Insurrextion 2001: One Great Match Cannot Rescue a House-Show PPV

Guerrero and Grand Master Sexay get barely four and a half minutes, which leaves the opener feeling more like a television segment than a pay-per-view match. Guerrero does most of the connective work, bumping for Sexay's early athletic offense and then capitalizing whenever the dancing or posing creates an opening. The match never has time to develop a second act, and the finish arrives just as the crowd is beginning to settle into the rhythm. Sexay misses his chance from the top rope, Guerrero catches him in a roll-up and uses the ropes for leverage. The cheating suits Guerrero, but the bout is too brief to become anything more than a passable opener.

The mixed six-person tag is another compact undercard match built more around personality than sustained wrestling. Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn provide the cleanest exchanges, while Hardcore Holly gives the match a physical edge and Crash Holly supplies speed. Terri repeatedly avoids becoming a normal participant, which turns the advertised six-person format into an uneven comedy device until Molly Holly finally gets her hands on her. That distraction creates the finish, with Saturn catching Crash and landing the Three-Handled Moss-Covered Family Gredunza for the pin. The match is lively enough to avoid dragging, but it feels unmistakably like something that could have aired on Raw or SmackDown.

Bradshaw versus Big Show is essentially an angle with a bell attached. The pre-match story centers on Big Show attacking the injured Test and demanding a forfeit, which brings Bradshaw out as the replacement opponent. The actual match lasts barely three minutes and consists almost entirely of power offense and a quick attempt to establish Bradshaw as the tougher man on this night. Test returns to kick a chair into Big Show's face, and Bradshaw immediately follows with the Clothesline from Hell for the pin. The crowd enjoys the babyface result, but the interference and miniature runtime leave almost nothing to evaluate as a proper singles match.

The four-team elimination match gives the show its first sustained burst of energy because three of the four teams already know how to create instant crowd reactions with familiar sequences. X-Factor are dispatched first after Albert's attempted help backfires, and the Hardys are removed soon afterward, narrowing the match to Edge and Christian against the Dudleys. That final pairing receives the most room and produces the strongest tag structure of the bout. Rhyno ultimately interferes and Gores Bubba Ray Dudley, allowing Edge to steal the deciding pin. The early eliminations feel rushed, but the match has enough pace, recognizable offense and late drama to become one of the better attractions on the card.

Benoit and Angle are comfortably the reason to watch Insurrextion 2001. They begin on the mat, trading waistlocks, counters and attempts to create a submission opening before gradually increasing the pace with suplexes and strikes. Benoit takes the first fall after the rolling Germans and diving headbutt, forcing Angle to become more desperate in the second. Angle attacks from behind and controls long stretches, but Benoit survives the Ankle Lock exchanges and eventually counters into a small package to sweep the match two falls to none. The clean sweep is a strong booking choice because it gives Benoit a meaningful victory without turning the match into a thirty-minute repeat of Backlash.

Jericho and Regal are given nearly fifteen minutes, but the extra time exposes the same chemistry problem that followed several of their 2001 matches. Regal slows the pace with holds and rough positional wrestling, while Jericho tries to inject speed through dropkicks, counters and the Lionsault. The London crowd is naturally invested in Regal, which gives the match atmosphere even when the action becomes repetitive. Jericho eventually blocks Regal's attempt to turn the match back toward power wrestling and traps him in the Walls of Jericho for the submission. The result gives Jericho the fictional Queen's Cup, but the match is longer than its ideas and never becomes the technical showcase the names suggest.

The main event has an unusual championship stipulation that creates drama but also makes the finish feel engineered around a loophole. Undertaker can win the WWF Championship only by pinning Austin, so every near-fall on Triple H is technically useless even though the match presents them as major moments. Austin and Triple H spend much of the bout using the handicap advantage to isolate Undertaker, while Undertaker's comebacks rely on power and the crowd's eagerness to see the Two-Man Power Trip embarrassed. Vince McMahon eventually misfires with a chair, Undertaker chokeslams him and Triple H, then pins Triple H. The crowd gets the victory, but Austin keeps the championship because he was not pinned, giving the show a deliberately incomplete ending.