The 2001 Unforgiven was the fourth annual

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more jo ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of ev ...

produced by the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

(WWF, now WWE). It took place on September 23, 2001, at the

Mellon Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

. It was the final Unforgiven event held under the WWF name as the promotion was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2002. It was also the last Unforgiven held before the introduction of the

brand extension Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category. The new product is called a spin-off. Organizations use th ...

in March 2002. The

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

was a standard wrestling match for the

WWF Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

defended the title against WWF representative

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Actio ...

. Angle defeated Austin to win the title by forcing him to

submit ''Submit'' is an EP by the British band Pitchshifter, released on 23 March 1992 by Earache on LP, cassette and CD. French black metal band Blut aus Nord Blut Aus Nord (, ) is a French black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, that ...

to the

Ankle Lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...

. Other prominent matches were The Rock versus

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...

and

Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Ide ...

in a

Handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the WCW Championship, and

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

versus

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

for the

WWF Hardcore Championship The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in WWE which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a rule was imp ...

. The

undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to t ...

featured Tajiri versus

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

for the

WCW United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, currently de ...

Brothers of Destruction The Brothers of Destruction were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE composed of storyline half-brothers The Undertaker and Kane. With more deep-seated drama and dysfunction than other WWE tag team combinations, their relationship/brothe ...

(

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

and Kane) versus KroniK ( Brian Adams and

Bryan Clark Bryan Emmett Clark (born March 14, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and All Japan Pro Wrestling under the ring names The ...

) for the WCW Tag Team Championship,

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed b ...

versus

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

for the

WWF Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main ros ...

Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...

versus

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

and

Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley famil ...

(

Bubba Ray Dudley Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Impact Wrestling under the ring name Bully Ray. He was previously known as one-half of The Dudley Boyz tag t ...

and

D-Von Dudley Devon Hughes (born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works backstage as a producer. Hughes wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the WWF/E f ...

) versus

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

and

Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...

Lance Storm Lance Timothy Evers (; born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE), Extreme Championship Wrestling (E ...

and The Hurricane and

Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jef ...

(

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag t ...

and

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regard ...

) in a

Fatal Four-Way Elimination match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the

WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then ...

Production

Background

was first held by the

(WWF, now WWE) as the 21st In Your House

(PPV) in April 1998. Following the discontinuation of the

In Your House In Your House (known as NXT TakeOver: In Your House in 2020 and 2021 and then NXT In Your House beginning in 2022) is a professional wrestling series of events created by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The events o ...

series in February 1999, Unforgiven branched off as its own PPV in September that year, becoming the WWF's annual September PPV. The 2001 event was the fourth event in the Unforgiven chronology and took place on September 23 at the

Storylines

The

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

at Unforgiven featured professional wrestlers performing as

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Storylines between the characters played out on WWF's primary television programs, ''

Raw Is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' and '' SmackDown!''. The predominant

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

heading into Unforgiven was between

and

over the

. At

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's se ...

, Angle challenged Austin for the WWF Championship but at the end, Austin intentionally got disqualified in his title defense against Angle by attacking several

referees A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

. As a result, Austin retained the title. The following night, on ''

Raw is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'', Austin held an "appreciation night" on retaining the title against Angle and was appreciated by several

members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of The Alliance. However, Angle interrupted the appreciation night and ruined it by entering in a milk truck and spraying milk on all the Alliance members. On the August 27 edition of ''Raw is War'', Austin stole Angle's

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medals after a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

match pitting Angle and

against the WWF Hardcore Champion

and

Tazz Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio host, radio personality, color commentator, and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestlin ...

. Austin went on to throw Angle's medals into the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Det ...

