WWF 2000 Raw, Smackdown & PPV review thread

[Crippler]

WWF RAW IS WAR 03/20/2000
Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Kurt Angle (2/27/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz (2/27/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Kurt Angle (2/10/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (3/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Jacqueline (2/03/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Raw comes on the air with Michael Cole meeting up with Vince McMahon who’s conversing with the Stooges. Cole asks Vince about rumors of a major announcement on wwf.com when Gerald Brisco mentions a tournament. Vince explains a tag team elimination tournament will indeed be held tonight to determine the new #1 contenders with the winners of each match meeting in a battle royal to see who faces the Dudleys at Wrestlemania. Pat Patterson then begs Vince to tell them about “the big one” but Vince isn’t ready to reveal his surprise just yet; all he says is this match if it is signed will rock the WWF down to its very foundation. Sounds intriguing. Cole mentions the WWF’s appearence on Saturday Night Live this past weekend and Vince decides to use its opening to lead into the credits.

Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match: The Hardy Boyz vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori)
The DX’ers make their way out to the ring to their new video and entrance music done by Run DMC. Of course Road Dogg still gets on the mic and tries to sound like a poet as he delivers the usual spiel. X-Pac starts off Matt Hardy but drinks some water and spits it in Matt’s face before applying a headlock. Matt shoves X-Pac into the ropes but X-Pac hits a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes with the moves and hits a spinkick. Matt starts to fight back and goes for a whip when X-Pac reverses him into a corner and charges at him but runs into a powerslam. Matt goes for a whip when X-Pac reverses it but eats an elbow. Road Dogg tags in and tries to slow Matt’s momentum down so Matt tags Jeff in and Jeff applies an armwringer. Road Dogg counters with a right hand then whips Jeff but Jeff slides under the ropes and climbs onto the apron. Jeff taunts Road Dogg who tries to dropkick him through the ropes but Jeff flips back in the ring to dodge it then connects with his dropkick through the ropes. Jeff throws Road Dogg back in the ring and covers him for a two count then goes for a whip. Road Dogg reverses Jeff into the corner but Jeff lifts himself up and over Road Dogg and dropkicks him from behind. Jeff catches X-Pac in a corner and takes Road Dogg down by the legs while Matt climbs to the middle rope and the Hardys hit their combo legdrop. Matt then takes over and sets Road Dogg up for a Twist of Fate but X-Pac breaks it up with the spinkick. Road Dogg grabs Matt by the hair and whips him but lowers the head and Matt hits a DDT then tags Jeff in. X-Pac tries to come in but Jeff launches off the prone Road Dogg and hits the Poetry in Motion on X-Pac. Jeff hammers X-Pac in a corner as Road Dogg tries to help him but Matt whips him into the opposite corner and drops to the mat and Jeff hits the Poetry in Motion on Road Dogg. The Hardys turn and do the same to X-Pac then clothesline him over the ropes. Suddenly Kane’s pyro goes of and Kane comes out to the ring and grabs X-Pac by the throat. Tori tries to break it up with a sledge but it has no effect and Kane turns and starts stalking Tori. In the ring Matt hits Road Dogg with the Twist of Fate and Jeff climbs to the top rope and hits the Swanton Bomb for the pin to advance to the battle royal. **1/2 Kane and Paul Bearer eventually chase Tori in the ring where Tori begs the Hardys to help her out. Instead the Hardys throw her right into Kane’s waiting hand and Kane responds with a chokeslam. Good fast-paced match to get us started even with the run-in and the crowd was into it.

Back from break Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come out to the ring since we didn’t get our opening interview. Triple H gets on the mic and promises he will go into Wrestlemania in 13 days and not only beat The Big Show but The The as well, and after he’s victorious the fans will have no choice but to get on their knees and respect him. Triple H then figures Vince’s match that will rock the WWF tonight must involve him so he demands Vince come out and reveal it. Instead Shane McMahon comes out to the stage with The Big Show and gets on the mic to offer his thoughts, suggesting Vince’s match may just be Triple H defending the WWF Championship against The Big Show tonight. Triple H tells Shane he doesn’t have the defend the title before Wrestlemania although he’d be willing to do so tonight, but even if he did it wouldn’t be against Show because he feels he doesn’t deserve it. Show starts to advance down the ramp but before he reaches the ring Vince McMahon makes his way out to the stage. Vince gets on the mic and mentions Triple H willing to defend the WWF Championship tonight saying it will happen. Vince proposes that Triple H defend the championship tonight against The Big Show … and The Rock!! Vince says Wrestlemania is just around the corner but he figures why not have the triple-threat main event tonight! Shane tells Vince he’s on board with that idea while Vince tries to goad Triple H into accepting the challenge. Triple H finally agrees to the match … on the condition that this same match does not happen again at the pay-per-view. Vince accepts that stipulation and responds by telling Triple H to pucker up and kiss his WWF Championship goodbye. Really, they’re seriously going to just give away the Wrestlemania main event on free TV? I imagine this segment angered a lot of people who were ready to buy the pay-per-view only to get told don’t bother.

Backstage we find The Godather getting ready for the next match with his entourage as we go to commercial.

Back from break we see the Rock arriving at the building. Not sure if he knows about his big title match being moved up to tonight.

The Godfather (w/the ladies) vs. The Big Bossman (w/Bull Buchanan)
Buchanan (formerly Recon of the Truth Comission) made his debut last night on Heat as Bossman’s new flunky. Godfather leads his women to the ring first and gets on the mic to do his usual speil for the crowd. Bossman and Buchanan both rush the ring and start beating down Godfather before the bell even rings. Both men whip Godfather and Bossman nails him with his nightstick while Bucanan follows up with an axe kick. Bossman continues pounding on Godfather while Buchanan climbs to the top rope and hits a guillotine legdrop. Bossman and Buchanan then leave Godfather laying so I guess the match never started. BTW Where was D’Lo Brown to make the save for his running buddy? DUD

Backstage Road Dogg and X-Pac storm into the Helmsleys’ office complaining about Kane’s constant interference and demand something be done about it. Triple H suggests booking him in a match against Rikishi figuring Rikishi just may squash Kane and Road Dogg and X-Pac seem fine with that as we go to commercial.

Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match: Too Cool vs. Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn (w/Eddie Guerrero)
Eddie finally comes out without the sling on his arm. Saturn and Malenko charge in the ring and go to work but Too Cool quickly dump them back out to the floor. Eddie tries to come in but Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay both dropkick him off the apron. The Radicals try to regroup before Malenko heads in the ring while Sexay leaves Scotty to duke it out with him. Both men lockup and Scotty applies a headlock, Malenko shoves him off but Scotty comes back with a shoulder-block. Scotty comes off the ropes and ducks a boot then blocks a hiptoss but Malenko bocks Scotty’s hiptoss in turn. Scotty hits a back suplex then kips up and moonwalks back to his corner before tagging Sexay back in. Sexay hits a Northern Lights Suplex then whips Malenko but lowers the head and Malenko kicks the face. Saturn tags in and runs into a armdrag but counters it with the headscissors and Sexay hits another amrdrag then goes into an armbar. Saturn whips him and leapfrogs over him but Sexay hits a series of right hands and whips him into a backdrop. Sexay goes for a splash in the corner but Saturn is able to dodge it then scoops Sexay up and rams him into the turnbuckles. Saturn climbs up for a suplerplex but Sexay blocks it and throws Saturn down to the mat then busts a move and connects with a missile dropkick for a two count. Scotty tags in and goes for a whip but Saturn reverses and clotheslines him down before tagging Malenko in. Malenko whips Scotty into a corner and hits a clothesline followed by a vertical suplex then decks Sexay. Saturn takes over without a tag and whips Scotty into a corner and Scotty lifts himself up with the ropes but Saturn catches Scotty on his shoulder. Scotty manages to slip out of it but Saturn backs him into a corner and slams him to the mat. Saturn climbs to the top rope but Scotty causes him to straddle the turnbuckle and both men are down and start crawling to their corners. Saturn tags in Malneko while Scotty tags in Sexay and Sexay unloads on Malenko with rights then busts a move before clotheslining Malenko and Saturn in succession. Scotty works over Saturn in a corner while Sexay slams Malenko to the mat and whips him right into Saturn. Sexay clotheslines Malenko while Scotty hits the bulldog on Saturn and readies for the Worm on both Radicals. Scotty starts hopping around when Eddie trips him from the floor so Sexay pulls Eddie onto the apron and decks him. Saturn whips Sexay into a corner while Malenko plants Scotty with a powerbomb. Saturn distracts the referee while Eddie climbs to the top rope but Sexay throws Eddie right onto Saturn and the two roll out to the floor and argue about the screw up. Malenko puts Scotty in the Texas Cloverleaf but Sexay superkicks Malenko to break his hold then rolls him up for the three to advance to the battle royal. **3/4 Sexay and Scotty celebrate while Rikishi looks on from backstage and seems happy for his pals’ win. Another great, energetic tag match that the crowd was hot for.

Kane (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Rikishi Phatu
JR says he learned during the commercial break that Kane and Rikishi will actually team up against Road Dogg and X-Pac at Wrestlemania. I guess Rikishi still has issues with DX as well or something. Both men stand nose-to-nose to start and Rikishi gets in the first shots but Kane throws him into a corner and comes back with his own shots. Rikishi connects with a superkick but Kane sits right up. Kane comes off the ropes and runs into a Samoan Drop but Kane sits up and Rikishi runs into a big boot. Kane chokeslams Rikishi but Road Dogg and X-Pac run in and start double-teaming Kane to end this one. DUD Road Dogg and X-Pac continue their assualt and Rikishi tries to help out by hitting superkicks on the DX’ers. Rikishi has Road Dogg in a corner and climbs up for the Banzai Drop but X-Pac kicks Rikishi below the belt and drills him with the X-Factor. The DX’ers then get in some last licks before walking off.

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Chris Benoit about his “out of character” actions on Smackdown. As they show clips Benoit says what Kurt Angle does to the WWF gold he currently holds disgusts him. Benoit dares Angle to watch what he does to the supposed #1 contender tonight, Chris Jericho.

Back from break Michael Cole interviews Rock on his title match being done tonight instead of Wrestlemania. Rock instead tells Cole to go find a monkey then chases him off and does the rest of the interview himself. Rock wants the main event to be brought to Chicago and says he’s been ready for the match since last Wrestlemania. Rock tells Triple H and Big Show to know their roles, shut their mouths and smell what he’s cooking.

Out in the arena Lawler continues to buzz about the triple threat being done tonight instead of Wrestlemania, asking JR if this is going to be like those deals where they say it’s going to happen only to see it not happen. JR says it’s not like that and claims if the WWF tells you it’s going to happen then it’s guaranteed to take place. Of course there have been exceptions to that rule with other Wrestlemania main events (i.e. Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar in 2003).

Kurt Angle then hits the ring as JR announces Angle will face Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania. Angle gets on the mic but Chris Jericho’s entrance cuts him off before he says anything. Jericho gets on the mic saying Ben-oyt likes to take himself seriously and he would too if he talked in a monotone robotic voice. Jericho says this “supposed #1 contender” will give Benoit a #1 beating when Benoit jumps him on the ramp.

Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho
Angle joins the announcers for commentary and confirms he will be defending one of his belts against both these men at the pay-per-view. Benoit chops away at Jericho on the floor but Jericho comes back and rams Benoit into the ringpost then hits his own chops. Benoit rakes Jericho’s face and rams him into the post then tosses him in the ring. Benoit whips Jericho into a corner and hits an Atomic Drop but Jericho ducks a right hand and hits a chop. Jericho wails on Benoit in a corner and goes for a whip but Benoit counters with a snap suplex for a two count. Benoit looks over and has words with Angle then turns and hits Jericho with a backbreaker for another two. Benoit goes for a back suplex but Jericho turns in mid-air and falls right on top of Benoit for a near fall. Jericho hits a clothesline followed by some kneelifts and a double-underhook backbreaker for a near fall. Jericho chops Benoit and Benoit chops back, Jericho rakes the face and goes for a whip but Benoit reverses it and lowers the head. Jericho kicks the face then comes off the ropes but Benoit drops him onto the ropes and follows up with a neckbreaker. Benoit whips Jericho and clotheslines him down for another two count then snapmares Jericho to the mat and applies a chinlock. Jericho fights out of it and comes off the ropes but Benoit hits a knee to the chest then suplexes Jericho onto the ropes before whipping him into another knee. Benoit whips Jericho again and kicks him in the chest then comes off the ropes but runs into a drop toehold. Jericho hits a flying forearm followed by some chops then whips Benoit and hits the bulldog for a near fall. Jericho goes for a whip, Benoit reverses him into a corner and goes for a suplex but Jericho flips out of it and dropkicks Benoit out to the floor. Benoit tries to get to his feet but ends up touching Angle’s belts and Angle takes exception and gets in Benoit’s face. Benoit smacks Angle sending one of his medals flying and then catches Jericho with a clothesline and throws him back in the ring. Benoit climbs onto the apron when Jericho knocks him back off to the floor with the springboard dropkick. Angle tosses Benoit back in the ring then grabs his Intercontinential belt and whacks Benoit in the head. Jericho takes advantage and connects with the Lionsault on the fallen Benoit for the three. ***1/4 FUCKING GREAT MATCH the chemestry these two have with eachother is insane and it only gets better as the year goes on. After the match Bob Backlund then marches in the ring but Jericho nails him with an elbow and stomps him back out. However this allows Angle to bring in his European belt and whack Jericho in the head with it. Angle stomps on both Jericho and Benoit while Backlund comes in to get a few shots in as well.

Back form break we get a replay of Kurt Angle sending a message to Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. We then see Angle and Bob Backlund celebrating backstage and walking past some guy calling for a high five.

Elsewhere Al Snow is talking with Steve Blackman about being in Wisconsin for Smackdown on Thursday and wants to get excited about the land of cheese. Blackman tells Snow he isn’t doing anything special so Snow tries bribing Blackman with a dollar. When that doesn’t work Snow decides to let Ben Franklin talk, only he brings in a guy dressed up as Franklin who speaks to Blackman about Wisconsin’s fine cheeses.

Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match: Crash & Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow (w/Head) & Steve Blackman
Crash and Snow lockup to start and Snow slams Crash but misses an elbowdrop and Crash gets a headlock. Snow shoves Crash into the ropes but Crash hits a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes and flips over Snow. Crash leaps onto Snow’s shoulders but Snow spins him off and grabs him by the arms for the rapid headbutts. Snow takes Crash down and kicks him then whips Crash but Crash slides under him and hits a Frankensteiner. Crash comes off the ropes but Blackman nails Crash from behind and Snow follows up with a clothesline. Blackman tags in and whips Crash but misses a clothesline then reverses a whip and hits a gutwrench suplex. Blackman stomps away on Crash as the crowd chants “Head Cheese” so Blackman tries in vain to correct them. Snow tags back in and goes for a whip but Hardcore tags himself in before Crash reverses Snow into him and Hardcore holds Snow up while Crash hits a Hart Attack-like move. Snow grabs Hardcore with a headlock and Hardcore shoves him off and Snow hits a shoulderblock. Snow runs right into a hiptoss and Hardcore slams him then whips whips Snow into a corner and Snow kicks the face. Hardcore comes back with an Atomic Drop and follows that up with a clothesline then catches Blackman with a boot while Crash works Snow over. The Hollys whip Snow and drop him to the mat and Hardcore nails Blackman on the floor with a baseball slide. The Hollys double-team Snow in a corner when Tazz makes his way out to the ring with referee Teddy Long and apparently we’re going to have a second match starting up. Tazz goes in and plants Crash with a belly-to-belly then pulls Crash out of the ring and tosses him over the barricade. Tazz brawls with Crash through the crowd while Hardcore is left on his own against two men and Snow does something we miss that gets a two count. Snow whips Hardcore who floats over him into an O’Connor Roll but Blackman makes the save with a boot. Blackman holds Hardcone on his knee while Snow climbs to the top rope and hits the Veg-o-matic for the pin. *1/2 So that’s three teams that have quialfied for the battle royal with one more team left to be determined in just a bit. Decent match but the 24/7 Hardcore title stuff derailed it. Also I don’t get why Tazz attacking Crash during the match didn’t result in a DQ. Speaking of which we never did see Crash again so the announcers somehow get word that Crash has managed to escape from the building.

