he’ll get him (or whoever is WWF Champion) when the Royal Rumble rolls through his hometown in January. Join Matt and Daniel as they try to calm down Shawn and make sense of Milton Bradley’s Karate Fighters!
It’s the night after Survivor Series 1996, and we’re starting a big block of taped shows with a live episode of Monday Night Raw, which begins with an awkwardly named ‘Toughman Contest’ between Mankind and Stone Cold Steve Austin. We hear from WWF Champion Sycho Sid, who just beat Shawn Michaels the night before, and is getting ready to take on Bret Hart at the upcoming In Your House PPV. So strap in and join Matt and Daniel as they break down Raw and a bonus match!
BONUS MATCH: Bret Hart vs. Diesel, Survivor Series 1995
We kick off The Hitman’s Last Great Year with a pivotal PPV, Survivor Series 1996. This is a show all about refreshing and resetting, with some major debuts, big wins, and a pretty crucial WWF World Title bout between Shawn Michaels, the champion, and Sycho Sid, the psychotic guy named Sid. But the biggest match of the night (for this podcast, at least) is between our returning hero, Bret Hart, and the increasingly dastardly Stone Cold Steve Austin. (It’s one of the best matches you’ll ever see, honestly.) Join Matt and Will as they break down that match and everything else from a cool Autumn evening in New York City!
November 2022 is the 25th anniversary of Bret Hart’s final match in the WWF at Survivor Series 1997, but the final year of Bret Hart’s WWF career should not be reduced to one match. Bret Hart was a key player in one of the most important years in wrestling history.
In The Hitman’s Last Great Year, we’ll journey from Survivor Series 1996 to Survivor Series 1997, with each episode of the podcast covering an episode of television, or a PPV. We’ll cover the Hart Foundation, but we’ll also see Stone Cold Steve Austin go from hot new star to an industry-shaking gamechanger, and we’ll watch Shawn Michaels lose his smile, find it again, and come out on top. Ultimately, we’ll see the very beginnings of what has come to be known as the Attitude Era.
The first episode, covering Survivor Series 1996, will be released on November 10th.
It’s time for the FINAL EPISODE of The Smackdown Six Podcast! (There’s more to come, wait for the end of the episode to find out!) The winner of the Royal Rumble has left for Raw, so the Smackdown Six era is over, but wait, there’s a big Smackdown Royal Rumble on the show tonight! The winner gets a WWE Championship match at No Way Out 2004, so who will win and get a chance to walk into Wrestlemania XX as champion? Join Matt, Will, & Alex as they cap things off!
Some of the biggest storylines on Smackdown come to a head at one of the biggest shows of the year! Will Eddie Guerrero exact revenge against his nephew Chavo for his painful betrayal? Will Brock Lesnar get over his fear of Hardcore Holly, and will Holly justify a midcarder getting such a prominent title match on such a big show? Speaking of Big Show, who will toss his big carcass over the top rope in the Royal Rumble? It’s the second last episode of the Smackdown Six Podcast, and it’s one of the biggest shows of the year, so join Matt and Daniel as they break it all down!
There’s only 72 hours between the start of this show and the beginning of Royal Rumble 2004, and we’ve got some action: there’s a big 4-on-2 match that pits Chris Benoit and John Cena against Paul Heyman’s big boys of Smackdown (which ends up being decidedly less unfair than the 4-on-2 premise), Eddie Guerrero gets a chance to get his hands on his nephew and brother in a tag team main event where he teams with Kurt Angle, and we’ve got some Royal Rumble qualifying matches, too. We’re cruising toward a big final PPV on the podcast, so join Matt and Will and check it out!
We’re 10 days away from Royal Rumble 2004, so we’ve got to get guys qualified for spots in the Royal Rumble match itself, but in topsy turvy ways! Also, Chavo Guerrero Sr. is here to apologize to Eddie for his son’s actions, which is totally normal for the father of an adult man to do, and John Cena goes up against Rhyno in a match involving a bar of soap. Join Matt & Alex as they go up against Paul Heyman’s continued use of gambling references!
Los Guerreros explode in Alabama, as Chavo beats on Eddie after another unfortunate loss. But why is Kurt Angle involved? Also, Brock Lesnar is back on Smackdown, Nidia wrestles Tajiri despite being blind, and Hardcore Holly gets to live up to his name in a street fight against, wellllll, it’s the Big Shooooow… Join Matt and Will as they piece it all together and figure it all out. It’s the Smackdown Six Podcast, and we’re in the home stretch! Let’s goooo!
We’re in little Laredo, Texas, and we’ve got a Cruiserweight title match, the return of a major Smackdown star, some Royal Rumble qualifying matches. But the biggest takeaway from this show might be the weird ending, featuring more of the ongoing Guerrero family drama, or it might be Hardcore Holly’s odd journey to a title match at a major PPV. Either way, join Matt & Kris as they break the whole thing down!
It’s Christmas, which means it’s time for the WWE to head to Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq (as opposed to Baghdad, New Hampshire, maybe?), it’s time for the first ever Tribute to the Troops. This glorified house show features a lot of video packages of WWE superstars learning that they may have bitten off more than they can chew with the dangers involved in being in an active war zone to put on a wrestling show. (Hey, remember when a wrestling war zone was just the second hour of Monday Night Raw?) Matt & Will break it all down, from the biggest (?) movie of 2003 to the big boys from OVW, and more. This Christmas, war is most certainly NOT over, but the stars of World Wrestling Entertainment sure are! Over, that is!