. On the September 3 edition of ''Raw is War'', Angle threatened to throw Austin into a river in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

if he did not give him a WWF Championship rematch at Unforgiven. Austin agreed to defend the title against Angle in a rematch at Unforgiven. Angle then told Austin that he was still going in the water and proved his point by shoving Austin into a kiddie pool. Another predominant rivalry heading into Unforgiven was between The Rock and the team of

and

over the WCW Championship. The Rock returned to the WWF on the July 30, 2001 edition of ''Raw Is War'', where he chose to align himself with the WWF instead of The Alliance for The Invasion. This action was shown by The Rock delivering a

Rock Bottom Rock Bottom may refer to: Music * Rock Bottom Entertainment, an American record label * ''Rock Bottom'' (album), by Robert Wyatt, 1974 Songs * "Rock Bottom" (Hailee Steinfeld song), 2016 * "Rock Bottom" (Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran song), ...

and the People's Elbow onto

, The Alliance leader. At SummerSlam, Rock defeated Booker to win the WCW Championship. On the August 27 edition of ''Raw is War'', McMahon announced that Rock would defend the title against Rhyno later in the night but Rock challenged McMahon to a match, which McMahon initially accepted before escaping. Rock would retain the title against Rhyno. On the August 30 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Booker and McMahon cost Rock and Chris Jericho, a tag team match against the WWF Hardcore Champion Rob Van Dam and Rhyno. On the September 4 episode of ''SmackDown!'', McMahon announced that Rock would defend the title against Booker and himself in a

at Unforgiven. The following week on ''Raw Is War'', The Rock won the Handicap match by defeating Shane's sister

Stephanie McMahon Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest prof ...

-Helmsley and

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

then on the September 17 edition of ''Raw is War'', The Rock lost to Stephanie and Test in the same match due to interference by Shane McMahon and Booker T. On three occasions, Chris Jericho and the WWF Hardcore Champion Rob Van Dam wrestled each other in several tag team matches with different partners. This eventually led to a title defense for Van Dam against Jericho at Unforgiven. On the September 3 edition of ''Raw is War'',

Steven Richards Steven James Richards (born 11 July 1972) is a New Zealand-Australian racing driver, currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship. Richards, the son of seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards, is himself a five- ...

attacked one half of the WCW and

WWF Tag Team Champions The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

The Brothers of Destruction The Brothers of Destruction were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE composed of storyline half-brothers The Undertaker and Kane. With more deep-seated drama and dysfunction than other WWE tag team combinations, their relationship/brothe ...

during his match with

. This led to a match between Undertaker and Richards on the next night on ''SmackDown!''. Before their match, Richards explained that he had attacked Undertaker because he considered Undertaker responsible for the disbanding of his faction

Right to Censor The Right to Censor (frequently referred to as RTC) was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) from mid-2000 to mid 2001. The group was a parody of the Parents Television Council (PT ...

. As Undertaker and Richards' match started, former WCW Tag Team Champions KroniK ( Brian Adams and

) debuted in WWF and attacked Undertaker. The following week on ''Raw Is War'', Richards interfered in The Undertaker's match against

. Afterwards, as Undertaker was about to perform a Last Ride on Richards, Adams and Clark took down Undertaker with the clothesline and finished him off with a double chokeslam through the announce table. On the September 17 edition of ''Raw is War'', KroniK cost Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane), the WWF Tag Team Championship against

(

and

). After the match, the

on-screen An on-screen display (OSD) is an image superimposed on a screen picture, commonly used by modern television sets, VCRs, and DVD players to display information such as volume, channel, and time. History In the past, most adjustments on TV se ...

WCW Owner

announced that Brothers of Destruction would defend the WCW Tag Team Championship against KroniK at Unforgiven. After

won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, his tag team partner

started growing jealous of him and insisted on carrying his King of the Ring trophy. Apart from winning the King of the Ring tournament, Edge found more success by defeating

for the

. On the other hand, Christian failed in his respective title opportunities against

for the

WWF European Championship The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple wrestlers held the European and WWF Intercontinental Championships within short ...

and The Rock for the WCW Championship. On the September 3 edition of ''Raw is War'', Christian turned on Edge by hitting him a One-man Con-chair-to after Edge successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship against Lance Storm. The following night on ''SmackDown!'', Christian announced that he attacked Edge because he wanted an Intercontinental Championship title shot and announced that he would wrestle Edge for the title at Unforgiven. On the September 10 edition of ''Raw Is War'', the night before the