We now get the full version of the DX entrance video done by Run DMC.

After that GTV makes a surprise reappearence as it shows Terri Runnels and The Kat talking backstage. Kat asks Terri if she’s alright after getting speared by Edge last week and Terri says she’s still feeling the pains. However Terri says her pain is nothing like the pain Kat must feel not being on TV all that much anymore.

Tag Team Elimination Tournament Match: Edge & Chrsitian vs. The Acolytes
This match will determine who joins the Hardys, Too Cool and Snow & Blackman in the battle royal later. Edge goes out to meet both men at ringside while Christian hits the springboard plancha over the ropes onto Bradshaw and Faarooq. E&C throw Bradshaw in the ring and Chrsitian goes for a whip but Bradshaw reverses it and hits a boot. Bradshaw clubs Christian in the back then tags Faarooq in and Faarooq pounds on Christian with right hands. Christian starts to fight back and comes off the ropes but runs right into a spinsebuter that gets a two count. Faarooq rams Christian into a boot and the Acolytes double-team him in their corner before Bradshaw tags in. The Acolytes whip Christian and hit a double shoulderblock and Bradshaw turns and pops Edge on the apron. Bradshaw slams Christian to the mat and follows up with an elbowdrop for a near fall then Faarooq tags in and whips Christian into a clothesline. Faarooq goes for the Dominator but Christian is able to slip out of it and hit a Slop Drop then makes the hot tag to Edge as Mideon makes his way out to the ring with a mop. Edge climbs to the top rope and hits a flying shouldertackle then comes off the ropes with a spinning heek kick. Edge dropkicks Bradshaw and Christian tries to come in but Bradshaw tosses him back out through the ropes. The Acolytes hit Edge with the double neckbreaker but Christian pulls Faarooq out to the floor to duke it out. Mideon readies the mop as Bradshaw goes to whip Edge but Edge reverses and Mideon nails Bradshaw instead. Bradshaw stumbles into the Downward Spiral from Edge and Edge gets the pin for the final spot in the final. *1/2 Mideon goes in to try and explains his screw-up but the Acolytes respond by beating him down. Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from Hades and Faarooq hits the Dominator before they leave Mideon laying. I wonder if this beating is going to be deducted from the poker money Mideon still owes the two.

Val Venis vs. Test (w/Trish Stratus)
If you missed my previous recap Trish made her WWF debut the previous night in Heat and here she is as Test’s manager. Test and Val slap hands before locking up and Test applies a headlock but Val shoves him into the ropes and Test hits a shoulderblock. Test comes off the ropes but runs into a drop topehold and Val gets in some shots. Val whips Test but Test ducks a clothesline and hits the full nelson slam but Val chops him in a corner and goes for whip. Test reverses Val hard into the other corner then whips him back into the first corner. Test goes for another whip, Val reverses him into a corner and goes for a splash but Test sidesteps him. Test goes for the pump-handle slam but Val floats over and hits a sloppy powerbomb but only gets a near fall. Val pulls Test into a knee to the chest twice then hits a Russian legsweep when Trish hops on the apron and gets Val’s attention. That allows Test to nail Val from behind and Test goes for a whip but Val reverses it and gets an O’Connor roll. However Test reverses into his own rollup and grabs the tights for the pin. * Val takes exception to that and hammers away on Test when Prince Albert runs in and nails Val from behind. Albert press slams Val and Test tees off on him while Albert helps Trish in the ring. Trish grabs a mic and calls Test and Albert off then tells the fans she knows what everyone wants to see. Trish then proclaims Test and Albert as “T ‘n A” and I guess we have ourselves a new heel tag team.

We then get clips of The Rock hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend including his various sketches and his Wrestlemania opponents crashing the party. I wonder if people who watched it were curious why Mick Foley joined in on the fun as well but probably didn’t think much of it at the time.

#1 Contender’s Battle Royal: The Hardys vs. Too Cool vs. Edge & Christian vs. Al Snow & Steve Blackman
Standard battle royal rules here except for when one man is tossed over the ropes his whole team is eliminated and the last team gets the Dudleys at Wrestlemania. As the four teams assemble in the ring The Dudleys have decided to join the announcers for commentary. All eight men go right at it and Matt Hardy and Edge almost eliminate Snow but Grandmaster Sexay stops that. Sexay tries to dump Matt over the ropes while Jeff does the same to Christian but neither man is successful. Matt tries to eliminate Sexay but can’t get him over and Snow fails to dump Edge over the ropes as well. E&C double-team Jeff when Matt comes to his aid while Scotty 2 Hotty and Sexay whips Blackman into Snow and Snow falls over accidentally headbutting Blackman below the belt. Scotty drills Blackman with a bulldog and follows up with the Worm but Snow tosses Scotty over the ropes for the first elimination. (1:25) Matt quickly follows up by tossing Snow over the ropes sending him and Blackman out of the match. (1:27) That just leaves the Hardys and Edge & Christian to get the tag title shot at Wrestlemania. Both sides waste no time and Edge tosses Matt over the ropes but Matt holds on and lands on the apron. Jeff tosses Christian over the ropes but he holds onto the ropes as well and is able to roll back in the ring. Jeff whips Christian and both men facejam each other into the mat while Edge hits Matt with the flying headscissors. Edge charges at Matt but eats a boot and and Matt hits a sleeper slam but Christian hits him with a Slop Drop. Jeff hits Christian with the Twist of Fate then climbs to the top rope and connects with the Swanton Bomb. Edge spears Jeff when the Dudleys decide to get involved so they head in the ring and lay Edge and Matt out with 3Ds. Bubba slides a table in the ring then D’Von sets it up in a corner then places Christian on it. Bubba hops to the middle rope as D’Von passes Jeff over and Bubba who superbombs him through Christian and the table and I guess that’s it. (3:44) Entertaining for what it was but renders the tournament pointless since we still don’t have #1 contenders set up for Wrestlemania. Maybe this will get solved on Smackdown.

The Rock is shown heading to the ring for the main event as we go to commercial.

The Wrestlemania 2000 countdown shows we’re just two weeks away.

WWF World Heavyweight Title: Triple H © (w/Stephanie) vs. The Big Show (w/Shane) vs. The Rock (w/Vince)
So here it is, the match they were building to on April 2nd right here for free. Triple H and Show double-team Rock to start and Show throws Rock into a corner but Rock tees off on him then then turns and hammers Triple H with the Smackdown in a corner. Show tries to splash Rock but Rock sidesteps Show who ends up splashing Triple H. Rock hits Show with a Russian legsweep and covers him when Triple H tries to break up the pin with an elbowdrop but misses Rock and nails Show. Rock whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H kicks the face but runs right into a gutwrench suplex. Rock covers Triple H but only gets a two count then starts working over Show and hits the Smackdown on him. Rock clotheslines Triple H over the ropes and Triple H takes a swing at Vince but misses and Vince decks him. Rock hits the Rock Bottom on Show and covers him but Triple H makes it back in and breaks it up. Rock tosses Triple H back over the ropes then goes out to the floor and rams him into the announce table. Rock tosses Triple H over the barricade and brawls with him in the crowd but Show soon joins in on the fun and throws Rock over the barricade back to ringside. Rock comes back and rams Show into the table then throws Triple H off the barricade right into Show before ramming Triple H into the steps. Rock and Triple H roll back in and Rock goes for a whip but Triple H reverses into the kneelift. Show comes back in the ring and plants Rock with a sidewalk slam then chokes him in a corner with his boot. Triple H gets in his shots and chokes away on Rock before letting Show have a turn choking Rock out. Show slams Rock to the mat when Triple H makes a suggestion for Show who complies and hits an elbowdrop then kneedrops Rock’s leg. Triple H hammers Rock in a corner before Show gets in a big chop and hits a backbreaker. Triple H follows up with a kneedrop but only gets two before Show can break it up. Triple H tees off on Rock and Show chokes Rock on the middle rope but Rock once again starts fighting back. Rock comes off the ropes but runs into an elbow and Triple H tells Show to hammers him with kneedrops which he does. Triple H has Show throw Rock through the ropes then goes out and pounds on Rock before going for a whip but Rock reverses Triple H into the ringsteps. Rock heads back in the ring but Show greets him with stomps and Triple H elbows Rock in the throat. Show hits a kneedrop below the belt before Triple H hits a kneedrop and Show throws Rock into a corner. Rock fights back against both men and whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H kicks the face and hits a clothesline. Triple H sets Rock in a corner where Show chokes him with his boot. Triple H then tries to get Show off Rock but Show shoves him away so Triple H flies at him with a right hand. Now Triple H unloads on Show and goes for a whip but Show reverses it and connects with a massivle elbow. Show chops Triple H in a corner then gets in a shot on Rock in the other corner and turns back but eats a boot. Rock follows up with a clothesline then pounds on Triple H in a conrer and caps off with the Smackdown again. Rock drills Show with a DDT then plants Triple H with a Samoan Drop and covers but only gets a two count. The crowd really thought Rock had it there and was ready to explode. Show chokeslams Rock and covers him as Shane gets excited on the floor but Triple H barely makes the save. Triple H goes for a whip, Show reverses it but lowers the head and Triple H connects with the facebuster sending Show rolling out to the floor. Triple H goes out and rams Show into the announce table then climbs onto the announce table but Show grabs him and chokeslams him all the way off to the floor. Show climbs back in the ring but Rock plants him with the spinebuster and readies for the People’s Elbow. Rock starts to go for the ropes but ends up tumbling out to the floor after Shane pulls down the top rope. Shane grabs a chair and whacks Rock with it but Vince goes over and sends Shane flying with a right hand. Vince grabs the chair and readies a swing at Shane but Triple H grabs it from Vince and pops him in the face. Triple H whacks Show with the chair then goes in and hits the Pedigree and it’s over!! Triple H retains!! ***1/2 Rock gets to his feet and realizes what happened then chases after Shane over the barricade into the crowd. Pretty good and the rock was rocking throughout but still after all that Triple H is still the champion and we now don’t have a main event for Wrestlemania.

However as the Helmsleys head up the ramp the Corporation theme fires up again and out comes … Linda McMahon. Linda has a mic ready but before she says anything Triple H has to first tackle a fan who hopped the barricade. Once that’s cleared up Linda congradulates Triple H and says there will indeed be no return match at Wrestlemania. Linda asks what the main event should be now and suggests Triple H, The Rock, and Big Show should be a part of it as well as a certain someone who should finally realize his dream of main-eventing Wrestlemania. At this point the crowd quickly realizes who’s coming and gets excited. Linda announces the WWF Championship match at Wrestlemania will now be a fatal-fourway elimination match with Triple H defending the belt against the Rock, Big Show and the man returning for one night only … Mick Foley!! On that note Foley comes out to a huge pop and tears right into Triple H before throwing him in the ring with the title belt. Triple H comes back but Foley beats him down in a corner then turns and whacks Show in the head with the belt. Foley then lays Triple H out with the belt and poses with it high over his head getting his wish after all as Raw goes off the air.

Overall: There are two ways to look at this episode of Raw. On its own it’s a pretty good show with some great in-ring action and an exciting main event plus the crowd was hot throughout the program. There were a couple of segments that meant nothing but still this was a very entertaining two hours. But then you have to look at it in the grand scheme of things and realize you just had the Wrestlemania main event being given away on free TV two weeks before the actual pay-per-view, only to see a new main event for the supercard made up on the spot. Then you have Mick Foley coming back from his retirement after making that great speech about No Way Out being his last match if he failed to win the title. So we had Rock, Foley and Show all losing matches to qualify for the ‘Mania main event only for all three to be allowed to challenge Triple H, pretty much nulifying all the main angles of the past two months. Plus the mid-card is hardly getting any real attention with only two other matches set for the supercard with some questionable build. 2000 may have been great for in-ring action but you can’t ignore some of the head-scratching booking like you find on this show. 7/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF SMACKDOWN 03/23/2000
Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Kurt Angle (2/27/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz (2/27/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Kurt Angle (2/10/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (3/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Jacqueline (2/03/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Smackdown comes on the air with clips of the Wrestlemania main event being done on free TV on Raw as well as Linda McMahon bringing back Mick Foley for ‘one night only’ and making the match a four-way.

Things kick off with Triple H hitting the ring with Stephanie McMahon and grabbing a mic for our opening promo. Triple H starts by mentioning Vince McMahon’s announcement on Raw then says Stephanie has her own big announcement tonight. Triple H talks about the Wrestlemania main event happening on Raw with the premise it wouldn’t be done again and once the match took place he proved how good he was by beating both The Big Show and The Rock. However Triple H says as he left the ring with his WWF Championship intact another McMahon tried to screw him when Linda McMahon put him in a fatal-fourway elimination match against the very men he’s beaten. Triple H brings up how he beat The Rock, The Big Show and destroyed Mick Foley and retired him last month then asks Linda who she is to demand anything of him. Triple H calls Linda out to the ring and answer him to his face and Linda does come out to the stage with a mic. Linda tells Triple H she has as much stroke in the WWF as anyone else and made the match because Foley is “deserving†to finally realize his dream of main-eventing Wrestlmania. Linda does know Foley had his shot at the ‘Mania main event and blew it, right? Linda also says since the other participants have a McMahon on their side, she will be in Foley’s corner as the fourth. Linda tries to emphasize that Foley is only coming back for that one night but Triple H isn’t buying that and asks what would happen if Foley should somehow win the title. Linda says should Foley win he would go out on top and retire as WWF Champion. Linda adds the title would then be vacated and a championship tournament would be held over the next few weeks concluding at Backlash. Triple H complements Linda on the thought and planning she put into this before telling her she wasted her time. Triple H says he’s going to beat Rock first because he hates him then beat Show before saving Foley for last just for Linda. Triple H tells Linda when Foley is confined to a wheelchair after the match and can’t remember who his kids are it’ll be on her hands. Triple H says Linda could push Foley’s wheelchair while Foley will wonder why she just couldn’t let him stay retired. Triple H says Foley will realize Linda did this because she is cold and heartless and another word that gets bleeped. Linda seems taken aback by this comment and walks off while Triple H and Stephanie pose in the ring.

Backstage Crash Holly is getting a massage from Ivory as he stresses about his 24/7 Hardcore Title defenses and Ivory tries to get Crash to relax. Crash seems to calm down … while Ivory quiety brings referee Teddy Long out. Ivory quickly grabs a jar and smases it on Crash’s head then covers him as Long counts but only gets a two count. Crash then grabs his Hardcore Title belt and takes off clad in only a towel as we go to commercial.