On the 20th anniversary of the PPV, Matt and Will sat down to record a special live commentary of Vengeance 2002. The Smackdown Six Era was mere weeks from beginning, so where are our favourites now? Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit are still on Raw and doing battle with Bubba and Spike Dudley, Brock Lesnar is stuck in a fairly pointless Intercontinental Title match, and Edge is teaming with the famously non-problematic Hulk Hogan. Kurt Angle is holding down the main event scene, a big part of a major triple threat match for the WWE Undisputed Championship (when there was still just one belt!). So sit down, throw the show on (or don’t!) and enjoy a prequel-esque episode as the Smackdown Six Podcast approaches the end!
Commentary begins at 7:38.
The great Hardcore Holly main event push continues as the deck is stacked against the former Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, as Holly is forced to team with a very hurt Shannon Moore against A-Train and Matt Morgan, with a title shot and his contract on the line. Will Brock Lesnar get involved? Is there a random Fatal 4 Way tag title match? Will Jamie Noble continue his dastardly heel ways? Answer: yes, yes, and dammit Jamie, what kind of man are you, treating your girlfriend that way? It’s just despicable! Come on, man!
Smackdown is in sunny San Diego, so Rey Mysterio is unsurprisingly given a main event match against Brock Lesnar. Can he win and get a title shot next week? Also, will Eddie and Chavo finally have enough of a conflict to sink Los Guerreros as a tag team? How good does Big Show look in a retro baseball jersey? And will Chris Benoit get another title shot anytime soon after last week’s close call with glory? You’ll find all that out and more in this episode with Matt and Joel, so let’s go!
In this episode, John Cena and Chris Benoit go head-to-head to make up for the inconclusive result of last week’s battle royal, with the winner going on to face Brock Lesnar in the main event for the WWE Championship. Who will win? Also, Paul Heyman has a new-yet-familiar assistant, and Jamie Noble is competing for the ‘most despicable wrestling boyfriend’ crown. Join Matt and Daniel for a pretty great episode of Smackdown!
20 men will be pitted against each other in a battle royal in the episode we’re covering today, and the winner faces Brock Lesnar for the WWE title that night. But isn’t that actually a pretty terrible deal? Also, Los Guerreros continue to have inter-familia conflict, and Jamie Noble tries to get a grip on Nidia, who is not letting her temporary blindness keep her away from ringside. Matt and Kris break it all down on this episode!
Survivor Series has come and gone, but Team Lesnar remains an entity (for reasons that aren’t totally explained), so all but the eponymous member of that group are wrestling tonight. Matt and Will also discuss Matt Hardy’s sudden disappearance from the Smackdown roster, whether or not the Undertaker died on PPV, and Hardcore Holly’s attempts to become Steve Austin 2.0.
It’s time to throw ten guys in a ring and see who comes out on top, it’s time for Survivor Series! We’ve got a big five-on-five elimination tag match and it’s… opening the show? Okay, that’s a bit off-putting, but we also have two big gimmick matches, with an Ambulance Match on the Raw side of things (which we will talk about, despite that not being totally our ‘thing’), and the Undertaker will take on Mr. McMahon in a Buried Alive match. Is Survivor Series 2003 worth burying or worth resurrecting? Join Matt and Daniel to find out!
Survivor Series 2003 is mere days away, so the various members of Team Angle and Team Lesnar are throwing down tonight, including in the main event, where Chris Benoit will team with ~mysterious fifth member~ of Team Angle, whoever that is. Backstage, Vince McMahon shares a nightmare he had with a truly horrifying ending, and later he harrasses a priest. Also, Eddie Guerrero is whisked away from Smackdown when a detective approaches him backstage with bad news. Is it legit? What do you think? Were you born yesterday? Surely not! So join Matt and Kris and get into it!
The teams for the big five-on-five Survivor Series match are shaping up, but will John Cena be on Brock Lesnar’s team, or will he side with the angels and end up on Kurt Angle’s team, now that Faarooq is out of the picture? (And can someone please get Faarooq’s doctor on the phone, so we can get some answers?) Also, Paul Heyman is gross with Torrie for no good reason, Vince McMahon uncorks a rather unusual promo, and there’s a big (and it’s truly BIG) 2-on-4 handicap match for the Smackdown main event. Join Matt and his brand new guest co-host Joel for some wrestling goodness!
Boo! It’s Halloween on the blue brand, and that’s almost part of the show! What else is part of the show? Well, this week, that’s an especially astute question for you to bring up, listener! For there is some weirdness around which segments are on the WWE Network/Peacock and which segments are very much not on those same streaming platforms. But what about the show itself, is there good wrestling? No. Is there some wrestling? Barely. Are there multiple instances of wildly inappropriate things being used to further storylines? Yes. Is Paul Heyman threatened with murder? Yes. As you can maybe tell, Matt & Will have a LOT to talk about this week on the podcast, so put on a bedsheet with a couple holes in it and join us for some spooooOOOOoooky sports entertainment!
In some ways, this episode feels like the beginning of a new era on Smackdown. Vince McMahon reveals who the new GM is (hint: it’s not Sable), Los Guerreros put their tag titles on the line against ~~T̶h̶e̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶l̶d̶'̶s̶ ̶G̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶T̶a̶g̶ ̶T̶e̶a̶m̶~~ uhhhh, the Bashams, and there’s a big Sports Entertainment-y main event. Plus we bid farewell to a certain unique wrestler, and we dig into the 'he said, they said' drama of his release. Daniel and Matt crack it all open, so take a listen and dive in!
We’re back with another Smackdown-only PPV, headlined by a Biker Chain match for the big belt between Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker. The (possibly) most important match is between Vince McMahon and his daughter Stephanie, and will we be mercifully spared of more McMahon drama in the future? Also, Eddie Guerrero tries to hold onto his US title despite recently being brutalized by Big Show, and John Cena’s growing popularity is evident in his bout with Kurt Angle. Matt and Will dig into it, so we hope you’ll dig this!
