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Judgment Day (2001)
Encyclopedia
Judgment Day was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF). It was the third such annual event and took place on May 20, 2001 at the ARCO Arena
in Sacramento, California
.
Seven professional wrestling matches
were featured on the event's card
. The main event was Steve Austin
defending the WWF Championship
against The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match. Austin won the match, and as a result, he retained his championship. Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard. In a Chain match, challenger Kane
defeated defending WWF Intercontinental Champion
Triple H
to win the title. The other featured bout was a two out of three falls match, which saw Kurt Angle
defeat Chris Benoit
, two falls to one, to recapture his Olympic gold medal
.
The event grossed over $
670,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 13,623—higher than the previous year's event. The 2001 event received a lower buyrate than that of the previous year's amount, however, as it received less than 300,000 pay-per-view buys.
with outcomes predetermined by the WWF's creative writers. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous
or fan-favorite
gimmick as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match. The name of a wrestler's character was not always the person's birth name, as wrestlers often use a stage name
to portray their character.
The main event at Judgment Day featured a No Holds Barred match, a match with no disqualifications nor countouts, in which Steve Austin
defended the WWF Championship
against The Undertaker. The buildup to the match began on the April 30 edition of Raw
, Austin retained the WWF Championship against Undertaker, though by disqualification after low blow
ing Undertaker, thus resulting in the decision. In the following weeks, Undertaker attacked Austin, and at one point taking his vest and the WWF Championship. Around that tie,, Undertaker, received a (kayfabe) phone call stating that his wife had been involved in a (kayfabe) car accident. The Undertaker found out that everything was okay and there had not been a car accident. The Undertaker then began to hunt down whoever made the phone call. On the May 17 edition of SmackDown!, during Undertaker's match with Triple H
, WWF Champion, Steve Austin appeared on the screen and admitted that he had made the phone call.
Another main event at Judgment Day featured a Chain match, in which Triple H defended the WWF Intercontinental Championship
against Kane
. The buildup to the match started after WrestleMania X-Seven
on the April 5 edition of SmackDown!, when Triple H won the Intercontinental title by defeating Chris Jericho
after WWF Commissioner William Regal interfered. Two weeks later on SmackDown!, Triple H and Steve Austin interfered in Kane's WWF Hardcore Championship
defense against Rhyno by injuring his left arm (Kayfabe
) with multiple steel chair shots, enabling Rhyno to win the title. At Backlash
, WWF Champion Steve Austin and I.C. Champion
Triple H defeated The Undertaker and Kane to win the WWF Tag Team Championship in a tag team match, in which Austin's WWF title and Triple H's Intercontinental title was also on the line. Their victory was due to interference from both Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and her father Vince McMahon
, enabling Triple H to nail Kane in his injured elbow and in the head with the sledgehammer
for the victory. The following night on Raw, Kane was scheduled to challenge Steve Austin for the WWF Championship but got attacked backstage by Austin & Triple H before the match started. Therefore, The Undertaker replaced Kane in the title match and defeated Austin by disqualification, but not the title. Afterwords, Kane came down to save Taker from the beatdown but ended up being put out of action for two weeks after Austin and Triple H targeted his left arm. On the May 14 edition of Raw, Triple H announced a chain match for the Intercontinental title pitting himself and Kane at Judgment Day.
Tag Team Turmoil
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF). It was the third such annual event and took place on May 20, 2001 at the ARCO Arena
ARCO Arena
Power Balance Pavilion is an indoor arena, located in the Natomas area of Sacramento, California. It is the home of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.-Background:...
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
.
Seven professional wrestling matches
Mock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
were featured on the event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
. The main event was Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
defending the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
against The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match. Austin won the match, and as a result, he retained his championship. Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard. In a Chain match, challenger Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
defeated defending WWF Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
to win the title. The other featured bout was a two out of three falls match, which saw Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
defeat Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, two falls to one, to recapture his Olympic gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
.
The event grossed over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
670,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 13,623—higher than the previous year's event. The 2001 event received a lower buyrate than that of the previous year's amount, however, as it received less than 300,000 pay-per-view buys.
Background
The event featured seven professional wrestling matchesProfessional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
with outcomes predetermined by the WWF's creative writers. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or fan-favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
gimmick as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match. The name of a wrestler's character was not always the person's birth name, as wrestlers often use a stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
to portray their character.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
defended the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
against The Undertaker. The buildup to the match began on the April 30 edition of Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Austin retained the WWF Championship against Undertaker, though by disqualification after low blow
Low Blow
Low Blow is an album by Victor Bailey released in 1999. "Graham Cracker" is a tribute to Larry Graham.-Track listing:# "Low Blow" – 3:11# "Sweet Tooth" – 5:58# "City Living" – 6:11# "Do You Know Who/Continuum" – 5:17...
ing Undertaker, thus resulting in the decision. In the following weeks, Undertaker attacked Austin, and at one point taking his vest and the WWF Championship. Around that tie,, Undertaker, received a (kayfabe) phone call stating that his wife had been involved in a (kayfabe) car accident. The Undertaker found out that everything was okay and there had not been a car accident. The Undertaker then began to hunt down whoever made the phone call. On the May 17 edition of SmackDown!, during Undertaker's match with Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, WWF Champion, Steve Austin appeared on the screen and admitted that he had made the phone call.