Kurt Angle © vs. Chris Benoit
Angle gets on the mic and talks about defending a title against Benoit and Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania. However Angle says he learned this morning that now both of his titles will be on the line in that very match and it’s also going to be a two-fall match which will have one of his two belts up for grabs in each fall. Angle calls it a conspiracy against him and promises to give Benoit a taste of what to expect at Wrestlemania. As Benoit comes out to the ring Jericho also makes his way out but joins the announcers for commentary since there’s no reason to give away two Wrestlemania matches. Benoit attacks the distracted Angle to start then slams him to the mat and dropkicks him through the ropes. Benoit goes out and throws Angle back in the ring but has words for Jericho after he calls Benoit “Mr. Robotoâ€. Benoit whips Angle into a corner and goes for a German suplex but Angle is able to fight out of it and whips him into an belly-to-belly throw. Angle stomps away on Benoit and beats him down in a corner then chokes Benoit with his boot and hits a suplex for a two count as Bob Backlund looks on from backstage. Angle whips Benoit into a clothesline for a near fall then clubs him in the back repeatedly for another two count. Angle whips Benoit into a corner and charges at him but eats a boot and Benoit quickly hits a German suplex. Benoit holds on for a second German suplex then holds for a bridge suplex but Angle gets his foot on the rope. Benoit chops Angle and goes for a whip, Angle counters it into the Olympic Slam but Benoit floats over him and shoves him into a corner and both men collide. Angle heads out and brings his IC belt in the ring. However Jericho grabs the European belt and brings that in as well then waffles Angle with it for a DQ end. ** Not a bad match, just not much to it. They would have a numble of classic's down the road. After the match Jericho clocks Benoit with the belt for good measure before putting Angle in the Walls of Jericho and Angle starts tapping like mad. A swarm of referees come in and try to pull Jericho off Angle and Jericho eventually releases the hold only to turn toward Benoit and put him in the Walls of Jericho as well.

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Vince McMahon on what Stephanie’s announcement could be later tonight. Vince figures Stephanie is going to announce she’s pregnant and in nine months deliver an eight-pound baby anteater. Kevin then mentions being on the road to Wrestlemania as Vince says he’s anxious to be in The Rock’s corner. Vince then addresses the tag team title situation after the Dudley Boyz ruined the #1 contenders battle royal on Raw. Vince decides to have the Dudleys defend the belts at Wrestlemania against both the Hardys and Edge & Christian and even makes it a ladder match. Vince also mentions the Dudleys putting Rock through a table some weeks back, saying Rock still remembers it so as a result Bubba Ray Dudley gets to face Rock one-on-one tonight as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get footage of Al Snow taking a reluctant Steve Blackman to visit a dairy farm earlier today. Snow tells Blackman they’re in Wisconsin, the land of cheese, so he wants to help Blackman find his “inner cheese†and suggests Blackman should try milking a cow. Blackman begrudginly complies and gets sprayed with milk so while Snow converses with the farmer, Blackman grabs his nunchucks and does something to the cow offscreen. Blackman then simply tells Snow the cow’s sick and Snow decides it’s time for them to go.

The Godfather (w/the ladies) vs. Bull Buchanan
This match resulted from the double-team beatdown on Raw and Godfather has requested Bossman be banned from ringside. Godfather attacks Buchanan as he slides in the ring and whips him into an elbow then whips him into a boot. Godfather whips Buchanan a third time and backdrops him then clotheslines him over the ropes to the floor. Godfather goes out to the floor and whips Buchanan into the ringsteps before throwing him back in the ring. Godfather whips Buchanan into a corner but Buchanan leaps to the top rope and springs off into a clothesline. Buchanan comes off the ropes with an axe kick for a two count then works Godfather over and chokes him. Buchanan charges at Godfather who backdrops him over the ropes but Buchanan skins the cat back in the ring. Buchanan suplexes Godfather then climbs to the top rope and goes for the guilltone legdrop but misses it. Godfather fights back and goes for a whip, Buchanan reverses but Godfather comes back with a pair of clotheslines then slams him to the mat and follows up with a running boot to the head. Godfather whips Buchanan into a corner looking for the Ho Train but Bossman comes in to break it for a DQ. DUD Bossman and Buchanan then beat Godfather down with nightsticks and leave him laying in the ring. Again I wonder where D’Lo Brown was.

Backstage Crash Holly is conversing with Hardcore Holly telling him he’s worried about their tag match later. Crash says someone might come after him just like on Raw but Hardcore tries to assure him he’s taken care of it. Hardcore promises Crash there will be no interference in their match and asks Crash to trust him, his own cousin.

Crash & Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow (w/Head) & Steve Blackman
As the Holly counsins come out we get a recap of Ivory’s attempt to pin Crash for the Hardcore Title earlier. Snow then comes out trying to slip a giant cheese on Blackman’s head only for Blackman to throw it down. Snow further annoys Blackman by encouraging a “Head Cheese†chant from the crowd and showing off a sign. Blackman and Hardcore lockup to start and Blackman gets a headlock but Hardcore shoves him into the ropes. Blackman hits a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes but Hardcore leapfrogs over him and whips him. Hardcore hits the dropkick then tags Crash in and holds Blackman while Crash leaps off the ropes with a punch. Crash gets in some shots and goes for a whip but Blackman reverses it and Snow nails Crash from behind. Crash stumbles into a thrust kick from Blackman who follows up with a backbreaker before tagging Snow in. Snow ties Crash in the tree of woe and goes for a baseball slide but Crash sits up and Snow slides to the floor. Snow heads back in as Crash tags in Hardcore who whips Snow into a corner but Snow slides to stop himself. Snow goes for a clothesline but Hardcore pulls the referee into the way and he ends up taking the hit instead. Hardcore clotheslines Snow in return then tags Crash in as a second referee, Mike Sparks, comes in the ring. Only Hardcore boots Crash down and pins him while Sparks makes a two count as an impromptu Hardcore title match starts. Crash flees from the ring into the crowd with Hardcore and his referee chasing him down in the tech area. Hardcore gets another two count on Crash while the original referee makes a 10 count to end the match. After the match Snow celebrates when Test and Albert suddenly hit the ring and start beating on the both of them. Test whips Blackman into a boot then climbs to the top rope and connects with the flying elbowdrop. Albert works Snow over and hits the double chokebomb as Trish Stratus makes her way out to the stage and gets on the mic saying they give the fans what they want to see, Test and Albert, T&A.

Backstage The Mean Street Posse are conversing with each other when Shane McMahon comes up to them saying he wants to let bygones be bygones. Shane says he even has an huge offer for the three of them and asks Pete Gas if he wouldn’t want to be Triple H for one day. Pete jumps on this chance to be The Game and Shane then asks Joey Abs if he wants to be Mick Foley and Rodney if he wants to be The Rock and they both accept. Shane then leads the Posse somewhere while plugging his idea and I think we can guess where this is going to lead.

We then see The Rock making his way to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.

The Rock vs. Bubba Ray Dudley (w/D’Von Dudley)
Rock makes his way out to his WWF Agression theme which was done by Method Man. Rock tries to keep his eyes on both Dudleys then goes right to work on Bubba and hits the Smackdown. Rock whips Bubba and hits an elbow then works Bubba over and goes for another whip but Bubba reverses it. D’Von then pulls Rock out to the floor while Bubba distracts Earl Hebner but Rock hammers away on D’Von. Rock nails D’Von with a short-arm clothesline but Bubba goes out and hits Rock with his own clothesline. Bubba rams Rock into the announce table then gets on the headset and mocks Rock’s “If ya smell…†line when Rock grabs the ringbell and clock Bubba with it then gives him the business on the headset as well. Rock then turns and nails D’Von with the bell but Bubba comes back and rams Rock into the ringsteps. Bubba throws Rock over the barricade then goes after him but Rock clotheslines him back over to ringside. Rock rams Bubba into the announce table twice and Bubba tries to escape over the table but Rock cuts him off and throws him back in the ring. Rock goes for a whip but Bubba counters into a sidewalk slam for a two. Bubba chops Rock in a corner but Rock reverses positions and gets in his shots then goes for a whip. Bubba reverses Rock into the opposide corner but Rock rebounds with a clothesline then goes for a whip but Bubba counters with a suplex. Bubba hits elbowdrop then goes for a whip but Rock reverses and hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Rock follows that up with a DDT but D’Von distracts Hebner from seeing Rock covering Bubba. Rock pops D’Von off the apron but walks right into a back suplex form Bubba who tells D’Von to fetch a table and D’Von sets one up on the floor. Bubba readies Rock for a piledriver but Rock hits a low blow and whips Bubba into D’Von, knocing him off the apron and through the table. Rock plants Bubba with the spinebuster and connects with the People’s Elbow to put this one to bed. *1/2 You had to know Rock wasn’t losing twice to the Dudleys.

[video=youtube;oWt0Bm2M-4w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWt0Bm2M-4w[/video]

GTV then appears and shows The Kat talking with Terri Runnels in the dressing room. Kat tells Terri she’s returning a shirt she borrowed from her since she’s getting so much TV time. Terri takes the shirt from Kat but when she unrolls it she finds the shirt covered with stains.

WWF Women’s Title: Jacqueline © vs. Lita
I believe this is Lita’s first one-on-one match and she’s already getting a title shot? Both ladies lockup to start and Lita applies an armwringer while taking Jackie down by the legs. Lita goes into a front facelock and follows up with a snap suplex then hits a one-legged monkey flip. Lita then has words with the crowd but that allows Jackie to hit a drop toehold then apply a headlock. Lita shoves Jackie into the ropes but Jackie hits a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes and hits a hiptoss. Jackie whips Lita into a corner then hits a pair of armdrags and Lita rolls out to the floor to regroup. Jackie chases Lita back in the ring and starts catfighting with her when the referee suddenly gets involed! Lita starts fighting back and goes for a whip, Jackie reverses it but Lita comes back with the head sicssors. Lita follows up with a dropkick and whips Jackie but lowers the head and Jackie goes for a Sunset Flip. Lita sits down on Jackie’s shoulders but Jackie counters into her onw rollup that gets the three. * After the match Lita suplexes Jackie then climbs to the top rope and connect with a moonsault.

We then get another look at the DX/Run DMC music video as we go to commercial.

Back from break Shane leads the dressed-up Mean Street Posse out to the ring and takes the mic introducing the Posse as three of the participants in the fatal fourway match at Wrestlemania. Shane first introduces Pete Gas as “Triple Hâ€, complete with a wig, fake nose and toy championship belt. Shane then presents Joey Abs as “Mick Foley†with Joey wearing a plaid shirt with padding and carrying a book. Shane finally shows off Rodney as “The Rock†who poses while sporting a flashy shirt and a drawn-on eyebrow. Shane then mentions the fourth participant in the match and brings out The Big Show who’s apparently playing himself. The Posse applaud Show not quite realizing the real reason they’re dressed up like Show’s pay-per-view opponents. Shane decides to have a small preview of Wrestlemania and sics Show on the Posse while he clears out to the floor.

The Big Show vs. The Mean Street Posse
Shane joins the announcers while Show dumps Rodney over the ropes. Pete and Joey double-team Show and whip him Show clotheslines both men. Show whips Joey and knocks him down then powerslams Pete and brings Rodney back in the ring. Joey readies a sock for the Mandible Claw and goes for it but Show press slams him then signals for a chokeslam. Rodney tries to get some offense when Show lies down on the mat and demands Rodney do the People’s Elbow. Rodney is happy to comply and comes off the ropes but Show pops right off and grabs him and Joey then chokeslams them both. Show turns and chokeslams Pete then covers all three Posse members and there’s the three count. DUD Shane then grabs the mic and proclaims Show then winner and the new WWF Champion at Wrestlemania.

Too Cool & Rikishi Phatu vs. Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn
Cole announces that Too Cool will team with Chyna against these three same Radicalz at Wrestlemania. So I guess this is 83% of a pay-per-view match for free. This is also Eddie’s first real match since dislocating his elbow in his debut back in February. Malenko pounds on Grandmaster Sexay to start and goes for a whip but Sexay reverses him into a corner. Sexay charges at Malenko but eats a boot and Malenko comes out of the corner but runs right into a powerslam. Sexay busts a move then comes off the ropes and stops to hit a clothesline before tagging in Scotty 2 Hotty. The Too Cool guys whip Malenko and throw him back to the mat then follow up with their double elbowdrop. Scotty hits a suplex then kips up and moonwalks across the ring but Saturn clotheslines him from the apron. Saturn tags in and whips Scotty into a corner and hits a forearm then scoops him up and rams him into the corner. Saturn climbs to the middle rope and hits a suplex then tags Eddie in and Eddie lays the boots to him. Eddie whips Scotty and hits a jumping elbow and Scotty starts to fight back but Eddie rakes the eyes to stop it. Eddie goes for a whip but Scotty counters it and tosses Eddie over is head and onto the ropes. Scotty manages to tag in Rikishi and Eddie quickly scampers back to his corner and tags Saturn back in. Rikishi takes it to all three Radicals and superkicks Saturn then turns and clotheslines both Eddie and Malenko. Sexay comes in and superkicks Malenko through the ropes while Scotty hits a butt bump on Eddie in a corner. Sexay hits Eddie with his own butt splash than knocks Eddie down and Rikishi follows that up with the Stinkface. Scotty bulldogs Eddie then hits the Worm but Saturn comes in knocking Scotty through the ropes with a forearm. However Rikishi is still able to drill Saturn with the sitdown piledriver and that gets the pin. *Well we saw the Too Cool guys beat the Radicals so is there any reason to see it again in 10 days? Seriously the Radicalz should have gone over giving a reason for the semi-rematch on pay-per-view. After the bell Rikishi and the Too Cool guys celebrate the win with the post-match dance but Road Dogg and X-Pac interupt the dance by jumping them from behind. The Radicals and DX’ers team up for a 5-on-3 beatdown when suddenly Kane makes his way out for the save. Kane knocks Saturn and Eddie out of the way then chokeslams Malenko and chokeslams Saturn as well. Kane grabs Eddie for a chokeslam but Road Dogg chopblocks Kane while X-Pac whacks him with a chair. Rikishi tries to fight back but Road Dogg clocks him with the chair and all the faces are left laying.

Stephanie McMahon is shown heading to the ring to perhaps deliver her big announcement as we go to commercial.

The Wrestlemania countdown shows there’s just 10 days left until the big event.

Back from break Stephanie makes her way to the ring by herself to apparently take up the rest of the television time. Stephanie gets on the mic and mentions her announcement but first invites Linda McMahon to join her in the ring. Linda come out to the ring and Stephanie tells her mother that she wasn’t surprised at her meddling in her business, accusing Linda of feeling threatened by her since she took Vince’s affection away when she was born. Stephanie claims as a result of that Linda tried to control her when she was growing up by having her make her own bed instead of the maid. Stephanie says her allowance was soon cut to $100 a week and she got a regular car at age 16 instead of a sports car. Stephanie then says when she went off to college she only received enough money to finance a one-bedroom apartment but she convinced the CFO to slip her a little cash after Linda taught her the power of persuasion. Stephanie tells Linda this game is about power and there’s only one dominant female in the McMahons, that being her. Stephanie admits she didn’t think Linda would stack the deck against Triple H or reinstate Mick Foley for one night and Linda insists it was the right thing to do. However Stephanie calls her mother a coniving ****h and slaps her in the face! Linda is relling as Stephanie heads out of the ring and back up the ramp where Triple H meets her on the stage. The Helmsleys sneer back at Linda who tries to produce some tears in the ring as we fade to black. And to think we never did hear that big announcent Stephanie supposedly had.

Overall: We started with a talking McMahon segment, ended with a talking McMahon segment, and in between there isn’t much else in the way of in-ring action. This was mainly about polishing up the Wrestlemania main event while giving the idea that they’re trying to get the undercard matches together even though there hasn’t been much in the way of storylines and feuds. Also this is where you start to really see the McMahon family feud taking up more of the main event build. 5/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF RAW IS WAR 03/27/2000
Compaq Center in Houston, TX​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Kurt Angle (2/27/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz (2/27/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Kurt Angle (2/10/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (3/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Jacqueline (2/03/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

[video=youtube;IDo4oK6jBd4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDo4oK6jBd4[/video]

Raw comes on the air with the latest of the McMahon family saga on Smackdown.