Today Matt and Daniel are covering a sports-entertainment-tastic episode of Smackdown, with very little in-ring action. And yet, it’s still pretty good? There’s a teary interview with Stephanie McMahon (even though she’s supposedly banned from the show), Jamie Noble and Nidia are victimized by the Vince McMahon machine, and the Undertaker barely explains what the upcoming Biker Chain Match is. Grab a chain and jump on board!
Matt and Will are here to talk about an odd episode of Smackdown this week, from an unexpected figure cutting a promo to open the show, to an extended gross-out gag finishing things off. In between, what happens? Well, there are several non-matches, a debut of a future Smackdown star, and the main event of No Mercy 2003 is given a (kind of random) gimmick. Look out for that sewage truck, it’s the Smackdown Six Podcast!
Big Show and Eddie Guerrero have a series of memorable exchanges on this episode, but that’s not a good thing. There’s a match, a questionable burrito, and a trip to the bathroom, and it’s all in service of US Championship match at No Mercy… I guess. Also, Vince makes Stephanie cry, and two other feuds are smushed together in a tag match main event, when Kurt Angle and the Undertaker go up against Brock Lesnar and John Cena. Two teams full of stars! And this podcast has two more, with Matt and Daniel on the mic! Listen and enjoy!
It’s the Eddie Guerrero show tonight, with Latino Heat pulling double duty, defending both the WWE Tag Team Championship as one half of Los Guerreros, and the WWE United States Championship against the now-partnerless Charlie Haas. Can Eddie successfully retain both titles? And will Vince McMahon get to bestow the WWE Championship onto Brock Lesnar in a fancy in-ring ceremony that may or may be attempted twice? Join Matt and Will to find out!
NOTE: The first 10(ish) minutes have some funky audio, BUT the rest is as perfect as Curt Hennig, so endure, then enjoy. Thanks Smack Addicts! You’re the best.
We’ve arrived: it’s time to talk about the Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship. Matt and Daniel talk over the details they like and dislike about Iron Man matches, as well as the other event of this episode, like a pretty good tag team title match! It’s Smackdown’s big show in September (since they didn’t have a PPV), so let’s dig in!
It’s time for the John Cena-Eddie Guerrero parking lot brawl! But wait, this episode of Smackdown is weirdly shorter than the other ones, and is there a good reason? Oh, maybe not good, but certainly weird! And since it’s September 11th, is there a very weird ‘patriotic moment’ in this show? Oh, absolutely. Also, ahead of next week’s Iron Man (Ironman?) match, Matt went ahead and watched every WWE Iron Man match there is, and he breaks them down here. Join Matt and Will and get excited!
Tonight’s episode is sick with championship fever, as Kurt Angle puts his WWE title on the line against Undertaker, Rey Mysterio defends his Cruiserweight title against Tajiri, and the (self-proclaimed?) World’s Greatest Tag Team tries to keep the tag titles and fend off the regressive APA. Matt and Daniel break it all down, including a Sablicious continuity error, and Brock Lesnar being a full on criminal. Don’t fall down the stairs, just listen to the show!
SummerSlam has come and gone, and we’re in El Paso for a great episode of Smackdown! Matt and Daniel break down Eddie Guerrero’s homecoming and John Cena’s attempted thwarting of it, as well as the big triple threat match to determine who will face Kurt Angle next week on Smackdown. (Next week? Not at the next PPV? Okay, Smackdown, sure…) There’s only four matches on tonight’s show, but that’s more than alright, because it’s pretty fantastic. So join us!
It’s the biggest party of the summer, and it’s one of the Big Four PPVs in WWE (back when they were still called that), it’s time for SummerSlam 2003! The Smackdown offerings are simple: we’ve got a boring A-Train-Undertaker match, a decent US title four way, and a big Wrestlemania XIX rematch between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. Also happening that night: every McMahon, live and in-person, whether you like it or not! Kane is bald, unmasked, and he’s recently tried to literally kill multiple guys on Raw! And Goldberg’s making a big SummerSlam debut inside the Elimination Chamber, will WWE seize on a very cool opportunity to make Goldberg the guy right as his star is shining brightest? Will they? Please… tell me they will.
We’ve covering the ‘go-home’ show for Summerslam 2003, but is the Smackdown side all that strong compared to recent PPVs? Matt & Daniel talk about that, PLUS Kurt Angle’s welcome intensity and street fight with shudder Big Show, ALSO Brock Lesnar’s destruction of Zach Gowen (in front of Zach’s own mother!), PLUS A-Train and Sable have an off-putting interaction. All this (and more!) can be heard discussed on this week’s episode.
We’re 10 days away from Summerslam 2003, and on this episode, Matt & Will discuss the episode where we all met the REAL Brock Lesnar, since he’s a big bad boy now and is somewhat aligned with Vince. Big mean Brock steps up against Spanky and destroys him, and Vince also sets up A-Train to destroy his daughter Stephanie in the main event. B-b-but that’s his d-daughter! Can he really be so heartless? (Also, there may be only one dude from the titular Smackdown Six in action, but it’s a good match.)
We’ve covering an episode with a big cage match tonight, and that means Brock Lesnar is going head-to-head with… Vince McMahon? And the special guest referee is… Kurt Angle, the WWE champion? Along with a confounding main event situation, there’s also a couple of rematches from Vengeance, with John Cena looking for his first victory over the Undertaker, and Eddie Guerrero facing Chris Benoit once again. But we’re still on the road to the biggest event of summer 2003, SummerSlam. Join Kris and Matt as they crack open an episode of Smackdown!
Kurt Angle is fresh off his WWE Championship win at Vengeance, and Mr. McMahon has tossed him and his friend(?) Brock Lesnar in a match against Opponents of Vince’s Choosing, but can they stay friends (despite Kurt pinning Brock at Vengeance)? Will Eddie Guerrero immediately lose his US title to Tajiri? Will Chris Benoit carry (checks notes) famed clown wrestler Doink to a five-star classic? And how can Jamie Noble and Torrie Wilson’s evening in a hotel room be anything other than incredibly depressing? Well, listen to Matt & Will on today’s episode and find out!