Another main event at Judgment Day featured a Chain match, in which Triple H defended the WWF Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
against Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
. The buildup to the match started after WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas...
on the April 5 edition of SmackDown!, when Triple H won the Intercontinental title by defeating Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
after WWF Commissioner William Regal interfered. Two weeks later on SmackDown!, Triple H and Steve Austin interfered in Kane's WWF Hardcore Championship
WWE Hardcore Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
defense against Rhyno by injuring his left arm (Kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
) with multiple steel chair shots, enabling Rhyno to win the title. At Backlash
Backlash (2001)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation promotion, which took place on April 29, 2001 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the third event under the Backlash chronology...
, WWF Champion Steve Austin and I.C. Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Triple H defeated The Undertaker and Kane to win the WWF Tag Team Championship in a tag team match, in which Austin's WWF title and Triple H's Intercontinental title was also on the line. Their victory was due to interference from both Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and her father Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
, enabling Triple H to nail Kane in his injured elbow and in the head with the sledgehammer
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area...
for the victory. The following night on Raw, Kane was scheduled to challenge Steve Austin for the WWF Championship but got attacked backstage by Austin & Triple H before the match started. Therefore, The Undertaker replaced Kane in the title match and defeated Austin by disqualification, but not the title. Afterwords, Kane came down to save Taker from the beatdown but ended up being put out of action for two weeks after Austin and Triple H targeted his left arm. On the May 14 edition of Raw, Triple H announced a chain match for the Intercontinental title pitting himself and Kane at Judgment Day.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raven Scott Levy Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other... defeated Val Venis Sean Morley Sean Allen Morley is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Val Venis, during his time with World Wrestling Federation, later known as World Wrestling Entertainment... |
Singles match | 04:09 | |
| Hardcore Holly Bob Holly Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment .... and Crash Holly Mike Lockwood Michael John "Mike" Lockwood was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment under the ring name Crash Holly.... defeated Kaientai Kai En Tai Kai En Tai was a professional wrestling stable made up of Japanese wrestlers Kaz Hayashi, Dick Togo and Mens Teioh, later joined by Sho Funaki and Taka Michinoku. The group was managed by Yamaguchi-San when they were in the WWF.... (Taka Michinoku and Funaki Shoichi Funaki is a Japanese/American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.-Early years :... ) |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
||
| 1 | William Regal defeated Rikishi Solofa Fatu Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:... |
Singles match | 03:57 |
| 2 | Kurt Angle Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion... defeated Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... |
Two out of three falls match | 23:58 |
| 3 | Rhyno (c) defeated Test and The Big Show | Triple threat hardcore match Hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted... for the WWF Hardcore Championship WWE Hardcore Championship The World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere... |
09:13 |
| 4 | Chyna (c) defeated Lita Amy Dumas Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006.... |
Singles match for the WWF Women's Championship WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification... |
06:30 |
| 5 | Kane Kane (wrestler) Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury.... defeated Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... (c) (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) |
Chain match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand... |
12:27 |
| 6 | Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... and Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... won by last eliminating Edge & Christian |
Tag Team Turmoil match | 32:09 |
| 7 | Steve Austin Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler... (c) defeated The Undertaker |
No Holds Barred match for the WWF Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
23:05 |
Tag Team Turmoil
| Draw | Wrestler | Order | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The APA Acolytes Protection Agency The Acolytes Protection Agency , was a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Bradshaw and Faarooq. They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment between October 1998 and March 2004.... (Bradshaw John Layfield John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News... and Faarooq Ron Simmons Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,... ), |
3 | X-Factor |
| 2 | Dean Malenko Dean Malenko Dean Simon is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling , New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling... and Perry Saturn (with Terri Terri Runnels Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels is a former World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation professional wrestling manager, television host and occasional wrestler.... ) |
1 | APA |
| 3 | The Dudley Boyz Dudley Boyz Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals... (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (with Spike Dudley Matt Hyson Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time... ) |
2 | APA |
| 4 | X-Factor X-Factor (professional wrestling) X-Factor was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation led by X-Pac that featured Justin Credible and Albert.... (X-Pac Sean Waltman Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ... and Justin Credible Peter Polaco Peter Joseph Polaco is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Justin Credible. He is also known for his earlier stint with the WWF under the ringname Aldo Montoya... ) (with Albert) |
5 | Jericho & Benoit |
| 5 | The Hardy Boyz Hardy Boyz The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy... (Matt Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... and Jeff Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion... ) |
4 | X-Factor |
| 6 | Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... and Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... |
WINNERS | |
| 7 | Edge and Christian Edge and Christian Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions... |
6 | Jericho & Benoit |
See also
- WWE Judgment DayWWE Judgment DayJudgment Day was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every May by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1998, with its inaugural event produced as an In Your House event in October of that year. The event was then replaced in 1999...
- List of WWE pay-per-view events