Things kick off with Linda McMahon coming out to the ring to try and start off our opening promo segment. Linda gets on the mic and apologizes for the degrading spectacle everyone witnessed on Smackdown. Linda says for the past few weeks she watched things get ugly with her family and soon couldn’t just stay at the corporate office any longer so she made the fatal-four way eliminaton match at Wrestlemania and still feels it was the right thing to do. Linda says she gave Mick Foley his chance to realize his dream but she had to live a nightmare in return. Linda mentions standing in the ring last Thursday as her own daughter said hateful things to her and slapped her, feeling she didn’t deserve it after trying to be a good mother. Linda demands Stephanie come out and apologize but instead Vince McMahon comes out to the ring and gets on the mic saying he wants to hear Stephanie’s apology. Vince then expresses his concern to Linda about her leaving the corporate arena and getting involved in his arena, fearing something would happen to Linda just like on Smackdown. Vince asks Linda if she really wants to be in Mick Foley’s corner and Linda insists she can take care of herself. Vince hopes Linda isn’t offended when he raises the Rock’s hand in victory then turns and dares Stephanie to come out and apologize to Linda and the world without Triple H at her side. Stephanie does come out to the stage with a mic and seems amused at her parents’ demand for an apology from her. Stephanie says she watched footage of her actions and admits she did act disrespectful and unladylike to Linda. Stephanie apologizes to Linda for slapping her … saying what she really wanted was to slap Vince across the face. Vince threatens to give Stephanie a spanking but before he heads out Triple H appears to prevent that action. Triple H grabs a mic and starts by talking about marrying into perhaps the most dysfunctional family on the planet. Triple H says he’s trying to be the voice of reason and is not a violent man unlike Vince who needs counseling. Triple H calls Vince and Linda two old dinosaurs who wore out their welcome and claims their ancient era is done, that it’s time for the old to move out so a new era can run the show and asks Vince to do the right thing. At that point Shane McMahon come down the ramp to ringside because apparently this segment isn’t long enough. Shane gets on the mic says they do need a voice of reason then tells Stephanie her slapping Linda was cowardly. Shane climbs in the ring while he tells the Helmsleys their marriage makes him sick and he will stand against them. Shane then tells Triple H and Stephanie a new era is needed … right before he whacks Vince in the head with the mic! Shane beats on Vince when Triple H joins in on the attack when Linda tries to pull Shane off Vince by the hair. However Stephanie grabs Linda from behind and holds her while daring Shane to strike her and Shane moves in when Mick Foley charges ino the ring and goes right to work on Triple H. Linda and Stephanie flee the scene as Shane nails Foley from behind but Foley is unfazed and corners him. Just then The Big Show comes in for the save and Foley tries to take him on but Show comes back with a headbutt and Triple H follows that up with a clothesline. Show clotheslines Foley over the ropes and Triple H sets Vince up for a Pedifree while pointing out at Linda. Before that happens The Rock comes in to save Vince and attacks Triple H and Show, even grabing Show for a Rock Bottom. Triple H nails Rock to break it up and clotheslines him allowing Show to finish Rock off with a chokeslam. Foley comes back in but Triple H lays him out with a Pedigree then clocks Vince with his title belt. The heels then leave the faces laying in the ring and Linda looks on concerned as we go to commercial. This segment took 20 whole minutes and accomplished almost nothing. To think they would have promoted the biggest pay-per-view of the year which is just just six days away.

Back from break we get a replay of the carnage with the McMahons and the actual participants in the pay-per-view main event.

Chris Jericho & Chyna vs. Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero
So finally after almost a quarter of the show gone we get to our first match. Jericho comes out and gets on the mic asking why Chris Benoit hasn’t smiled once since coming to the WWF then says the reason for that is Benoit is robotic by the way he walks and talks and that he stinks as well. Benoit and Eddie then make their way to the ring as Benoit debuts his separate entrance music. Chyna demands Eddie starts against her but Eddie acts like his arm is still hurting and tags Benoit in instead. So Chyna focuses on Benoit but that allows Eddie to nail her from behind and the two Radicals double-team her. Jericho comes in to break it up and Benoit pops him on the apron then whips Chyna into a corner. Benoit whips Eddie into Chyna but Chyna ducks him then trips Benoit right into Eddie with a drop toehold. Jericho tags in and takes it to both Radicals then chops Benoit and goes for a whip but Benoit counters it. Jericho takes Benoit down by the legs and puts him in the Walls of Jericho already but Eddie breaks it up. Chyna works Eddie over and clotheslines him over the ropes while Jericho plants Benoit with a Tigerbomb. Jericho goes for the Lionsault but Eddie pops him from the floor and Benoit covers him for the quick pin. 1/2* Criminally short match consinderiing three of the participants. After the match Chyna pounds on Eddie on the floor but Benoit goes out and nails Chyna from behind to stop that. Jericho comes to Chyna’s aid with a baseball slide on Benoit then clotheslines him over the barricade. Jericho and Benoit fight it out in the crowd while Chyna chases Eddie in the ring and Eddie begs her off. However that allows Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn to come in and the three of them triple-team Chyna. Then Too Cool charges in for the save and they manage to clear the Radicals from the ring.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews Vince McMahon who expresses concern for Linda’s welfare after the incident so he decides to call Shane out tonight. Linda comes up trying to convince Vince to just stop the madness but Vince tells Linda this is his arena, not hers, and that he’s made up his mind to call Shane out tonight.

WWF Hardcore Title: Crash Holly © vs. Hardcore Holly
This was set up after Hardcore attempted to lift the title off Crash during their tag match on Smackdown. Crash manages to get in the first shots and goes for a whip but Hardcore reverses it and hits the dropkick. Suddenly Tazz runs in with his own referee and suplexes Hardcore then slaps the Tazzmission on Crash. Hardcore breaks it up and he and Tazz start going at it while Crash rolls out of the ring to the floor. Crash then tries to escape but the Headbangers come out with their own referee and they double-team Crash. Thrasher holds Crash while Mosh whacks him with a 2×4 and Thrasher to pin Crash but Mosh breaks it up. Hardcore and Tazz head out and start brawling with the ‘Bangers when Viscera comes out with his own referee and grabs Crash for a chokebomb. Mosh breaks that up and all five oppoents starts fighting each other while Crash flees through the crowd to the back with the other five guys right behind him. We then cut to the back where the Mean Street Posse attack Crash and Pete Gas tries to pin him on the floor but Joey Abs smashes a bottle on Pete’s head but Rodney does the same to him and the Posse are fighting again. Crash tries to get away and comes across Kaientai so he asks them if there’s a way out but gets no answer. Crash starts to walk off but Taka Michinoku attacks Crash from behind and cover him while Funaki takes a referee’s shirt and tries to count the pin. Tazz breaks it up and everyone stumbles into the scene. We then cut outside as Crash hides behind a trash can while all his opponents file out through the door. Of course they could have seen the cameraman swinging back to the trash can to look at Crash, but I guess all cameramen are invisible or something. Anyway as they all search for him Crash slips back through the door and manages to lock all of them outside, once again making his escape with his Hardcore title intact. DUD

Elsewhere backstage Michael Cole interviews Shane McMahon about his father calling him out tonight and Shane says he’d love to tear into Vince for being hit with a chair but decides to decline his challenge.

Rikishi is on the move when Kevin Kelly comes up asking about facing Road Dogg tonight. Rikishi simply says his rear in Road Dogg’s face and heads out as we go to commerical. Back from break we see Michael Cole standing outside The Rock’s door waiting to interview him as we get footage of The Rock appearing on The Tonight Show last Friday.

Road Dogg vs. Rikishi Phatu
Road Dogg comes out by himself and tries to do his incoherent rhyming on the mic. Rikishi comes out as clips are shown of Road Dogg and X-Pac attacking him and Too Cool on Smackdown to give Rikishi a reason to team with Kane at Wrestlemania. Rikishi ducks a right hand to start and hammers away on Road Dogg then whips him hard in a corner. Road Dogg comes back with the juke ‘n’ jive punches then comes off the ropes but Rikishi superkicks him into a corner and proceeds with the Stinkface. Road Dogg rolls out to the floor gagging then decides he’s had enough of this and walks out of the match ending up counted out. he Too Cool guys then join Rikishi in the ring and the trio commence with the post-match dance. Whatever. I wonder where Kane and X-Pac were to help build up the match. DUD

Backstage Michael Cole interviews The Rock on Shane turning down Vince but Rock tells him to shut his mouth. Rock says he could care less about the McMahon family problems but does mention the attack he suffered earlier and decides to throw out an open challenge for Triple H, Big Show or any of the McMahons to face him in the ring.

The Hardy Boyz vs. Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn
Last night on Heat the Hardys and Edge & Christian had issues with each other during a sit-down interview and interfered in the others’ matches. Not surprisingly E&C come out to join the announcers for commentary. Malenko starts off with Jeff Hardy and pounds him in a corner but Jeff reverses positions for his own shots. Jeff goes for a whip, Malenko reverses him into a corner but Jeff runs up the ropes and backflips over Malenko. Jeff hits a backdrop and throws Malenko into a corner then tags Matt in and the Hardys whip him into a corner. Matt drops down to the mat and Jeff connects with the Poetry in Motion and Matt follows up with a clothesline. Matt tees off on Malenko and hits an inverted neckbreaker that gets a two count then applies a headlock. Malenko shoves Matt off into the ropes while Saturn tags himself in and Matt ends up colliding with Saturn. Saturn gets in his shots on Matt and hits a back suplex then Malenko tags in and whips Matt into a heel kick. Saturn tags back in and both men whip Matt into a double elbow then Malenko pops Jeff off the apron. Saturn hits a kneedrop on Matt and grabs at his face and Matt crawls to his corner but Saturn cuts off a tag. Saturn draws Jeff in to distract the referee while he and Malenko whip Matt and hit a double clothesline. Malenko covers Matt without a tag for a two count then whips Matt but Matt gets a Sunset Flip for a near fall. Malenko knocks Matt down then tags Saturn in and holds Matt on his knee while Saturn climbs to the top rope and conencts with a flying kneedrop that only gets a two count. That cool move should be used as a finisher. Saturn slams Matt to the mat and jabs him in the neck. Matt tries to fight back but Saturn clubs him in the head and hits a suplex for a near fall. Malenko tags in and elbows Matt in the head then works him over in a corner before tagging Saturn back in. The Radicals hit a double headbutt on Matt … before Saturn audiblly asks the referee “Are we outta here?†Saturn goes for a gutwrench powerbomb but Matt slips out of it so Saturn sets him up for another powerbomb which Matt counters with a Russian legsweep. Matt crawls to his corner and manages to make the hot tag to Jeff and Jeff climbs to the top rope and nails Malenko with a missle dropkick. Jeff avoids an elbowdrop from Saturn and dropkicks both Radicals and Matt comes in and helps Jeff plant Saturn with a double suplex. Matt hops to the middle rope while Jeff takes Malenko down by the legs and the Hardys hit a combo legdrop. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Saturn while Jeff climbs to the top rope when E&C decide to get involved. Jeff goes for Swanton Bomb but Christian pulls Saturn out of the way while Edge goes in and spears Jeff. Matt and Malenko fight on the floor while Saturn hits a bridge suplex on Jeff that gets the pin. **3/4 Pretty good match despite the run-in. Don’t know about the Hardys jobbing so close to Wrestlemania, though.

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Shane McMahon and The Big Show about The Rock’s open challenge for tonight and Shane says he’d lay the Smackdown on Rock himself. Shane then says he and Show will take Rock up on his challenge and Show says something that’s bleeped out before promising to unplug the most electrifying man in wrestling.

We then get a look at Kane backstage preparing for his match next as we go to commercial.

Kurt Angle comes out to the ring for the next match but first gets on the mic saying how certain things make sense like the grass being green, the sky being blue and the Oilers wanting to leave Houston forever. Angle says what doesn’t make sense is him defending both the European and Intercontinential Titles at Wreslemania and that the has to wrestle the “big red retard†just six days before the pay-per-view. Angle says he has lots of Blue fans out there but still calls it a conspiracy against him and he doesn’t like it one bit.

Kurt Angle © vs. Kane (w/Paul Bearer)
Angle attacks Kane before he can set off his pyro but Kane throws him into a corner and pummels him. Kane whips Angle into a boot then whips him again but Angle takes Kane down and goes into a facelock. Kane manages to lift Angle up and slam him as we find Bob Backlund watching the match from the back. Kane connects with a clothesline and slams Angle to the mat then goes for a running elbowdrop but misses it. Angle tries to take Kane down by the legs but can’t budge him and Kane grabs Angle and hits a powerbomb. Angle rolls out to the floor and tries to grab his belts but Kane follows him and rams him into the barricade. Kane throws Angle back in the ring and climbs on the apron but Angle snaps Kane’s neck on the top rope. Kane rolls in and Angle wails on him but Kane just shrugs off his blows and punches him back. Kane whips Angle into a corner and clotheslines him then scoops him onto his shoulders but Angle slips out and shoves Kane into the ropes. Angle goes for a whip but Kane reverses him into a corner and hits a forearm. Kane charges again but eats a boot and Angle comes out of the corner but runs right into a sidewalk slam. Kane climbs to the top rope and hits the flying clothesline but Angle trips him into the ropes with a drop toehold. Angle grabs his European belt and readies a swing but Kane cuts him off and grabs him by the throat for a chokeslam. Angle kicks Kane low to break it then grabs his IC belt and nails Kane in the head to get himself DQ’ed. DUD Angle grabs both his belts and walks of celebrating (even though he lost the match) but doesn’t see Kane sitting up in the ring. Kane chases Angle down on the ramp and brings him back in the ring then chokeslams him before hitting the Tombstone for good measure. Pointless match that made Angle look weak as he was completely dominated by Kane.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews Vince McMahon about The Rock facing Shane and Big Show in a handicap match but Vince seems puzzled by that. Vince figures Cole must be talking about a tag team match to take place tonight with Shane and Big Show taking on Rock and himself. Vince also says there’s nothing anyone can do about it, not even The Rock.

We then see Trish Stratus leading her men to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.

Back form break we get footage Steve Blackman speaking with Al Snow earlier today about what crazy idea he has now, like maybe a Hawaiian pygmy playing “Let’s go Head Chesseâ€, However Snow says tonight is serious, mentioning he actually got a reaction for Blackman in Wisconsin only for Test, Albert and Trish Stratus to ruin it. Snow says they must avenge this wrong and promises to show everyone what happens when Head Cheese goes bad.

Al Snow (w/Steve Blackman) vs. Test (w/Albert & Trish Stratus)
Before the match JR announces these two teams will square off with each other at Wrestlemania, because a run-in is apparently enough justification for a match on the biggest pay-per-view of the year. Snow meets Test out at ringside and Test gets the advantage but Snow comes back with a neckbreaker. Snow throws Test in the ring to officially start the match and stomps away at him then goes for a whip. Test tries to counter into the pump-handle slam but Snow floats over him and manages to hit the Snowplow. Instead of covering Snow tells Blackman to toss Head to him but Blackman throws it way out of Snow’s reach. Albert and Blackman starts going at it while back in the ring … Test does something we miss and gets the pin. DUD

Backstage Stephanie is giving Triple H a massage while telling him it’s good he didn’t accept The Rock’s challenge becausehe shouldn't compete so close to Wrestlemania. Stepahnie says she has an idea to mess with Rock then pulls out a referee’s shirt and it looks like we now have a special guest referee for the tag team match. Say, Mick Foley isn’t doing anything yet.