9/11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

, Christian defeated

Billy Gunn Monty Kip Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, although he is currently finding renewed popularity under the ring name Daddy Ass, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite W ...

by using his feet on the ropes for leverage. He followed it by nailing Gunn with a chair to the head and finishing him off with the One-man Con-chair-to. The following week, Christian was going to finish off the WCW United States Champion Tajiri with the same move until Edge returned and attacked him from behind, only to be restrained by the referees and enabling Christian to leave the ring and walk to the back. On the September 17 episode of ''Raw Is War'', Tajiri retained the

against Christian by getting disqualified but was attacked by Christian and his ribs were injured. As Tajiri was being accompanied to the backstage by his

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "val ...

Torrie Wilson Torrie Anne Wilson (born July 24, 1975) is an American former professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, previously the World Wrestling Federation). As a fitness competitor, Wilson won ...

, Rhyno attacked him by hitting him a

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manit ...

. As a result, the WCW Owner Shane McMahon announced that Tajiri would defend the United States Championship against Rhyno at Unforgiven. On the September 17 episode of ''Raw Is War'', Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) defeated Brothers of Destruction for the WWF Tag Team Championship. During this time, two new tag teams were formed, consisting of

and

and the team of Lance Storm and the WWF European Champion The Hurricane. Hardy Boyz were also in contention for the titles. On the September 20 episode of ''SmackDown!'', The Hurricane and Lance Storm defeated Spike Dudley and The Big Show. After the match, the Dudley Boyz attacked Spike and The Big Show and followed it by double suplexing The Big Show through a

table Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...

. Later that night, The Hardy Boyz defeated the WWF Tag Team Champions, The Dudley Boyz, in a non-title match when Spike Dudley interfered. Afterwards, the Dudleyz retaliated by performing a 3D on Matt Hardy through a table. As a result, a Four Corners Elimination match was made between the four teams for the WWF Tag Team Championship at Unforgiven. On the June 21 episode of ''SmackDown!'',

discovered a

mop A mop (such as a floor mop) is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop ...

during a match against Test for the WWF Hardcore Championship. He carried the mop around with him for several months. He dismissed his valet,

Terri Runnels Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels A transcript of the article can be found a (born October 5, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestling manager, television host, and professional wrestler. Runnels began her professional wrestling career in ...

, and kept the mop, which he named Moppy, in his corner during matches. Runnels and

eventually stole Moppy and destroyed it in a wood chipper, which led to a match at Unforgiven. On the last edition of ''SmackDown!'', after Raven lost to Rob Van Dam in a

Hardcore match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, Perry Saturn charged to the ring and attacked Raven until Terri caused a distraction, enabling Raven to perform a Raven Effect on Saturn.

Event

Before the event aired live on pay-per-view,

wrestled

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) pro ...

on a live edition of ''

Sunday Night Heat ''WWE Heat'' (formerly known as ''Sunday Night Heat'' and also known as ''Heat'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and aired from August 2, 1998 to May 30, 2008. Ori ...

''. Gunn performed a Fameasser on Dreamer to win the match.

Preliminary matches

As the event began,

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American actress and singer. She started her career on Broadway theatre, Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls (musical), Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with G ...

performed "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never ...

" in the honor of the victims of the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

attacks on September 11. The first match that took place was a

for the

between

The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family ...

(

and

and The Hurricane and

(

and

). Bubba performed a Bubba Bomb on Matt, allowing D-Von to

pin A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch ...

Matt to retain the title. The second match was between

and

. Raven attempted a Raven Effect but Saturn countered the move into a Three Handled Moss Covered Family Credenza for the win. The third match featured

defending the

against

. Christian performed an Edgecution on Edge for a near-fall. Christian attempted a One man con chair to but Edge avoided the move and attempted the same move on Christian but the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

stopped Edge. Christian took advantage and attacked Edge with a low blow, pinning him to win the title. The fourth match was a

match for the WCW Tag Team Championship between

(

and Kane) and KroniK ( Brian Adams and

). Undertaker performed a Chokeslam on Clark to retain the title. Next,

defended the

against

. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho on Van Dam but Van Dam escaped the hold. Jericho attempted a

Lionsault A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. It was innovated by Mando Guerrero. Much of its popularity in both Japanese and American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being ...

but Van Dam avoided the move. Van Dam attempted a

Five Star Frog Splash Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefe ...

on Jericho but Jericho avoided the move. Jericho tried to strike Van Dam with the ladder but Van Dam knocked him down. The two battled on the ladder until Van Dam escaped the ring. Jericho hit Van Dam with a chair until

distracted Jericho. Van Dam performed a Van Daminator and a Five-Star Frog Splash to retain the title.