The Smackdown portion of the brand-exclusive PPV experiment begins with one of the best shows of the year, as long as you ignore midcard matches that barely belong on TV, let alone a PPV, as well as the two McMahon-centric matches. What you’re left with is a decent John Cena-Undertaker match, a solid tag team title match, a fun, workrate-oriented opener for the new WWE US title, and a big-time main event triple threat match between Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and (long, pronounced sigh) Big Show. What stuck out to Matt and Daniel? Is this show worth returning to after 20+ years? And where exactly is Mr. America?
This is the go-home episode of Smackdown before Vengeance 2003, so we’re shoring up some storylines: Eddie Guerrero isn’t just facing Chris Benoit for the new US title, he’s also jealous of him! Stephanie doesn’t just hate Sable, she’s also sad and angry with her father! Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle aren’t just allies, they’re friends… Or are they? All this, plus the APA being rude to an American soldier on foreign soil, on this episode of the podcast! Join Matt and Daniel and get ready for Vengeance!
Matt & Will are covering a loosey-goosey episode of Smackdown, featuring a semi-retread for a main event, two John Cena raps, and one conspicuous Presidential Skybox. The semifinal matches for the United States Championship tournament get decided, Brock Lesnar is sent packing early, and Kurt Angle is in the fight of his life in the main event. There’s a lot of fun stuff going on, so join us and get loose!
Smackdown returns to Toronto with a big contract signing, but weirdly for wrestling, it’s for a person, not a match! Also, the WWE champion, Brock Lesnar, is put in a wildly unfair as a result of his actions on last week’s episode! Also, Kurt Angle embraces hip hop! Furthermore, Billy Gunn and Jamie Noble tangle, leading to Noble proposing a rather… not-decent proposal? Is that the phrase? Also, Stephanie gets hit by the world’s most devastating clipboard. Jump in with Matt & Will and have some fun!
The Smack is back, baby, because this is a pretty fun episode of Smackdown, complete with decent matches and even some okay backstage segments! It starts off hot with a cruiserweight match, there’s a solid tag team title match, and there’s even an intriguing turn! Brock and Kurt have some competitive fun together, and even factor into a convoluted main event, which is part of the only thing dragging Smackdown down these days: the Zach Gowen-Vince McMahon-Mr. America-Stephanie McMahon feud from hell. That’s alright, more fun abounds with Matt and Daniel this week!
Smackdown is coming to you live (to tape) from the World’s Most Famous Arena (if you forget the Coliseum in Rome exists), Madison Square Garden. And it’s a big show! There’s a big main event six-man tag featuring Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America, plus some other guys! And, spoiler, it’s the last dance for Mr. America on the podcast, so Matt and Will get into the intrigue. Also, Ultimo Dragon debuts and begins a WWE run that will be interesting to watch for the duration of the podcast. Also, Vince McMahon admits to some horrible things, and then does some horrible things. Truly, what else is new during the Ruthless Aggression era?
It’s run-ins galore on this episode of Smackdown, with guys running in to beat down and/or save other guys time and time again. There are fun little matches in here, but the whole night is leading to the main event, where there is Unfinished Business between Brock Lesnar and Big Show. Also, there’s an elaborate plot to embarrass Zach Gowen, which naturally ends with a woman tearily recounting criminal acts committed against her in childhood. Yeesh. Anyway, there’s a lot to talk about, so join Matt and Daniel and enjoy!
It’s the 200th episode of Smackdown, and you wouldn’t know it if we didn't tell you! Lucky for you, Matt and Will are here to talk about Roddy Piper’s (almost) final appearance of this 2003 run and why he was fired, as well as Kurt Angle’s ousting of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin from Team Angle, a pretty ridiculous arm wrestling contest, plus the infamous ending to the episode’s main event, which may or may not involved a very big pairing doing a superplex. There’s a lot going on, so take a moment (or many moments) to listen and enjoy.
Matt and Daniel get to a cover a decent episode of Smackdown this week, and there are two major headlines: the first is Kurt Angle’s return, the second is a big cruiserweight title match-up between Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Will Rey come out on top with his family in the front row? Will Matt Hardy continue to use his pesky Mattitude Followers to retain his title? Does anybody remember Listerine Pocketpaks?
Check your pulse, get your story straight, and stop sweating: it’s time to tell the truth. That’s right, it’s time to pay the piper (no, not Roddy), because Mr. America is going to get strapped to a lie detector and forced to tell his darkest secrets at Vince McMahon’s prompting. But, it’s wrestling, so do you think things really go according to plan? Like, really? Anyway, there’s also a decent tag match in here, and a bunch of other fun stuff, so get ready to hear a lot of dings and way too much about how Vince McMahon spends his travel time in limousines!
The fallout to Judgment Day is here, and Vince McMahon is mad! His rage leads to a main event between Sean O’Haire and Mr. America with a convoluted set of stipulations. The best match of the show (and of the month… or last few months, even) is a rematch between Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri and Team Angle, which opens the show and kicks things off with a boom! Also, Sable picks a fight with Tazz, Stephanie McMahon takes part in an awkward interview, and a certain former undead wrestler returns to help Brock Lesnar. We’re ten weeks away from our next PPV, so join Matt & Alex for the beginning of a long ride!
Do you like tag team ladder matches with fun endings? You got it here. Do you enjoy physical beauty contests? You got it here. Do you need a gimmicky-but-fun WWE title match? You got it here. Do you enjoy watching old guys fight? No? Well, that’s here too. It’s the last non-Big Four dual-branded PPV, it’s Judgment Day 2003, so hop in and get judged!