Back from break we find Triple H trimming the sleeves off the referee’s shirt so he can show off his arms.

The Acolytes vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
The Acolytes charge in the ring and go right to work with Bradshaw knocking Bossman through the ropes. Buchanan whips Faarooq but Faarooq hits a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes but runs into a powerslam. Buchanan follows up with an Axe Kick then tags Bossman in but Faarooq drives Bossman toward his corner allowing Bradshaw to tag in for a double-team. Bradshaw whips Bossman but Bossman comes back with a shoulderblock then works Bradshaw over and goes for a whip. Bradshaw reverses it and clubs him from behind and The Acolytes whip Bossman into a double shoulderblock. Suddenly the Godfather’s music starts up for some reason and w then see Godfather leading D’Lo Brown and a swarm of ladies to ringside. The Acolytes ask what’s up when Godfather pays them to take a walk and once they depart he and D’Lo tear into Bossman and Buchanan. D’Lo plants Buchanan with the Sky High while Godfather backdrops Bossman then pops him through the ropes. D’Lo clears Buchanan from the ring as well and the two stand tall as their women cheer them on from the floor. BTW JR announces these two teams will duke it out at Wrestlemania as well. More teams put on the card just for the heck of it. DUD

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Linda McMahon about Triple H being the guest referee for the tag team main event. Linda announces there will be two referees in the match, and not surpisingly Mick Foley will be the second referee.

Back from break we get an exterior shot of the Compaq Center before we see Mick Foley slipping on his referee shirt.

GTV then pops in showing The Fabulous Moolah and Terri talking about trash when The Kat comes into the room. Terri and Moolah make fun of Kat’s outfit when Kat presents Terri with the bill for the shirt she ripped off her. Terri tears up the bill in response when Kat tries to go for her shirt but Moolah tries to separate the two ladies and offers to take care of Kat herself. Mae Young then comes in and they brawl and stuff gets ripped off.

Elsewhere The Rock is telling Vince McMahon he doesn’t need nor want a partner and he certainly doesn’t want him. Vince insists on teaming tonight since there’s not much Rock can do about it so Rock tells him to stay out of his way.

X-Pac (w/Road Dogg & Tori) vs. D’Von Dudley (w/Bubba Ray Dudley)
X-Pac tries to sneak attack D’Von but D’Von blocks it and gets in the first shots then goes for a whip but X-Pac reverses it. D’Von hits a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes when X-Pac leapfrogs over him and goes through his moves but D’Von comes back and hits the Curtian Call. D’Von has Bubba get a table ready on the floor and D’Von goes for a powerbomb but X-Pac slips out of it and hits the spinkick. X-Pac applies a chinlock and D’Von fights out of it but X-Pac regains the advantage. X-Pac goes for a whip but D’Von reverses it and hits the jumping elbow then slams X-Pac to the mat. D’Von climbs to the top rope but X-Pac cuts him off with a dropkick and D’Von tumbles to the mat. Road Dogg holds D’Von while X-Pac looks for the Bronco Buster but Bubba pulls X-Pac down by the hair. X-Pac pops Bubba off the apron but D’Von clotheslines him down then goes after Road Dogg on the apron. However Road Dogg snaps D’Von’s neck on the rope and D’Von staggers into the X-Factor for the pin. DUD Bubba goes in the ring and pounds on X-Pac but Road Dogg comes back and hits the juke ‘n jive punches. Just as Road Dogg readies for the big right Kane’s pyro goes off distracting him for a right hand from Bubba. Kane and Paul Bearer then make their way out to the ring and Kane starts attacking everyone in the ring. Kane goes to chokeslam X-Pac but the Dudleys break it up for whatever reason and hit Kane with the 3D. The Dudleys depart as Tori goes in to taunt the fallen Kane but Kane pops up and grabs her by the throat. However the DX’ers break up the chokeslam and dump Kane over the ropes through the table on the floor! At least we get a nice post-match spot.

Back from break we get a replay of The Rock, Vince and Mick Foley getting beaten down earlier tonight. After that Triple H makes his way out to the ring with Stephanie to serve as the special referee for the main event. And then Mick Foley makes his way out to the ring to serve as the other special refere for the main event.

The Rock & Vince McMahon vs. The Big Show & Shane McMahon
Shane and Show come out to Show’s Agression theme while Vince makes his way down the ramp by himself and hesitates to get in the ring. So Triple H decides to toss Vince in himself to jump-start the match and Show and Shane double-team Vince. Show headbutts Vince then sets him up for a Bronco Buster from Shane as The Rock finally makes his way out to the ring and nails Show with a flying forearm. Rock works over Shane and tosses him over the ropes then goes to whip Show but Show reverses him into a corner and hits a boot. Show elbows Rock and chokes him with his boot when Foley orders a break then has words with Triple H. Rock rolls out to the floor with Show behind him but Rock comes back and rams him into the announce table. Rock goes for a whip but Show reverses him into the steps then press slams him over the ropes back in the ring. Show goes in and tags Shane and Shane works Rock over with jabs but and whips him into a jumping elbow. Shane covers Rock and Triple H tries to make a fast count but only gets two and Foley isn’t happy with that. Shane hammers Rock in a corner and slaps him but Rock throws him into the corner and hits the Smackdown. Rock whips Shane into a corner but Triple H interupts a clothesline enabling Shane to nail Rock from behind. Foley responds by dropping Shane with a right hand and Triple H expresses his displeasure and shoves Foley. Foley shoves Triple H back and looks ready to go at it then sees Show choking Rock on the ropes and stops it. Show tags in and clubs Rock in the back then slams him to the mat and comes off the ropes with an elbow drop. Rock starts to fight back again and comes off the ropes but runs right into an elbow and Show taunts Vince. Show hits a backbreaker and a legdrop then chokes Rock with his boot and Foley counts when Triple H won’t. Show whips Rock, Rock ducks a clothesline and rallys back then comes off the ropes but runs into a powerslam with Foley counting a two. Shane tags in but runs right into a DDT that gets a near fall. ince then begs Rock to tag in and Rock obliges then Vince whiffs a punch but Shane still sells it like a champ. Vince hammers away on Shane and whips him into a clothesline as we see Linda watching this from the back. Vince pops Shane through the ropes then goes out and shoves Triple H aside and tosses Shane into the steps. Vince clotheslines Shane over the announce table then rams him into the table and chokes him with a headset. Vince assaults Shane and punches him back over the table but Shane comes back with a shot below the belt and tosses Vince back in the ring. Shane heads in when Vince spears Shane down but Show headbutts Vince. Both McMahons are down as Foley counts but Vince manages to crawl over and make the hot tag to Rock. Rock hammers away on Shane and whips him into then spinebuster then follows up with the People’s Elbow. Rock covers Shane as Foley makes the count but Triple H interrupts it at two with an elbowdrop on Foley. Rock tries to take a shot at Triple H but Triple H nails Rock with the Pedigree. Triple H drapes Shane onto Rock and tries to make his own count but Vince nails Triple H to break it up and the two exchange shots. Vince knocks Triple H through the ropes and taunts him with the DX chops when Show grabs him by the throat looking for a chokeslam. Foley interupts Show with the Mandible Claw and dumps him over the ropes when Rock finally plants Shane with the Rock Bottom and Foley counts the three for the win. **1/2 Not the best main event but still pretty entertaining, which is usually the case with matches involving the McMahons. Plus the crwod was hot throughout the match. The Rock, Vince and Foley all stand tall in the ring while Triple H and Show retreat as Raw goes off air.

Overall: The only worthwhile matches were the main event and the great Hardys/Radicals tag, while all the other bouts were pretty worthless. Also it seems almost the entire Wrestlemania mid-card is built entirely around run-ins; one guy or team runs in on another guy or team and suddenly a match is made. Also the McMahons continue to dominate the main event focus as evidenced by the long opening segment. Overall another forgettable episode and the WWF still has one more show to go to give the matches some build before the big event. 4/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF SMACKDOWN 03/30/2000
San Antonio, TX​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Kurt Angle (2/27/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz (2/27/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Kurt Angle (2/10/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (3/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Jacqueline (2/03/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Kane & Rikishi Phatu (w/Paul Bearer) vs. The Dudley Boyz
So we at least get one match with Kane and Rikishi teaming up before their tag match in three days. The Dudleys rush the ring and go right after Kane but Rikishi pulls Bubba Ray off and hammers him. Kane comes back against D’Von and whips him and D’Von lands several shots but Kane shurgs them off and grabs D’Von’s fist. Bubba tries to come in but Kane turns and catches him with a clothesline then plants D’Von with a sidewalk slam. Rikishi tags in and takes it to both Dudleys with rights then knocks their heads together and clotheslines both of them. D’Von crawls to a corner and Rikishi backs up for a stinkface but D’Von shoves him away by his rear right into a clothesline from Bubba. Rikishi starts favoring his bad ankle when Bubba draws Kane in to distract the referee then sets Rikishi up while D’Von climbs to the top and hits the headbutt to the groin. D’Von chokes Rikishi and whips him into his corner but Rikishi elbows Bubba off the apron. Rikishi headbutts D’Von down in the corner and this time gets the stinkface. Bubba comes in and chopblocks Rikishi’s bad ankle then hits a big splash and D’Von elbowdrops the ankle for a two count. D’Von works over Rikishi then hits another elbowdrop before tagging Bubba back in. Bubba chops Rikishi in a corner but Rikishi no-sells it so Bubba drills him with a DDT but Rikishi pops right up. Bubba taunts Kane then turns back and sees Rikishi back on his feet before he eats a superkick. Rikishi makes the tag to Kane who climbs to the top rope then connects with the flying clothesline on D’Von. Kane clothelsines Bubba and whips him into a boot then whips D’Von into a corner and grabs him by the throat. Bubba nails Kane from behind and the Dudleys whip him but Kane grabs both of them and hits a double chokeslam. Kane tags Rikishi in to finish up and Rikishi climbs the ropes and hits the Banzai Drop on D’Von for the pin. * Really? The tag team champions job in a non-title match just before their big ladder match on Sunday? I kown they wanted Kane and Rikishi to look like a cohesvie unit but couldn’t they have just squashed a couple of jobbers instead?

Outside we find the DX Express pulling up to the building with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Tori coming out to greet it. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon exit the bus to meet them and the whole group heads in as we go to commercial.

Back form break the Hemlsleys make their way out to the ring. riple H gets on the mic and asks Stephanie if she’s excited at being just three days away from Wrestlemania, where four of the biggest WWF stars ever will do battle for the WWF Championship. Triple H says the intensity has picked up recently and it’s so thick in the air that everyone can feel it. Triple H then decides to explain why he calls himself The Game by saying it’s because he lives this business non-stop; he eats, sleeps and breathes wrestling and that he sweat and paid the ultimate price to become the best. Triple H guarantees he will still be WWF Champion once Wrestlemania finishes becuase he is that good. On that note Vince McMahon makes his way out to the stage and gets on the mic to apparently offer a rebuttal. Vince tells Triple H they’re going to find out how good he is on Sunday then notices he seems unusually confident. Vince accuses Triple H of plotting to save his title in the elimination match by getting himself disqualified or counted out then says that’s not going to happen because the match will now have no DQ’s or countouts and can only be won by pinfall. Triple H seems unnerved by the announcement as Vince sarcastically wishes him good luck before departing the scene. Triple H says he won’t be shaken or rattled by that stiuplation since he was the one who retired Mick Foley. Triple H says he put the hardcore legend and king of the deathmatches out of business so no-DQ means nothing to him. Almost on cue Mick Foley comes out to the stage to give his thoughts because this segment just isn’t long enough. Foley admits Triple H did put him out of wrestling but unfortunately for him he’s back in the business for one night only. Foley also says since there’s no disqualification in the match he’s brought along an old friend … his barbed-wire 2×4. Foley says he was simply out to take Triple H’s title but now sees no reason he couldn’t beat him up at the same time. Foley also points out Triple H will have to go back to work the next night after Wrestlemania while he’ll be re-retired, so he doesn’t care if he stays in a hospital bed all day as long as the WWF Championship is around his waist. Foley says it’ll be a very long time before wrestling fans see him again so he’s going to let it all hang out on Sunday, promising a great match. Foley finishes by telling Triple H to get his lip prints off the belt because he’s bringing it home.

Backstage Kurt Angle complains to some security guy named “Phil†about the supposed conspiracy against him. Angle points out he has to face The Rock tonight just three days before defending both his titles at Wrestlemania. The Big Show then walks up interupting Angle’s tirade and asks him for a moment of his time as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get footage of the NBC press conference announcing it’ll televise Saturday night XFL games. They seemed really happy to do it at the time.

WWF Hardcore Title: Crash Holly © vs. Tazz
Tazz pounds on Crash to start and whips him into a corner and Crash tries to block him with his boot but Tazz catches it and hits an overhead Tazplex. Crash rolls out to the floor with Tazz behind him and Tazz rams Crash into the announce table for a two count on the floor. Tazz tosses Crash into the crowd and chases him through then fans when Viscera appears tying to get the title himself and Tazz stops him. Crash tries to slip away while Tazz and Viscera duke it out but runs into the Headbangers who ambush him. Mosh whacks Crash with a 2×4 and covers him but Tazz and Viscera break it up and now it’s a four-way battle. Crash again tries to slip away behind the curtain but Tazz is on him and rams him into a chair then covers him. Thrasher breaks up the pin and whacks Crash with an ironing board but Tazz again tries to steal the cover. Thrasher pulls Tazz off Crash as Mosh moves in for the cover but Viscera whacks him with the ironing board. The four of them continue assaulting each other and breaking up covers while Crash tries desparately to escape. Crash soon takes off through the door with the others pursuing him and I guess that’s the match. DUD

TV suddenly pops in and show Val Venis laying in a motel room when he get a visit from the Kat. Kat mentions Val being the referee for the Catfight at Wrestlemania and tries to sway him to be on her side and Val seems willing to go with Kat’s propsal but before anything happens the clip cuts out.

Edge and Christian are shown heading to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get footage showing the Hardcore title match still going on during the break. We see Crash hiding from Tazz, Viscera and the Headbangers in a garage when the Mean Street Posse jump him and beat him down. Pete Gas covers Crash with a referee counting but Rodney and Joey Abs break it up. The Posse members start fighting each other again and Crash takes off back inside but the others chase after him.

Edge & Chrisitian vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori)
The Hardys make their way out and join the announcers for commentary, meaning they’re going to get involved one way or another. The DX’ers come out and Road Dogg tries to do the spiel on the mic but gets cut off by E&C’s entrance. Road Dogg and Edge lockup to start and Edge gets an armwringer and wrenches it before going into a headlock. Road Dogg counters it into his own headlock and Edge shoves him off but Road Dogg hits a shoulderblock. Road Dogg comes off the ropes but Edge tosses him over the ropes and Road Dogg manages to hang onto them. Road Dogg taunts Edge on the apron but Edge slides under Road Dogg to the floor and pulls him onto the apron then drops Road Dogg onto the barricade with a wheelbarrow slam before throwing him back in the ring. Edge tags in Christian and the two of them whip Road Dogg into a double hiptoss that gets a two count. Road Dogg fights back and tags in X-Pac who goes for a whip but Christian reverses it and ducks a spinkick before hitting a Russian legsweep. Christian climbs to the top rope but Road Dogg straddles him on the turnbuckle. X-Pac chokes Christian down with his boot and hits the Bronco Buster but Edge decks X-Pac from the apron. Road Dogg comes in for a double-team then takes over on Christian without a tag and sets him on the top rope. Road Dogg goes up looking for a superplex but Christian fights him off to the mat and hits a tornado Slop Drop. Christian makes the tag to Edge who goes for a whip, Road Dogg reverses it but Edge hits a spinning heelkick. X-Pac comes in and nails Edge from behind then goes for a whip bit Edge reverses it and hits a powerslam. Edge then turns back to Road Dogg and sets him up for the Downward Spiral but Road Dogg shoves him off and goes for the pump-handle slam. Edge floats over him and shoves him right into the referee then spears Road Dogg and hits X-Pac with an Atomic Drop when the Hardys decide to get inolved. Christian goes for the Unprettier on X-Pac but Matt breaks it up then lays Christian out with the Twist of Fate. Edge covers Road Dogg but Jeff climbs to the top rope and breaks up the pin with the Swanton Bomb on Edge. The Hardys departs and X-Pac rolls Road Dogg onto the fallen Edge to grab the pin. *1/2 Decent enough action. Of course this sets the DX’ers up as potential challngers should E&C win the belts on Sunday.

