Chris Benoit vs. Steve Austin (WWE - 5/31/2001)

Another notch in the belt for Austin's all time great 2001. Austin being paranoid and self doubting before the match, hugging and kissing the belt, and then rubbing it in Benoit's face while he was on top was a delightful bonus. The match itself was awesome these trading submission holds, some vicious bombs on the outside, and then Benoit climaxing things with ten German suplexes. I loved the finish as well, it played into all the storylines surrounding this match Vince doubting Austin, Benoit taking out his frustrations on Vince, and Austin just squeaking by to retain the title.

I love this match. For as great as Benoit is as a pro wrestler I really think he is, he doesn't have that many great matches. This is one of his best. He is a total machine.

NWA Touring Champ vs Hometown Boy in 2001 and its glorious.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit - Smackdown! 5/31/01



They are in Edmonton and Benoit is the hometown hero and Vince McMahon is worried that 'Ol Stone Cold does not have the chops to defeat Benoit in these circumstances. Austin flips out. Benoit still has his ribs taped and is wicked over with the Edmonton crowd. Also, VinnyMac is the special enforcer since he did such a great job on Raw.



Unlike RAW, Benoit is aggressive to start by kicking some ass, a great way to fire up the crowd. I love Austin wildly flaying trying to get away from the asskicking machine that is Benoit. Swinging neckbreaker by Austin and it is definitely 2001. Love the Crossface tease early and Benoit tenaciously will not let go and applies thrice, but it is too early. in a match of this magnitude there is no reason to use anything besides your best weapon to win the match. Austin powders after being overwhelmed. Benoit gives Austin no quarter and is on his ass the whole match. Austin is great at tumbling and stumbling all over the outside. Austin stymies Benoit with a wild kick to the injured ribs and then throwing Benoit into hard objects. Desperate, Austin grabs the championship belt, but Benoit just keeps firing away. DDT on belt. The crowd is feeling it and Benoit is going to go airborne. Benoit eats gold with the diving headbutt. OW! OW! Ow! Benoit has a nasty cut under his eye from that. Benoit KICK OUT! He kicks out! Great transition, but a little dangerous. Austin goes for a heat-seeking Sharpshooter and gets those boos. Awesome! Huge Benoit chants! Benoit powers out and applies his own Sharpshooter to a massive pop! Perfect use of the Sharpshooter in the middle of the match to get the crowd revved up. Austin powers out and applies his own Sharpshooter and he has a wild look on it. They tease the rope break to a great reaction. That big pop and then immediately fades. Benoit breaks it and gets the Sharpshooter and Austin makes ropes but Benoit is tenacious and yanks him back. Great sequence that crowd loved it and felt dramatic without being too exhausting. Benoit lays in some stiff shots to Austin's back to set up the German and Austin pops up his leg to ballshot. LETS GO BENOIT! I did not like the set up to the superplex. Austin went to the top. Not buying it. Benoit is able to get right back and superplex (did get a big pop) after a ballshot. Respect the ballshot! CROSSFACE! Austin's selling outside the ring is impeccable. Austin is able to hit a nasty front suplex on Benoit's injured ribs on the announce table. The second front suplex is an insane, out of control one that looks like Benoit was so close to being piledriven into the floor, but his abdomen caught the announce table and all I go to say is OW! AUSTIN SUCKS! AUSTIN SUCKS! AUSTIN SUCKS! I love this crowd! Austin taunts Benoit with the belt as he has been working the ribs. Lets Go Benoit chants! Benoit fires back like only he can, cheers, AUSTIN THROWS BENOIT DOWN with a spinebuster! Austin is incredulous at the kickout. Austin applies a Boston Crab, holy shit, 2001 Austin is one of the all time greatest years for one wrestler. Austin is just slapping Benoit in the back of the head to a chorus of boos. Rolling Germans! Austin wants a timeout, but Benoit refuses to let go, this is Suplex City Bitch. TEN! TEN! German Suplexes! Austin is shoved into McMahon and Crossface! Vince in with a chair and Benoit kicks him off. Benoit kicks Vince's ass with the chair the perfect way to send crowd happy, but knowing Austin was going to roll him up with the tights to win.



Awesome, awesome hometown hero vs champion match that was totally updated from 2001. It tugged on all the same strings as a touring NWA champion match, but with a completely fresh take. I have seen this match twice in just a couple days and it is bitchin. A couple misfires here and there, but they play to this crowd perfectly. Benoit roars at the beginning, gets the Crossface and then they use the Diving Headbutt into the belt as the first really crazy high spot. The Sharpshooter sequence could only work in Alberta, but fuck talk about perfect placement. Then that Austin heat segment that's how you do a heat segment. The finish is great you get to see Benoit have Austin in the Crossface, kick Vince's ass, but you still manage to get Austin to retain. Wicked badass. ****3/4

I do hate being such a high voter on Chris Benoit, but it's really hard to deny that this isn't one of the best matches of all time, a top 50 lock on a first viewing, all that. Matches I tend to rate this highly are usually high concept, well structured affairs and this might not be that (might not be, sometimes I'll miss nuts and bolts in a first viewing), but it makes up with so much heart and spirit to everything. Austin's an outlier as a WWE ace, not quiet being a superhuman, so facing off against this seriously determined wrestler's wrestler and getting beaten previously, he has to go fucking insane and it is so god damn captivating (People like to wax and wane about how it was bad for the business to see Austin go, but the real tragedy is we'll never know how much more versatile he could've gotten. Imagine pissed off old man veteran Austin). Benoit is such an incredible babyface here too. His ultra-serious take on the Steamboat rule and exhaustive selling in general adds so much to the attitude era main event house style. Maybe the best match of the entire attitude era, at least top 5.