Judgment Day is just around the corner (wasn’t Backlash like, two weeks ago?) so the good folks at WWE need to fill out the PPV card, so Vince McMahon shows up to find a hired gun to take out Mr. America. Will he pick any one of the hot new bad guys on Smackdown? Or will he make the least logical choice? Also, who will Eddie team with to go for the tag team titles at Judgment Day? And what’s he doing with that portrait of Kurt Angle? Also, Rey Mysterio is back! But he’s not safe! Big Show is lurking, and Brock is lurking behind him… So stop lurking and listen up!
It’s a very special episode of the Smackdown Six Podcast, because this episode was taped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Matt and his two guest co-hosts (his brothers, Will and Alex) were there to take it in live! Join them to wax nostalgic about Smackdown, Raw, and even a press conference involving a very cancelled wrestler! Hear about the Vaughan brothers’ firsthand experience in-house for these live WWE shows, as well as how often they show up on camera. It’s a big fun episode, so enjoy!
Backlash was only a few nights ago, but the upcoming Judgment Day PPV is only three weeks away, so this post-PPV Smackdown is moving quickly to establish some feuds: Los Guerreros are leaning into the ‘steal’ part of their ethos, pilfering various wares from Team Angle, Brock Lesnar is taking exception to Big Show swing (and drop) of Rey Mysterio, Sable is teaming with Torrie for some reason, and Mr. America is debuting on Piper’s Pit. Oh, and if you don’t recognize this podcast, it’s okay, it’s the same as ever, but with a blue mask on its head.
After covering a Wrestlemania that is so beloved in wrestling’s public consciousness, the Smackdown Six Podcast now has to reckon with Wrestlemania’s designated aftermath PPV: Backlash 2003. Does it live up to Wrestlemania XIX? No. Does it have rewarding backstage segments? Not at all. Is there a lot to talk about? You better believe it! Kevin Nash is back in WWE now! Goldberg is playing around in Vince’s backyard for the first time! John Cena goes up against Brock Lesnar for the WWE title for the first time on PPV! (It’s not memorable or good, but it happened!) Matt & Will are all over it today, so jump on in, the water’s fine. (The PPV, however, is not fine.)
With only 72 hours between this Smackdown episode and the upcoming Backlash PPV, the show’s creative team pioneered an approach to putting a show like this together: just put a bunch of John Cena in there. (The headline for this show: You CAN see him.) But there’s also Sable, and whatever the Sable Invitational is! And the FBI are around, hassling Chris Benoit! And apparently Brock Lesnar is a serial-career-ender! We’re chugging our way to our April PPV, so hop onboard and enjoy.
We’re only 10 days away from Backlash, and there’s one big question we’re asking: how do you make a tournament final dramatic when the winner is pretty obvious? It’s Cena-Benoit in the main event of tonight’s show, and they make it all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. But settle down, Aretha, there’s more! Rey Mysterio embarrasses Big Show, prompting a possible PPV match-up, if Show can find Stephanie. (Where is she?) Also, Nathan Jones is rolling solo, so hopefully nothing bad happens to him!
We continue to cover the #1 Contender’s Tournament to see who will face Brock Lesnar for the WWE title at Backlash. Rhyno and Benoit are friends, but will they still be buds after their semifinal match? And does John Cena have a hope of beating the Undertaker? And what are the Full Blooded Italians up to? Join Matt and Kris as they talk it out!
It’s the first show after Wrestlemania, and the new WWE champion is nowhere to be found, so what do you do? Well, you fill the night up with a tournament, where eight men battle it out to determine who will face Brock Lesnar at Backlash. Also, there’s a surprise appearance by someone who seemed like they’d never come back to WWE, so hit play and find out who came back!
The set is built, the ring is up, the pyro is set, the seats are filled (mostly); it’s time for Wrestlemania XIX. Hit play to find out if Rey Mysterio or Matt Hardy come out on top! Or why it’s tough for the Spanish announcers to cover the rest of the show after the Hogan-McMahon match! Or why the main event is the battle of two guys who end up ridiculously hurt! Tally-ho, Smack Addicts: it’s Wrestlemania.
We’re pulling into the parking lot of Wrestlemania (that is to say, we're near the end of the road), and we’re in San Jose for one final Smackdown before the big PPV on Sunday. Matt and Daniel take a look at the final push for Wrestlemania, and Daniel is full of improved booking decisions for a show that could use some. The last section of the show is special, as a few key elements fall into place to form John Cena as a major figure in WWE for the next couple decades. But is it out of place? In some ways, yes. Hit play to find out why!
We’re only 10 days away from Wrestlemania, so it’s time to make fans excited to buy the show! Matt and Will talk about the fallout from last week’s WWE title ‘match’, which leads to some interesting implications for the main event of ‘Mania, some tag teams pair off for matches, and Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan get together to sign a contract for their match, er, fight. Nothing bad ever happens at a contract signing in wrestling, right?
On this episode, there’s a match to determine the #1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles has a less-than-definite ending, so who will face Team Angle at Wrestlemania? Also, who will answer Matt Hardy’s open challenge? And finally, should we get excited about a much-hyped WWE World Title match when there’s only five minutes left in the show when it gets started? And did WWE mess with their fans when they were promoting this match? And is there a chance that the real life, behind-the-scenes explanation for the match is actually more interesting than just about anything else on the show? Hit PLAY and find out, champ!
We’re on the road to Wrestlemania, so we’ve got a fun triple threat cruiserweight match to kick things off, followed by a big non-title match for Team Angle. But the whole show is building toward a cage match between Brock Lesnar and his former agent Paul Heyman, and if Brock wins, he has a rather unusual match set up for the next week. But will Brock win? And does the arrangement that Stephanie makes have any rational explanation? Find out on today’s episode!