Backstage The Rock is drinking water when Mick Foley comes in and offers to watch his back during his match. Rock tells Foley he appreciates the offer but doesn’t want nor need his help and they head out in opposite directions.

The Rock vs. Kurt Angle
Angle makes his way out but first decides to get on the mic and say he’s giving all his young fans permission to stay late up on Sunday and watch him retain both his belts. Angle also says he will repeat as champion just as sure as he is that the Spurs won’t win a second title. Rock and Angle have a staredown when we see the Helmsleys making their way down the ramp to ringside. Rock looks over and sees them but that allows Angle to nail him from behind and get the early advantage. Angle elbows Rock in the back of the head as we see Shane and the Big Show coming down the ramp as well. Angle chokes Rock on the middle rope and whips him but Rock starts to fight back and goes for his own whip. Angle counters it with a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count then slams him to the mat and unloads on him. Angle goes for a whip and Rock reverses it but lowers the head and Angle kicks the face but eats a clothesline. Angle comes back with a back suplex for a near fall then chokes him on the bottom rope as Show taunts him. Angle distracts the referee while Shane chokes Rock and Angle works Rock over in a corner and chokes him. Rock fights back again and goes for a whip but Angle reverses him into the opposite corner and hits an elbow. Angle slams Rock to the mat again and climbs to the middle rope then leaps off but lands right into a DDT. Rock again rallies back and looks for the Smackdown but misses it yet continues to hammer away on Angle. Rock hits a tilt-o-whirl slam for a near fall and Angle goes for a whip but Rock reverses it into the spinebuster. Rock readies for the People’s Elbow when Triple H hops on the apron so Rock goes and decks him back off. Triple H heads in the ring and Earl Hebner tries to keep him out while Show comes in and chokeslams Rock. Triple H and Show head back out as Angle manages to cover the fallen Rock … but only gets a two count! Angle goes for a whip but Rock counters it into a Rock Bottom and that gets the pin. *1/2 Solid match but even with help from two people Angle couldn’t put Rock away. How is he going to fare in two matches against two people at Wrestlemania :hm: After the match Triple H and Show both head in the ring and Rock pops Triple H and goes for the Smackdown on Show but Show blocks it and hits a headbutt. Shane comes in to help the two with a 3-on-1 beatdown. Suddenly Vince McMahon runs in the ring brandishing a chair and whacks Triple H and Show with it. However Shane nails Vince with the WWF Championship belt then waffles Rock with it and hands it to Show. Show and Shane pose with the title belt before nailing Triple H with it and the two leave everyone laying. You figure this would have closed the show since it focused on the actual main event but you’d be wrong.

Chris Jericho (w/Chyna) vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/Chris Benoit)
Once the entrances are over Eddie decides to get on the mic wanting to get some things straight with Chyna. Eddie says he got excited at finding out the two of them were going to wrestle each other at Wrestlemania then says he sees a twinkle in Chyna’s eye whenever she looks at him and feels she’s real excited as well. Eddie then says something about Chyna shaking a bon-bon with him or whatever and Chyna looks ready to hurl. Both men exchange shots to start but Eddie gets the advantage and pops Jericho with a European uppercut. Eddie comes off the ripes but runs into a drop toehold and Jericho chops away at Eddie and goes for a whip. Eddie reverses and hits a high knee. Eddie charges at Jericho but Jericho tosses him over his head onto the turnbuckles then comes off the ropes with the bulldog for a two count. Jericho whips Eddie and Eddie rolls over his back but Jericho hits a powerbomb but holds on for a second powerbomb. Jericho turns and dropkicks Benoit off the apron but Eddie nails Jericho and chops him. Eddie whips Jericho into a corner and Jericho tries to backdrop him over the ropes when Eddie tries to counter with the headscissors. Jericho counters that and goes right into the Walls of Jericho but Benoit them comes in so Jericho lets go of Eddie to meet him and that’s the match, folks. After the match Jericho hammers Benoit in a corner but Eddie nails Jericho from behind and starts to work him over. Chyna then comes in and Eddie begs her off then flees from the ring with Chyna right behind him. Meawhile Benoit suplexes Jericho and has words when Kurt Angle comes out and nails Benoit from behind then hits the Olympic Slam. Angle also hits the slam on Jericho and leaves both opponents laying. * Another rush job to sell the pay-per-view.

We then find Stephanie McMahon heading somewhere with an envelope in hand as we go to commercial.

Back from break Stephanie comes out to the ring with the envelope and maybe she just might reveal its contents. Stephanie gets on the mic and claims to have received a fan letter from an 18-year old freshman which she reads for us. The writer, “Donna McClearlyâ€, calls Stepahnie an inspiration to her for being young, smart, beautiful and powerful. “Donna†says she’s watched Stepahnie since her first appearance and mentions the abuse her family put her through then praises her for being one step ahead of them. “Donna†says everyone is jealous of the power Stephanie wields and finishes by wishing both her and Triple H luck at Wrestlemania, feeling Triple H will retain the title. Guess what, Vince McMahon comes back out to the stage for a rebuttal. Vince gets on the mic and claims Stephanie either wrote that letter to herself or America’s youth is going downhill. Before Vince can say much more Linda McMahon comes out telling Vince the constant bickering has got to stop. Linda says the family is being torn apart by Vince’s actions and demands Vince fulfill his role as the patriarch and fix it. Vince says he is going to start fixing things by booking Stephanie in her first official match against Jacqueline tonight. Stephanie reacts to the news with the “deer in the headlights look†while Vince struts to the back. Well, you knew the McMahons were going to get the focus back on them sometime tonight.

GTV pops back up and shows Val Venis being visited by Terri Runnels who tries to sway him to his side.

We then cut backstage and find Crash Holly still trying to escape from everyone gunning for his Hardcore title. Hardcore Holly comes out and whacks Crash with a trash can then covers him but gets interupted by Mosh and Tazz. Crash goes into the Acolytes’ office but gets attacked by Bradshaw and the Kaientai guys both try to cover him but Hardcore pulls them off Crash. Everyone else pours in (through the door) and starts fighting it out with each other while Crash slips away again and makes his out to the arena. Crash climbs in the ring with everyone else surrounding it and gets on the mic saying this whole 24/7 thing has gotten way out of control so he’s calling off the stipulation. Crash instead offers a hardcore battle royal at Wrestlemania where everyone surrounding the ring gets a shot. Crash says the match will have a 15-minute time limit and whoever gets the last pinfall is the Hardcore Champion. Hardcore goes in and takes the mic from Crash then accepts the challenge on behalf of everyone else. Hardcore then tells Crash the issue between the two of them is personal before dropping him with a right hand.

Backstage we find Stephanie complaing to Triple H about her match tonight saying she can’t wrestle and Triple H responds by asking what Vince is thinking by booking his own daughter in a match.

WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko © (w/Perry Saturn) vs. Scotty 2 Hotty (w/Grandmaster Sexay)
Scotty ducks a right hand and gets in the first shots but Malenko ducks into the ropes to ward him off. Malenko jabs Scotty in the eye and whips him into a corner then charges at him but Scotty sidesteps Malenko. Malenko again tries ducking into the ropes but Sexay gets in a shot from the floor behind the referee’s back. Scotty whips Malenko looking for a dropkick, Malneko fakes him out and rolls him up but Scotty rolls through it and tees off on Malenko. Scotty charges at Malenko but Malenko trips Scotty into the ropes with a drop toehold. Malenko kicks Scotty down in a corner and chokes him with his boot then hits a suplex that gets a two count. Malenko goes for a whip, Scotty reverses and lowers the head but catches the kick and spins Malenko around. Both men come off the ropes and clothesline each other then get to their feet but Scotty gets the advantage and whips Malenko into a backdrop. Scoty goes for another whip but Malenko reverses him into a corner and goes for a suplex but Scotty flips out of it. Scotty hits the bulldog then follows up with the Worm and covers Malenko when Saturn pulls him out off and out to the floor. Shouldn’t that have been a DQ right there? Anyway Scotty and Sexay fight Saturn off and Scotty leaves Sexay to duke it out with him. Scotty goes in and rolls Malenko up with an inside cradle but Eddie Guerrero comes out and rolls it the other way and Malenko ends up getting the three. * pretty good for 3 minutes i guess.

We cut backstage as Trish Stratus leads Test and Albert to the ring for the next match.

Back from break we get another GTV clip, this time showing Mae Young visting Val Venis in his motel room. Mae wants to show Val something but thankfully Val throws her back out the door before anything happens.

The Hardy Boyz vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)
Test pounds on Jeff Hardy to start and whips him and Jeff knocks Albert off the apron with a baseball slide but Test plants with with a gutwrench powerbomb. Test tags Albert in and both men whip Jeff into a corner, Test whips Albert into an Avalanche on Jeff and Albert in turn rams Jeff right into a big boot from Test. Albert goes for a back suplex when Jeff flips out of it and goes for a whip but doesn’t see Test’s blind tag. Albert reverses it and Test helps Albert hit a tilt-a-whirl faceplant then covers Jeff but Matt breaks up the pin. Test whips Jeff but Jeff slides under the ropes to the floor then dropkicks Albert. Test goes out after Jeff but Jeff slides back in the ring and tags in Matt and Test charges at them but Matt trips him into turnbuckles. Matt hops to the middle rope and connects with a flying clothesline then drills Albert with a jumping DDT and hits a neckbreaker on Test. Jeff climbs to the top rope but Ablert tosses Matt through the ropes so Jeff leaps over Albert back to the mat. Jeff goes for a huricanrana but Albert counters it into a massive powerbomb. Matt comes back in and dropkicks Albert in the head but Test boots him down. Test sets up for a powerbomb but Matt manages to slip out of it then hits the Twist of Fate and there’s the three count. 1/2* Albert comes in and plants Matt with the chokebomb and Test climbs to the top rope and stands on Albert’s shoulders before hitting the flying elbowdrop on Matt even though they’ve already lost the match.

Test and Albert walk off with Trish but we’re not done as Edge and Christian come in and attack the Hardys. Edge throws Jeff under the ropes to the floor then tosses Matt at Christian who drills him with the Unprettier. Edge slides a ladder in the ring and sets it up in the center then he and Christian each climb a side to the top. At that point the Dudleys charge in and knock the ladder over sending E&C falling to the mat. The Dudleys grab the ladder and ram it into Matt and Jeff before setting it back up and climbing it to pose at the top. Yep, there’s your hard-sell for the ladder match on Sunday.

Triple H and a very-concerned looking Stephanie are shown heading to the ring as we go to commercial.

Back form break Trish Stratus is trying to help Test and Albert regroup for their match at Wrestlemania. Suddenly Al Snow and Steve Blackman barge into the lockerroom and attack Test and Albert with kendo sticks. After Test and Albert are left laying Blackman has some parting words with Trish before departing.

WWF Women’s Title: Jacqueline © vs. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (w/Triple H)
We’re about to finish the final show before Wrestlemania and this is our main event? Once Jackie makes her entrance Stephanie quickly bails from the ring not wanting to go through with this when the rest of DX makes their way down the ramp to show their support. Earl Hebner tries to get Stephanie in the ring where Jackie is anxiously awating her and Stephanie climbs onto the apron but refuses to go in. Hebner finally orders the bell rung to start the match and Stephanie still backs away to the floor but Jackie gets tired of waiting and goes out to chase her in the ring. Jackie has Stephanie cornered in the ring but X-Pac trips Jackie from the floor so she turns her focus to him allwoing Tori to come in and drill Jackie with a DDT then slip back out to the floor. Triple H orders the confused Stephanie to cover Jackie and Hebner counts the 1..2..3! Stephanie wins!! DUD!!!!! Yep, Stephanie gets to hold the title as if the McMahon’s didn’t dominate things already, and this makes Linda the only McMahon to never win a championship. Triple H and the rest of DX pour in the ring to celebrate with Stephanie as she holds up her new title belt.

However Kane and Rikishi interupt the celebration looking to get themselves a piece of Road Dogg and X-Pac. Rikishi pounds on Road Dogg on the floor while Kane chases X-Pac out of the ring and starts after him. Just then the Dudleys appear and get a shot on Kane but the Hardys come out and start attacking the Dudleys. The Hardys and Dudleys battle in the ring but Edge & Christian join in the fight followed by the Radicals. Chris Jericho, Hardcore Holly, The Headbangers, Kurt Angle, and the rest of the Wrestlemania participants pour in the ring resulting in a massive brawl. Shane McMahon leads the Big Show in and Show starts cleaning house. The Rock then joins the fray and starts hitting the Smackdown on everyone he sees before tossing them out. At that point Mick Foley runs out with his barbed-wire 2×4 and causes everyone to clear out of the ring. Rock, Foley and Show exchange words while the Helmsleys pose with their respective titles on the stage as Smackdown goes off air.

Overall: Well this is a go-home show for the biggest pay-per-view of the year and it was a half-decent effort. While almost every segment was used to build toward Wrestelmania there were some questionable decisions, especially when certain people (i.e. Angle and the Dudleys) should have gotten momentum instead of looking weak. There was some nice interactions with the main event quarter and the show would have been fine had they ended with the stuff after Rock/Angle match but we had to see the McMahons take over, resulting in Stephanie winning a title she has no business holding. That should have sent a warning that Wrestlemania was not going to end the way everyone wanted. At least we got a fun brawl to close thing out but overall I’m glad to finally be done with this month’s worth of shows. 4/10.

 

[The Cork]

Quick Q, RE: Linda McMahon.

Haven't seen any of this stuff since it first aired, but.....worst promos ever?

She was cringeworthy stuff.

 

[Chris]

I rewatched the Raws here recently myself, and yes, it was horrible. Stephanie was horrible at promos too.

 

[Crippler]

Quick Q, RE: Linda McMahon.

Haven't seen any of this stuff since it first aired, but.....worst promos ever?

She was cringeworthy stuff.

borderline horrible, it's pretty clear that shane and steph don't get their talent from her.

I rewatched the Raws here recently myself, and yes, it was horrible. Stephanie was horrible at promos too.

I have to disagree with you here, her voice was annoying but she did a fucking amazing job playing a bitch.

 

[Crippler]

WWF WRESTLEMANIA 16
Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Kurt Angle (2/27/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz (2/27/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Kurt Angle (2/10/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (3/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Wrestlemania comes on the air with Lillian Garcia singing an excellent rendition of “The Star Spangled Bannerâ€. Next an intro video is shown hyping the four-man main event for the title as well as the four McMahons involved. After that Jim Ross welcomes us to the show along with Jerry “The King†Lawler.