Main event matches

The sixth match featured The Rock defending the WCW Championship against

and

in a

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. McMahon attempted a

Leap of Faith A leap of faith, in its most commonly used meaning, is the act of believing in or accepting something outside the boundaries of reason. Overview The phrase is commonly attributed to Søren Kierkegaard; however, he never used the term, as he ...

on Rock but Rock avoided the move. Rock performed a

on McMahon and a

Spinebuster Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

on Booker.

interfered in the match but Bradshaw stopped Test from interfering. Booker tried to pin Rock but

Mike Chioda Michael Joseph Chioda (born August 1, 1966) is a retired American professional wrestling senior referee, who most recently worked for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Before his release on April 15, 2020, Chioda was the longest-tenured referee in WWE ...

. a WWF referee, attacked the WCW referee Nick Patrick, who was refereeing the match.

Earl Hebner Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee who last officiated for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 19 ...

replaced Patrick and took over as the official. Rock performed a Rock Bottom on Booker to retain the title. In the final match on the

, Tajiri defended the

against

Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his seco ...

. Rhyno performed a Gore on Tajiri to win the title. The

featured

defending the

against

. Angle performed a

Stone Cold Stunner A stunner is a common term in professional wrestling referring to the Professional wrestling holds#Three-quarter facelock, ¾ facelock Professional wrestling throws#Jawbreaker, jawbreaker maneuver. The innovator of the move has been disputed, as ...

on Austin for a near-fall. Austin performed an Angle Slam on Angle for near-fall. Austin performed a Piledriver on Angle for a near-fall. Austin attempted a Stone Cold Stunner but Angle countered into an

ankle lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...

. Austin submitted to the hold, meaning Angle won the title. Following his title win, Angle celebrated with his family until the entire WWF roster came out to congratulate him on his title win.

Aftermath

After losing the

continued his pursuit for the title. On the October 8 episode of ''

'', Austin defeated Angle to regain the WWF Championship, with the help of the

WWF Commissioner

William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...

. With this, Regal joined The Alliance and became Alliance Commissioner. Austin was also

feuding A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

with his Alliance teammate, the WWF Hardcore Champion

over the leadership of Alliance. As a result,

Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for ...

made a

Triple Threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the WWF Championship at No Mercy, pitting Austin against Van Dam and Angle. At No Mercy, Austin pinned Van Dam after a

to retain the WWF Championship. After unsuccessfully challenging Rob Van Dam for the WWF Hardcore Championship at Unforgiven,

continued his rivalry with Van Dam and Jericho's

push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias ...

started. On the October 11 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Jericho defeated Van Dam in a number one contender's match for the WCW Championship. At No Mercy, Jericho defeated The Rock to win the WCW Championship. KroniK left the WWF not long after Unforgiven. Kane and the Undertaker were reportedly unhappy with multiple mistakes made by both Adams and Clark during the match and the WWF were planning to send them both down to their developmental territory

Heartland Wrestling Association The Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) was a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 199 ...

for further training. However, they refused which ultimately led to their departure. The 2001 Unforgiven was the last Unforgiven held under the WWF name, as the promotion was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2002. It was also the last Unforgiven held before the promotion introduced the

in March 2002, a storyline subdivision in which the promotion divided its roster into two separate brands, Raw and SmackDown!, where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.

Results

References

External links

Unforgiven 2001 official website
{{WWEPPV, Unforgiven

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

Events in Pittsburgh 2001 in Pennsylvania Professional wrestling in Pittsburgh 2001 WWF pay-per-view events September 2001 events in the United States