We’re only a few days removed from No Way Out, and this episode features a few new beginnings, both for first-timers and for former ECW wrestlers! There’s even an extended segment that features a rare re-do for the televised audience, which is fun! But there are a few big questions to answer: what’s next for Hulk Hogan after being screwed in Montreal? Will Brian Kendrick last five minutes against Kurt Angle? And who will Brock Lesnar want to face in a steel cage, provided he beats Team Angle in a match? All this and much more on the Smackdown Six Podcast!
In theory, a PPV that features the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan should be one the most consequential in wrestling history, and this is… not the case. So what’s the deal with No Way Out 2003? Why does Hogan-Rock II feel a little flat? Why does JR screaming ‘Stone Cold’s back!’ feel like the end of something, instead of the beginning? And how can something as simple as the WWE champion getting knocked into a turnbuckle set the stage for a completely crazy Wrestlemania main event? Matt and Daniel look into it, and there’s a lot to discuss. It’s the 2003 edition of No Way Out, folks: let’s go.
No Way Out 2003 is mere days away, and this episode feels… different. Matt and Will try to figure out what makes it feel the most off: is it the two minute matches? The extended (though very funny) promo segments with The Rock and Hulk Hogan? Or is it yet another Big Show-Undertaker-crate segment? Grab your trustiest cocker spaniel (yes, there’s a cocker spaniel in this episode) and listen up, or we’ll make you interview Nathan Jones!
On this week’s episode, Matt and Daniel bid a fond farewell to Edge, 1/6 of the titular grapplers on our podcast, as he wrestles his last match on the podcast. Undertaker encounters a surprising former WCW wrestler, Chris Benoit takes on A-Train, and Brock Lesnar and John Cena go head-to-head in a match that would go on to become a major main event spectacle, but on this occasion, it was just a Thursday night main event.
The first Smackdown of February 2003 begins with a crane shot. No, the camera’s not on a crane (though maybe it is?), there’s an actual crane in the arena! And it’s a gift for Undertaker! Matt and Kris discuss Big Show’s gift for the deadman, as well as two pretty wonderful matches, and a bunch of very short ones. We’re on the road to No Way Out 2003, so join us!
This week, Matt and Will try to answer the greatest question of our time: did Paul Heyman bring a bellhop outfit and bicycle with him to this show? If that isn’t enough for you, this episode also covers Vince McMahon’s response to Hulk Hogan’s challenge, setting up a major re-match at No Way Out. Also, Team Angle seeks their first shot at the tag team titles, but they have to go through Edge and Chris Benoit first. You get all this, plus the rubber match between Bill Demott and Rikishi! Wow!
On this week’s podcast, we cover the first Smackdown episode after Royal Rumble 2003. Every member of Team Angle was in action, with Charlie Haas facing Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin facing Edge, and Kurt Angle going up again Rey Mysterio. But the last section of the episode is, in some ways, the most interesting, as Stephanie McMahon’s supposed ‘bombshell’ arrives at Smackdown and takes over the show. But there’s one MORE surprise before the show it over, even! Matt and Daniel cover it all, so enjoy!
It’s one of the biggest shows of the year, and speaking of Big Shows, Paul Wight opens the show to go toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar, to see who will enter the Royal Rumble match itself! Matt & Will also discuss a bad world title match, a great world title match, and the 30 man, one-man-goes-to-main-event-Wrestlemania-stipulated match, the Royal Rumble. Who will win? Listen to find out!
We are mere days away from the Royal Rumble, so naturally, this show features multiple segments at a wake! But there are also a couple of important tag team matches: Los Guerreros have to fend off John Cena and B2 in the hopes that they retain their tag team titles, and Team Angle squares off with Edge and Chris Benoit, just 72 hours before Benoit goes head-to-head with Kurt Angle for the WWE title. Who will come out on top? Well, you’ll have to watch the Royal Rumble for that, but until then, listen to this!
Have you ever wondered what the maximum number of matches is that you could stuff into a two hour wrestling show? Well, they tried here, and this week’s episode of the podcast covers a night with nine matches. Yes, nine! One less than 10! And they’re all real, honest-to-goodness matches. While Matt and Daniel try to keep up with the match-up madness, there’s also a honeymoon taking place, with a surprising (and infamous) conclusion. Strap in, we’re going nine-deep on the pod, and hopefully you live longer than Al Wilson!
What’s this? A LIVE episode of Smackdown, a famously pre-taped show? Yes, it’s live, and it’s full of strange energy! So join Matt and Will as Kurt Angle assaults a referee and the ring announcer, Brock Lesnar gets his head split open with a chair (and beats the hell out of Matt Hardy to make up for it), and Dawn Marie and Al Wilson finally tie the knot, but the wedding is a little… unconventional. Put your clothes on and enjoy the podcast!
If you like people hyping some video footage for a full hour before showing it to you, this is the show for you. Apparently Brock Lesnar did a number on Kurt Angle the week before this, but you’ll just have to wait to see it! Kurt’s knee is destroyed, but that doesn’t mean he’s dropping the WWE title (there’s a #1 Contender’s match to see who will face him at Royal Rumble), and he’s also not alone (Paul Heyman gives Kurt Angle a present: two collegiate athlete-turned sports entertainers). It’s all here, so join Matt and Daniel, and listen up!
It’s the fallout from Armageddon, and Matt and Will are digging into it! The in-ring action is sparse this week, but the intrigue around the WWE Title (and who is managing who) is thick. One main event involving Brock Lesnar is suggested, delayed, and finally indefinitely postponed by Kurt Angle, our new WWE champion. Elsewhere, Bill Demott dominates some geeks, and the Big Show makes a push for the crown of ‘Dumbest WWE Wrestler Ever’.