The Godfather & D’Lo Brown (w/the ladies) vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
Before the match Ice T raps Godfather and D’Lo down to the ring singing Godfather’s “Agression†theme, after which Godfather gets on the mic and does his usual spiel. D’Lo tees off on Buchanan to start and goes for a whip but Buchanan reverses it. D’Lo slides under him and goes for an O’Connor roll and Buchanan grabs the ropes to prevent it. D’Lo connects with a heel kick and Bossman comes in but Godfather cuts him off with a clothesline. D’Lo whips Buchanan and hits an elbow and Godfather tags in and helps D’Lo whip Buchanan into a slam from Godfather. D’Lo follows up with a splash and Godfather adds in a legdrop then whips Buchanan into an elbow. Godfather goes for an elbowdrop but misses it and Bossman tags in and works Godfather over then goes for a whip but Godfather reverses it and hits a pair of clotheslines. Godfather then grabs Bossman’s arm and hits a crescent kick that gets him a two count. D’Lo tags in but Bossman jabs the eye and rams him into Buchanan’s boot before tagging him in to take over. Buchanan brings D’Lo over to the turnbuckles but D’Lo rams him then goes up and hits the count-along punches. D’Lo whips Buchanan into a corner but Buchanan springs off the top rope and conects with a flying clothesline. Buchanan slams D’Lo to the mat and D’Lo fights back against him but doesn’t see Bossman making a blind tag. Buchanan trips D’Lo into the ropes and Bossman and Buchanan both slide out to the floor and hit the uppercut and Bossman covers D’Lo but Godfather breaks up the pin. Bossman hits a headbutt and whips D’Lo into a boot then tags in Buchanan and sets D’Lo up while Buchanan hits an axe kick for a two count. Buchanan throws D’Lo through the ropes and distracts the referee while Bossman drops him on the barricade. Godfather comes in and pounds away on Buchanan in his corner but Buchanan rakes the face to ward him off. Bossman throws D’Lo back in the ring and Buchanan works him over then whips him hard into a corner and rams D’Lo into Bossman’s boot. Bossman tags in and both men whip D’Lo into a double elbow for a two count. Buchanan takes over without a tag and grabs D’Lo in a bear hug and D’Lo begins to fade as the referee checks the arm. It drops once, twice, but D’Lo keeps it up the third time and fights out of the hold. D’Lo come off the ropes but runs into an elbow and Bossman tags back in and both men whip D’Lo into a double boot then hit a double sledge. D’Lo starts to rally back and comes off the ropes but Bossman catches him into a backbreaker for a two count. Bossman tags Buchanan and holds D’Lo while Buchanan climbs to the top rope and connects with an axehandle. Buchanan pops D’Lo and hits his own backbreaker then climbs to the top rope but Godfather shakes the ropes causing Buchanan to straddle the turnbuckle. D’Lo climbs up after him and hit a huricanrana then makes the sorta-hot tag to Godfather. Godfather whips Buchanan into a backdrop then catches Bossman with a clothesline and whips him into his partner. Godfather goes for another whip when Bossman reverses him into a corner and charges but Godfather sidesteps him then hits the Ho Train. D’Lo tags in and climbs to the top rope looking to hit the Lo Down when Buchanan shoves him off to the mat but D’Lo lands on his feet and pops Buchanan off the apron. Godfather goes out to fight with Buchana on the floor while D’Lo whips Bossman into a dropkick. D’Lo then comes off the ropes but runs right into the Bossman Slam. Buchanan then climbs to the top rope and connects with a guillotine legdrop that gets the pin. After the match the Bossman and Buchanan chase the Godfather’s women to the back. * HOLY SHIT THIS WAS BORING AND LONG

Backstage we find Triple H admiring his WWF Title belt and Stephanie admiring her newly-won Women’s Title. Triple H brings up how sweet it is he and Stephanie are both champions going into the biggest Wrestlemania ever and Stephanie says nothing could be better as they share a nice laugh. Out in the arena JR and Lawler notice the Helmsleys seem pretty relaxed, what with Triple H’s big match looming and Lawler figures maybe Triple H has a plan like he always does.

WWF Hardcore Title: Crash Holly © vs. Tazz vs. Viscera vs. The Mean Street Posse vs. The Acolytes vs. Kaientai vs. The Headbangers vs. Hardcore Holly
This match will go for 15 minutes during which the title can change hands any number of times. Once all the pariticpans file out the action begins with everyone spilling out to the floor. Tazz and Crash are left in the ring and Tazz catches Crash and hits a T-bone Tazplex that gets the three and we already have our first title change. (0:26) Tazz goes out to the floor and starts going at it with Viscera but Viscera responds by clubbing him in the back. Viscera rams Tazz into the ringpost then slams him to the floor and pins him for the next title change. (1:00) Hardcore whacks Crash with a box fan busting him open while Bradshaw clobbers Rodney with a trash can lid. Viscera grabs one of Kaientai’s flags and starts hitting people with it then grabs a cookie sheet and nails Mosh. The Posse gang up on Viscera but Faarooq breaks it up with a pipe while Bradshaw waffles Viscera with a sign. The Acolytes work over Viscera but Viscera nails both with the cookie sheet then waffles Joey Abs with the fan. Viscera grabs Crash and hits a chokebomb then rams Faarooq into the ringsteps and hits him with a trash can. Bradshaw goes on a cookie sheet rampage hitting everyone in sight but Tazz clobbers him with his own sheet. Hardcore nails Viscera with a lid but for two and Mosh waffles Viscera with a weapon but her only gets two. Viscera takes out Hardcore but Mosh nails him from behind with a stick and Funaki whacks him with a trash lid. Thrasher pounds Viscera with a cookie sheet but can’t get him down while Joey Abs hammers Tazz with a pan. Some of the wrestlers head back in the ring but Viscera also goes in and takes everyone else out with a pan. Mosh tries to lock in a sleeperhold on Viscera but Viscera easily beats him off his back with his baking pan. Faarooq comes in and clears out the ring then helps Bradshaw take out Taka and Funaki with powerbombs. Viscera climbs to the top rope but the Acolytes cut him off and throw Viscera to the mat. Faarooq breaks a 2×4 on Viscera’s back while Bradshaw comes off the top rope and hits a shoulder-tackle. The Acolytes toss Taka and Funaki onto Viscera while Mosh joins the cover and the referee counts the pin then awards the fall to Funaki. (7:51) Taka has words with his partner before decking him with a right hand and Funaki takes off for the back with the others behind him. In the back Rodney and Joey come across Funaki first and double-team him then throw him into a guardrail. Rodney then jabs Joey in the chest then covers Funaki to get the pin for himself. (8:11) Rodney celebrates until Joey clotheslines him down and hits a gutwrench suplex onto the floor for the three. (8:41) Thrasher rams a cart right into Joey then throws him into a garage door and clotheslines him for the next pin. (8:46) Thrasher tries to make his way back to the arnea but gets hit with several weapons along the way. Pete Gas sprays Thrasher with a fire extinguisher on the stage then clocks him with it and gets the three. (9:29) Tazz brings Pete back to ringside and throws him into the ringpost then hits a T-bone Tazplex to regain the title. (10:17) Hardcore throws Tazz into the ringsteps and covers him for a two count and the two of them exchange shots but Hardcore gets the advantage and chokes Tazz with his boot. Mosh appears and nails Hardcore from behind then covers Tazz when Tazz reverses it into his own cover, even though he doesn’t need to get a decision. Mosh nails Tazz with a baking pan but still doesn't get the three and Hardcore throws Tazz back in the ring. Crash goes in the ring and helps Hardcore double-team Tazz when Tazz takes Crash down and unloads on him. Hardcore stomps Tazz in the head when Crash hammers Hardcore in a corner and hits him with a trash can lid. Tazz grabs the lid and blasts Crash in the head with it then covers him for another two count he doesn’t need. Hardcore elbowdrops Tazz and whacks him with a 2×4 then boots him but both Hollys move in for the cover. Hardcore pouinds on Crash and chokes on the bottom rope but Tazz breaks that up with two minutes left. Tazz plants Crash with a belly-to-belly suplex but Hardcore comes along and whips Tazz into a powerslam. Crash breaks up Hardcore’s pin then goes for his own cover on Tazz but only gets a two count with 1:30 to go. Crash goes for the cover again and Tazz reverses it into his own unnecessary cover for a two count. Hardcore throws Crash through the ropes then whips Tazz into a dropkick for a two count with one minute left. Tazz plants Hardcore with a Northen Lights Tazplex but Crash comes in and whacks Tazz with a cookie sheet then covers him and gets the three to regain the title. (14:20) Crash starts celebrating with 40 seconds left when Tazz comes up for behind and locks in the Tazzmission and Crash tries to hold on as the remaining seconds tick away. Hardcore smashes something on Tazz’s head then covers Crash and Tim White counts 1..2.. but doesn’t count three even though Crash didn’t kick out! Time expires and Hardcore thinks he’s won the title while Crash starts leaving with the belt thinking he retained but eventually the winner is announced as … Hardcore Holly, giving him his third Hardcore title. Hardcore seems just as shocked as anyone, especially Crash, but nonetheless White hands the belt to Hardcore and he celebrates his victory. This match might have seemed like a good idea at the time and it was harmless but seemed disjointed from bell-to-bell . Plus you could tell the ending was botched. Crash either was supposed to kick out or time was supposed to expire before the three. DUD

Highlights are next shown from the WWF Fan Axxess convention which was held the past weekend. Interesting to note that Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker were seen in the clips but don’t appear on this card.

Backstage Al Snow is talking to someone in a bathroom stall about tonight when Steve Blackman comes in demanding to know what goofy stuff Snow has planned now. Snow feigns igonrance about such ideas but Blackman tells Snow not to do any of his stupid stuff tonight, not at Wrestlemania. Snow agrees with him about it when Blackman hears someone flushing in the stall and again orders Snow to be serious tonight as he departs.

Al Snow & Steve Blackman vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)
After Snow and Blackman come out Snow gets on the mic and talks about his latest idea for their tag team then brings out Chester McCheeserton, a midget in a cheese wedge costume, and Blackman his not happy with this. Test pounds on Blackman to start and goes for a whip, Blackman slides under him but Test ducks an enzuigiri. At this point JR’s headset goes out, leaving Lawler to do commentary by himself. Blackman ducks a clothesline and comes back with a superkick then tags Snow in and both men make a wish. Snow goes for a whip but Test reverses it and Albert nails Snow from behind before Test hits a clothesline. Test tags Albert in and the two whip Snow into a corner then Test whips Albert into an Avalanche on Snow. Albert rams Snow into a boot from Test then covers him but Blackman saves it. Snow starts to fight back and goes for a whip and Albert reverses it but Snow slides to stop himself and connects with a clothesline. Albert pops right up so Snow follows up with an enzuigiri but Test breaks up the pin. Blackman tags in and goes for a whip and Albert reverses it but Blackman hits a shoulderblock. Blackman goes for another whip but Albert reverses it and hits his own shoulderblock. Albert comes off the ropes but Blackman trips with a legsweep then holds him down while Snow slings himself over the rope and hits a guillotine legdrop. Test nails Snow with a running boot and Blackman kicks away at him with Albert nails Blackman from behind. Albert works over Blackman while Test charges at Snow but Snow backdrops him over the ropes to the floor. Albert presses Snow up but Blackman chopblocks the knee and Snow falls on top of Albert for a near fall. Snow dropkicks Test off the apron then he and Blackman hit a double-clothesline on Albert for a two count. Snow suplexes Albert and hits a kneedrop then lays the boots to him and gets in a shot on Test on the apron. Snow and Blackman hit a double elbow and Blackman hops to the middle rope and hits a diving headbutt for two. Albert starts crawling toward his corner but Blackman cuts off the tag and headbutts Albert in the chest. Blackman tags Snow back in and holds Albert while Snow climbs to the top rope and hits an axehandle on him. Albert fights back against Snow and hits a butterfly suplex then makes the tag to Test while Snow tags Blackman. Test hits clotheslines on both men and plants Snow with a sidewalk slam but Blackman breaks up the cover. Albert throws Blackman through the ropes and helps Test powerbomb Snow but Blackman makes the save. Blackman dropkicks Albert sending him rolling out to the floor where Snow nails him with an Asai moonsault. Blackman then sets Test on his knee while Snow climbs to the top rope and connects with the Veg-O-Matic bnut Albert makes the save. Albert hits Snow with a chokebomb then clotheslines him over the ropes. Albert slams Blackman to the mat then press slams Test onto Blackman but Snow pulls Test out to the floor. Albert goes for the ropes but Snow trips him from the floor allowing Blackman to naim him with a superkick. Blackman then has words with Chester on the floor but that allows Albert to recover and hit a press slam. Test then climbs to the top rope and hits the flying elbowdrop on Blackman for the pin. * Another boring and overlong match. Trish and her men walk off with their hands raised while Snow and Blackman argue about the loss in the ring. Snow gets on the mic and admits to Blackman that Chester was a bad idea. Snow then helps Chester in the ring but decides to dump him and nails Chester with the mic. Snow holds him for a running kick from Blackman then finish him with the Veg-o-matic.

The Kat and Mae Young are then shown in the back getting ready for the cat fight later. You probably remember this scene so use your own imaginaton.

We then get a shot at the Tag Team Titles hanging from the ceiling, signaling the ladder match is next.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews the Dudley Boyz about the triangle ladder match for their tag team titles and D’Von Dudley calls this match an example of the WWF always trying to keep the Dudleys Down. D’Von says he doesn’t like ladders and doesn’t like heights but regardless of that the Dudleys will retain the belts. Bubba Ray adds in his two cents, promising he and D’Von will take the ladder match to a whole new level of violence. Bubba says when the dust settles, The Hardys and Edge & Christian will learn not to mess with the Dudleys.