The end is here! The end of WWE’s 2002 PPV schedule, that is. On this week’s episode, Matt and Kris cover a PPV with only three Smackdown matches, but they all answer important questions: is A-Train being pushed as a top wrestler? Will Chris Benoit become the de facto #1 Contender for the WWE Title? And who will be the champion who faces him, Big Show or Kurt Angle? Plus, we get to find out what really happened in Room 357, whether we like it or not…
It’s the go-home show for Armageddon 2002, and Matt and Daniel have a pretty questionable episode of the show on their hands: there are multiple crimes, horrible accusations, and even content that seems to be cut from the show at random. That said, do you enjoy when Kurt Angle tosses big men around? Or long extended interview segments? Well, if so, you’re in for a treat! Hop in, we’re on the way to Armageddon!
Matt and Will cover a Smackdown episode that has a real firecracker of a main event: a fatal fourway elimination match to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE title, and all four competitors are members of the Smackdown Six! Elsewhere on the show, the card for Armageddon begins to shape up, with Albert re-debuting on Smackdown and attacking both Rey Mysterio and Edge, and Dawn Marie reveals something that is truly hard to believe.
Gobble gobble, it’s American Thanksgiving 2002 on the Smackdown Six Podcast! Matt and his buddy Brian have to contend with a first for the podcast: a truly bad episode of wrestling on television. Smackdown’s GM seems to become evil overnight, and the reason given is both shocking and offensive! But there’s also a pretty decent tag team match, and Brock Lesnar does at least one cool thing, so it’s not all bad? Regardless, this episode is pretty good, even if the show it’s covering is NOT. Hop in, losers!
It’s time to deal with the fallout from Survivor Series 2002, so get excited! Just don’t throw anyone through a wall, alright? Matt is joined once again by Will Young, and they explore things like: What would a Charlie Haas-Redd Dogg tag team be called? Is Brock Lesnar a source of mortal danger? Is it right to proactively throw guys out of a wrestling match? Is John Cena vs. Rikishi a ‘great match-up’? Will Edge beat Big Show for the WWE Title less than a week after he won it? That last one is a big old ‘nope’, but listen to this week’s podcast to find out the answers to the rest of those!
Matt and Brian team up to take on one of the biggest shows of the year, Survivor Series! Can Brock Lesnar prove Paul Heyman wrong and actually beat Big Show? Can the members of the Smackdown Six work together to create an all-time great match? Can Billy Kidman overcome his crippling plainness and beat Jamie Noble for the Cruiserweight title? Can the Smackdown Six podcast cover enough of the Elimination Chamber match for it to be interesting? Come find out!
We are on the cusp of Survivor Series, but first, Matt and Kris have some last minute matches to get to! Significantly for this podcast, the Smackdown Six pair off and wrestle each other in three matches, including one between a tag team? Zuh? Also, Torrie Wilson calls out her father for his relationship with Dawn Marie, and Big Show threatens to call out WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, but Paul Heyman (and the Next Big Thing himself) have different ideas.
It’s a two-out-of-three falls kind of episode on the Smackdown Six Podcast! Matt and Daniel talk through the WWE Tag Team Title match-up between the infighting champions (Misters Angle and Benoit) and the number one contenders (Misters Edge and Mysterio) that will go all the way to three falls, PLUS Eddie Guerrero gets to take on Brock Lesnar in a non-title match, Big Show continues to cause problems, and Al Wilson has a very special question to ask Dawn Marie. We’re covering it all, top to bottom, right here on the Smackdown Six Podcast!
Boo! Did I scare you? No? Well, what does scare you? Internal strife among the WWE Tag Team Champions? The beginning of a new gimmick that will launch John Cena into the stratosphere for years to come? What about an extra angry Latino Heat? How about a young cruiserweight get launched into the crowd? Or, if all those fail to truly frighten you, maybe you’ll be unsettled (at the very least) by an early #MeToo moment between two general managers of wrestling? Regardless of how petrified you are right now, join Matt and his big bro Will Vaughan on the Smackdown Six podcast for a little Halloween fun, muahahahaha!
Have you ever wanted to watch a wrestler go from a nobody to a main eventer in one night? Well, the fine folks at Smackdown thought so back in late October 2002, leading to a show that is chock full of Big Show, Big Show, and more Big Show. Join Matt and his buddy Brian as they try to make sense of Paul Wight’s sharp ascent to the place beyond the upper mid-card, as well as Undertaker’s self-aggrandizing promo and Billy Kidman’s surprisingly strong win-loss record against big names. Come with us, and we’ll make you a main eventer in your personal life!*
*We can’t do that. Sorry. You gotta get out there and grind every day if you want to grab that brass ring, jack.
Matt brings on Daniel Pettipas for his first PPV on the Smackdown Six Podcast, and it’s a pretty great one: No Mercy 2002. On the Smackdown side of things, the first couple matches aren’t anything to get excited about, but the WWE Tag Team Title Tournament comes to a thrilling conclusion, and the main event is inside Hell in a Cell, so the back half of this show is as strong as anything you put it up against. Also, the Tracy saga reaches a strange conclusion. It’s all here! It’s No Mercy 2002 on the Smackdown Six Podcast!
Matt and his eldest brother Will Vaughan cover a very Canadian episode of Smackdown in Toronto, featuring the two semi-final matches of the WWE Tag Team Title tournament, one of which is extra good. Also featured on the show: the crowd in Toronto makes history as they make fun of John Cena, Stephanie announces whether or not the Undertaker can wear his cast at No Mercy, and Al Wilson is caught in a compromising situation. It’s Smackdown folks, let’s get to it!
Matt is joined by first-time co-host Kris Dmytrenko to discuss a dramatic-yet-tawdry episode of Smackdown. Eddie and Chavo Guerrero try their hardest to drive a wedge between tag-team-partners-who-hate-each other Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, while Jamie Noble goes missing and can’t make it to the main event of the show. But perhaps most significantly, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman introduce the world to Tracy, who purports to be the Undertaker’s mistress. Is this true? Does the Undertaker deny it? Is he credible in his denial? All this and more coming up on the Smackdown Six Podcast!
Matt is back with his old friend Daniel Pettipas to cover a Smackdown where Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit just can’t leave each alone, Matt Hardy goes up against the Undertaker in a Falls Count Anywhere match (with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar making an appearance and causing a significant injury to the Dead Man), and we are told that the upcoming No Mercy main event will take place inside an ominous structure.
Brian Campbell (not the CBS reporter, or the NHL player, or the soup) joins with Matt to discuss the fallout from Unforgiven 2002. Edge and Eddie Guerrero take to the skies to finish off their feud in one of the best Smackdown matches of all time, Undertaker gets attacked by Brock Lesnar after a match and is in pretty rough shape, and Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and Chris Benoit come together for a very Smackdown Six main event. This is a real good one.
Will Vaughan covers his first PPV with Matt as they go over Unforgiven 2002, or at least, the Smackdown side of the show. And what a show! Eddie Guerrero seeks victory of Edge, but can he do it without resorting to cheating? Billy & Chuck battle to save Stephanie from HLA (don’t ask), but do they succeed? Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit have an all time classic technical wrestling match, but is it the greatest match of their oeuvre? And is the conclusion to Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker satisfying, or something far from it? It’s all here on the Smackdown Six Podcast; it’s Unforgiven 2002.
Matt brings back Will Young (with a distinctly Barry White-esque voice) to discuss an episode of Smackdown that features Brock Lesnar going toe-to-toe with a still-not-significant John Cena, years before that would be the main event of a major PPV, as well as a pleasant cruiserweight match between Matt Hardy and the Hurricane, and Chuck Palumbo gets possibly the biggest win of his career, and it’s not ideal. But this show is! So enjoy.
Matt’s good buddy Daniel is in back-to-back episodes because a Commitment Ceremony won’t cover itself! And oh, is that ceremony ever eventful: there’s surprising revelations on all sides, a droning preacher, and even some violence (on a wrestling show, no less). But there’s so much more to it: Brock Lesnar gets weirdly close with Undertaker’s wife, Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio re-create some Summerslam magic, and Hardcore Holly gets dropped on right on his dang neck. Strap in folks, this one’s wild!
Daniel Pettipas returns to the podcast to talk to Matt about a show loaded with matches (some good, most ‘eh’), but there are two major events: a face-to-face interview with Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker (complete with a ‘moderator’, which is not how interviews work), and Chuck asks Billy a very important question (after some pointed prompting from the stylist, Rico).
Matt is joined by the incomparable Will Young to take a look at the first silver and blue episode of Smackdown! The show includes a fairly confusing Number One Contender tournament… Or is it a gauntlet? Regardless, the guys spend a fair bit of time on everyone’s favourite stylist, Rico, and they puzzle over the latest member of the blue brand, and why Stephanie was so affectionate on the phone with him. Also, Stephanie punishes a guy with a match that helps him, so maybe she could work on her approach to discipline?
Is this one of the best PPVs of 2002? Or ever? Join Matt and his friend Brian Campbell as they consider the Smackdown side of the show. Is Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio one of the best openers of all time? How does Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge stack up against other matches in their feud? Does Brock-Rock have that big fight feel? Oh, and does Howard Finkel tarnish his legacy with an all-time terrible piece of wordplay?
Matt’s brother Will Vaughan makes his return to the Smackdown Six Podcast to cover a show that includes Paul Heyman promising that Brock and Rock would collide just days before their big match at Summerslam, but Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit beat up Rocky (and his buddy, Edge) to set up the main event. Also on the show: the WWE Women’s Championship has its sole defence of the Smackdown Six Podcast, and Kurt Angle loses to Billy Kidman, but it’s not entirely his fault.
Matt is joined by one of his favourite people, Daniel Pettipas, to take a look at the edition of Smackdown that had Matt Hardy making his Smackdown debut, Brock taking on Rikishi, Kurt Angle and Mark Henry having a surprisingly good match, and the first Smackdown Six-only tag match with Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Los Guerreros. Also, as the WWE Network says, ‘The Rock competes in a Singles Match’.
On this episode, Matt is joined by his good friend Brian Campbell to go over a highly significant episode of Smackdown: Kurt Angle and (a very young) John Cena battle each other before they get interrupted by four other guys, which leads to a 6-man tag match featuring 5/6ths of the Smackdown Six. Rev. D-Von lost again, Billy & Chuck won, and Brock Lesnar tangles with Hulk Hogan, with a decisive victor coming out on top.
It’s the inaugural episode of the Smackdown Six Podcast, and Matt is joined by Will Vaughan (his brother) to talk about the beginning of the Smackdown Six era: Rey Mysterio (fresh off of his debut) is already blowing people’s minds, Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan are feuding over who gets to face Brock Lesnar, and Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit make the jump from Raw to Smackdown, ushering in a period of excellent wrestling. Oh, and Nidia makes out with Michael Cole.
From the summer of 2002 until early 2004, the best wrestling matches in the world were largely the work of just six men: the Smackdown Six. They were Rey Mysterio, Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Kurt Angle, and yes, Chris Benoit. They wrestled against each other, they wrestled as tag teams; they were the backbone of Smackdown, and Smackdown the best wrestling show on television.
Join Matt Vaughan and a guest co-host as they explore the Smackdown Six Era of, well, Smackdown. There will be good things to celebrate (Brock Lesnar! The Cruiserweight Division!), bad things to complain about (how women were treated!), and a few terrible things to agonize over (single-branded pay-per-views! Zach Gowen!).
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