WWF WrestleMania 16 - WWF Tag Team Titles, Triangle Ladder Match: The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boys
This is essentially the precursor to the TLC matches. E&C make their way to the ring first followed by the Hardys, with Jeff running under the ladders in the aisle and the Dudleys come out last and pose on one of the ladders. E&C get things started by jumping the Hardys, getting even for Matt and Jeff attacking them earlier on Heat. E&C then go out to meet the Dudleys with the Hardys right behind them and we have all six men going at it. Matt throws Chrstian in the ring and goes for a whip but Christian reverses and comes back with a dropkick. Matt and Christian head out to the floor to duke it out while D’Von throws Edge in the ring to take their turn. D’Von whips Edge but Edge hits a spinning heel kick and he and D’Von roll out while Bubba rolls Jeff in the ring and chops him. Bubba whips Jeff into a corner but Jeff runs up the turnbuckles and connects with the Whisper in the Wind. Jeff goes for a whip but Bubba reverses into a backdrop then hits the Full Nelson bomb before heading out to the floor. Christian slides a ladder in the ring and sets it up then starts climbing for the belts but Matt pulls him off. Matt starts climbing the ladder himself but Christian pulls him off as D’Von slides another ladder in the ring. The Dudleys come in but Edge and Christian work D’Von over in a corner while Matt takes care of Bubba. Matt takes a ladder and throws it onto Bubba in a corner while Edge does the same to D’Von on the other side. Matt then drops to the mat and Jeff launches off him for the Poetry in Motion, smashing Bubba with the ladder. Edge drops to the mat while Christian goes for the crossboy on D’Von but D’Von blocks him with the ladder. Matt slams D’Von onto a ladder and Jeff holds him while Matt hops to the middle rope and hits an elbowdrop. Jeff turns toward Bubba and dodges a shot then drills Bubba with a DDT and places him on another ladder. Jeff climbs to the top rope and goes for a 450 splash but Bubba avoids it while Jeff crashes on the ladder. Bubba slams Jeff and covers him with the ladder then climbs to the middle rope and hits a senton on it! Christian lays out Matt with the Slop Drop then covers him with a ladder while Edge climbs to the top rope. Christian hands Edge another ladder and Edge rides it down onto the ladder covering Matt! D’Von slams Edge and covers him with a ladder then climbs up to the top rope and hits a legdrop smashing Edge underneath the ladder! Bubba places a ladder on his shoulder and swings it around taking out the Hardys, Edge and Christian with it. Bubba holds up the ladder when E&C dropkick it onto him but D’Von comes back in and stomps Christian down. Edge props a ladder in a corner then E&C whip D’Von and flapjack him onto the ladder! Matt and Bubba are fighting on the floor when E&C set a ladder up nearby and Christian climbs up and leaps off with a pescado on both Matt and Bubba. Jeff tries his luck climbing up the ladder but Edge climbs to the top rope and spears Jeff off the ladder!! Edge sets up another ladder and starts climbing but Matt pulls him off into a Splash Mountain! Matt starts climbing up but D’Von throws him off to the mat. D’Von takes his turn but Christian knocks him off with another ladder. Christian climbs the ladder while Bubba sets up two more ladders on either side and climbs up one of the and pulls Christian off with a Diamond Cutter. The Hardys move two of the ladders into corners then throw Christian through the ropes then climb a ladder in either corner and connects with the Event Omega on Bubba! Christian comes in and throws Jeff through the ropes to the floor then climbs a ladder in a corner with D’Von coming up the other side. Edge sets up another ladder right beside them and climbs that and E&C then suplex D’Von from the ladder to the mat! Matt throws Bubba into the steps then goes in and he and Jeff set up a pair of ladders under the belts. The Hardys each climb a ladder but E&C also climb up on the other side and they start going at it. Christian pulls Jeff off the ladder with a facebuster while Edge takes Matt off with a Russian legsweep. Everyone is back going at it and soon all six men pair off and tries climbing a ladder and battling. During the fracas sne of the ladders gets tipped over sending Jeff and Christian crashing to the floor. Bubba hops down and shoves Matt and Edge’s ladder over, sending them onto the top rope!! The Dudleys fold up two of the ladders and sandwich Christian in-between them and Edge goes for a whip but D’Von reverses it and the Dudleys hit the 3D. The Dudleys then go out and start pulling a bunch of tables from under the ring. D’Von slides a pair of tables in the ring as Bubba sets up a pair of ladders near the belts. D’von brings in a third table and the Dudleys place it on top of the ladders, forming a makeshift platform. The Dudleys start climbing up when the Hardys come in and pull them off the ladders. Each Dudley sets up one of the other two tables under the platform. Bubba takes Matt out of the ring and throws him into the steps then sets up yet another table next to the announcers. Bubba throws Matt onto the Spanish announce table then powerbombs him through the table at ringside!! In the ring D’von sets up a third ladder and places Jeff onto one of the two tables then climbs up the ladder and goes for a splash but Jeff rolls off and D’Von crashes through the table! Bubba pulls the ladder out of the ring and holds it for something as Jeff runs across the barricade but Bubba throws the ladder into him in mid-air!! Bubba then brings out a tall ladder and sets it up in the aisle then pulls out a fifth table and sets it up next to the tall ladder. Bubba places Jeff on the table but Chrstian comes over and clocks Bubba with the ringbell. Jeff throws Christian into the guardrail then climbs up the tall ladder and leaps off the top hitting a Swanton Bomb on Bubba through the table!!! Both men are down as D’Von takes out Christian with a suplex in the ring. D’Von starts climbing up to the platform when Matt pulls him off and takes him out with the Twist of Fate. Matt climbs up to the platform on one end while Christian climbs up the other end and the two of them exchange shots. Matt reaches for the belts and touches them but Edge comes up from behind and shoves Matt off the platform through the table below!! Edge and Christian pull down the belts for the win and their first tag team championship!! E&C celebrate with the belts on the platform then leave the ring through the crowd. And thus the legend is born. **** Revolutionary, insane, and a forerunner to what TLC matches would become. The scary thing is that they would improve on this match just a few months ladder, and then do it again a year later. There were a few slow spots where the TLC matches were non-stop action from the opening bell, but that takes nothing away from this match. Much like Shawn/Razor newer fans may think this looks a little tame compared to what came later, but what these six men did here was steal the show at WrestleMania.

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Mick Foley and Linda McMahon about their thoughts on the title match with Linda telling Foley she’s happy he finally gets to fulfill his dream of participating in the Wrestlemania main event. Foley brings up the ladder match saying no one is holding anything back on the biggest show of the biggest year in the WWF. Foley then says thanks to Linda he gets a second chance to make a last impression in the biggest match of his career. Foley tells Triple H, Rock and Big Show that fairy tales can come true and tonight will be his night in his final match.

The Kat (w/Mae Young) vs. Terri Runnels (w/The Fabulous Moolah)
Good thing we have this match to spell the crowd after the previous bout. To win one woman must throw the other out of the ring. Val Venis is the special referee for this match and comes out wearing a striped towel as he gets on the mic saying he and Wrestlemania are both the largest extravaganza but this show only comes once a year unlike himself. Both Kat and Terri try to charm Val before they start exchanging words and shoves when Terri takes Kat down and rams her repeatedly into the mat. Val pulls Terri off Kat so Terri responds to that by kissing Val. Kat gets unnerved so she kisses Val as well and Terri throws Kat around the ring but Kat spears her down. Mae Young hops on the apron getting Val’s attention and Kat throws Terri out of the ring but Val doesn’t see it. Kat tries to get Val to turn around just as Moolah helps Terri back in the ring and Terri nails Kat from behind. Mae and Moolah come in the ring and Mae tries to pull Terri off Kat when Val stops her so Mae kisses him! Kat throws Terri out to the floor again but again Val doesn’t see her victory and Moolah pulls Kat out of the ring. Moolah helps Terri back in when Val pulls himself away from Mae, sees Kat on the floor and gives Terri the win. DUD Moolah and Terri celebrate but Mae knocks both of them down then hits a Bronco Buster on Moolah.

Backstage we find the Radicalz plotting their strategy for their match later. Dean Malenko tells his partners it’s time they break Too Cool’s legs when Eddie Guerrero starts talking about Chyna. Malenko and Perry Saturn ask Eddie to focus and Eddie says Chyna can’t take his Latino heat and promises to lay all his heat on her. Elsewhere Chyna and Too Cool are watching the Radicalz on a monitor, with Chyna getting disgusted with Eddie. Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay assure her they’ll win and say it’s time to kick it.

Too Cool & Chyna vs. Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn
After everyone comes out, Eddie stretches against the ropes and constantly flirts with Chyna then throws his shirt at Chyna who seems disgusted by his heat. Eddie starts off with Scotty and applies a headlock, Scotty shoves him into the ropes but Eddie hits a shoulderblock. Eddie comes off the ropes but Scotty leapfrogs him and hits a moneky flip followed by a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker. Scotty moonwalks to his corner and tags in Chyna but Eddie scurries to his corner and tags in Malenko then rolls out to the floor. Malenko blocks a kick and spins Chyna around but Chyna hits a clothesline. Chyna goes for a whip, Malenko reverses it and sets Chyna up for a powerbomb but Scotty clotheslines Malenko from the apron. Chyna tags in Grandmaster Sexay and they both whip Malenko into a double suplex then bust a move. Sexay slams Malenko to the mat. Eddie tags back in but Sexay blocks a kick and hits a suplex. Sexay climbs to the top rope for the Hip Hop Drop but Saturn shoves him off to the mat and Eddie dropkicks him. Saturn tags in and drops Sexay with a right hand then takes his doo rag and stomps away at him. Malenko tags in and both men whip Sexay into a double clothesline. Eddie tags in and hits a suplex then goes for a whip but lowers the head and Sexay kicks the face. Scotty tags in and avoids a drop toe hold but Eddie drops him on the ropes with a Stun Gun. Eddie then looks over at Chyna before hitting a back suplex on Scotty then goes out and slings himself over the ropes into a hilo. Eddie gyrates at Chyna before drawing Scotty in to distract the referee while he grabs Chyna and rams her into a turnbuckle. Scotty hammers Eddie into the ropes and Sexay suplexes him over the ropes to the floor. Malenko and Saturn come in and whip Scotty but Scotty kicks Malenko’s face and hammers Saturn. Sexay superkicks Malenko while Scotty comes off the ropes with the bulldog on Saturn. Scotty then does the Worm and hits a double chop on both men! Eddie comes back in but Scotty ducks a clothesline and pops him with a right hand. Eddie hides behind the referee while Saturn and Malenko pull Scotty out of the ring and work him over. Chyna tries to come in and get at Eddie but the referee holds her back. Chyna shoves the referee aside but he again forces her out of the ring. Saturn throws Scotty back in the ring and Eddie pops him with an uppercut. Eddie tags in Saturn and they whip Scotty into a superkick from Saturn. Saturn climbs to the top rope and connects with the flying elbowdrop then tags in Eddie. Eddie climbs to the top but Scotty bumps the ropes, causing him to straddle the turnbuckle, then goes up and hits a superplex. Scotty manages to tag in Chyna and Eddie retreats toward his corner as Malenko and Saturn come in but Chyna clotheslines both of them. Eddie bails out to the floor while Chyna takes it to both Saturn and Malenko with slams. Chyna hits the handspring elbow on Saturn in a corner then does the same to Malenko in the other corner and hits both men woth low blows. Eddie nails Chyna from behind and goes for a powerbomb but Chyna flips out of it and hits her own powerbomb. Chyna whips Eddie and hits a claw below the belt before before press slamming Eddie and hitting a sleeper slam that gets the pin. And the Radicals lose to Too Cool again. *1/2

Backstage we find Shane McMahon getting The Big Show pumped up about the title match. Shane says Vince’s reign over the WWF is done and the McMahon-Helmsley regime is passe. Shane tells Show he’s confident that he’s going to be the next WWF Champion and it’s time for their era to begin. Show responds by saying he’s going to “unplug the most electrifying man in sports entertainment†then says Mick Foley will be retired for good and it will be ‘Game Over’ for Triple H.

We then get a clip of Kurt Angle choking out Bob Backlund earlier on Heat with the Crossface Chickenwing after Backlund admited it was his idea to put both his titles on the line tonight. We then find Angle talking to a disinterested security guy about defending his titles at his first Wrestelmania and asks him to have some extra security ready for his celebration after he retains both titles.

WWF WrestleMania 16 - Euro-Continental title match: Kurt Angle © vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit
This match has two falls and the IC Title is up for grabs in this first fall. Jericho comes out first and gets on the mic, talking about waiting his whole life to be on Wrestlemania. Jericho says he can’t guarantee to walk out with either or both titles but does guarantee that “Kirk Angel†and “Mr. Roboto†will get the beating of a lifetime. The other two men come out and Benoit attacks Angle on the floor as he tries to remove his two belts and throws him in the ring. Jericho goes for a whip and Angle reverses it but Jericho hits clotheslines on both Angle and Benoit. Jericho chops Angle and whips him into a clothesline then kicks Benoit in a corner. Angle nails Jericho from behind and goes for a whip but Jericho reverses and hits an elbow. Benoit chops Jericho in a corner then whips him into a corner. Benoit goes for a suplex but Jericho flips out of it and dropkicks him into the ringpost. Angle goes for a whip but Jericho reverses and hits a dropkick and sends him out to the apron. Jericho goes for the springboard dropkick but Benoit trips him from the floor then goes in and elbowdrops him. Benoit then goes out after Angle on the apron and works him over when Jerihco hits the springboard dropkick on both men! Jericho hits a baseball slide on Benoit and goes out but Angle flapjacks him into the ringsteps! Angle throws Jericho back in the ring and hits a belly-to-belly suplex but Benoit breaks up the pin. Benoit whips Angle and hits a clothesline but Jericho breaks up his cover. Jericho chops Benoit in a corner and Benoit fires back but Jericho knees him in the chest. Jericho turns and hits a butterfly backbreaker on Angle then climbs to the top rope but Benoit shoves him off right into the announce table! Benoit hits a snap suplex for a two count then hits another suplex for another two count. Benoit chops Angle but Jericho catches him with a dropkick. Jericho goes for a whip, Angle reverses him into a corner and charges but eats a boot and Jericho hops to the middle rope and connects with a missile dropkick but Benoit breaks up the pin. Benoit hits a backbreaker but Angle makes the save and clubs Benoit in the back then hits a snap suplex but only gets a two count. Jericho whips Angle then comes off the ropes with the bulldog for a near fall. Benoit and Jericho exchange shots and Benoit gets the advanatge with chops. Angle suplexes Benoit but Jericho makes the save with an axehandle off the ropes and Angle rolls to the floor. Jericho puts Benoit in a modified Camel Clutch but sees Angle coming and lets go of Benoit to greet Angle with a right hand. Jericho hits Angle with a vertical suplex and Benoit tries to steal the pin but Jericho breaks it up. Jericho lays the boots to Benoit but Angle works him over and whips him into a corner but eats a boot. Jericho goes for a suplex but Angle counters it into a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Benoit hammers Angle and goes for a whip but Angle reverses him right into Jericho. Jericho lifts himself over Benoit into a Sunset Flip but Benoit counters into a rollup and Angle breaks it up with a dropkick and Benoit rolls out to the floor while Angle whips Jericho and Jericho reverses it and goes for a backbreaker but Angle counters into the Crossface Chickenwing! Jericho looks ready to submit and the referee checks the arm but Benoit makes the save with a dropkick! Benoit throws Angle through the ropes then goes out and throws him into the crowd. Benoit climbs up to the top rope and hits the diving headbutt on Jericho and gets the three to take the IC title.

Benoit immediately covers Jericho while he’s down but Angle breaks up the pin. Angle hammers Benoit then hits a suplex but only gets a two count. Angle slams Benoit to the mat then climbs to the top but Jericho causes him to straddle the turnbuckle. Jericho climbs up for a superplex but Benoit causes him to straddle the rope. Benoit goes up and hits a back superplex on Jericho and both men are down. Angle is still on the top rope and goes for a moonsault but misses and hits the mat! Angle manages to drape an arm over Benoit but only gets two and Jericho tries covering Angle but he only gets two as well. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho on Angle but Benoit interuptes him with a clothesline. Benoit whips Angle into a knee then stomps him down in a corner. Angle nails Benoit from behind and slams him to the mat then works over Jericho. Angle whips Jericho into a corner, Benoit charges but Jericho sidesteps him and clotheslines Angle then hits a spinning heel kick on Benoit. Jericho whips Angle and hits a powerbomb but holds on and hits a second powerbomb! Jericho starts to go for the cover but sees Benoit coming and charges at him but runs into a German suplex. Benoit holds on for a second German suplex then still holds on and hits a bridge suplex but Angle barely breaks it up. Benoit hits a Dragon suplex on Angle and gets a two count, even though Angle’s shoulders weren’t down. Jericho chops Benoit and goes for a whip but Benoit reverses it and Jericho goes for a forearm. However Benoit ducks and Jericho takes out the referee when Benoit slaps the Crossface on Jericho. Jericho taps but the referee is out and doesn’t see it. Benoit goes to revive the referee when Jericho puts him in the Walls of Jericho. Angle comes in with the European belt and clocks Jericho in the head with it then covers him but Benoit pulls Jericho out of the ring. Benoit goes in and exchanges punches with Angle then suplexes him and climbs to the top rope. Benoit goes for the headbutt again but Angle rolls out of the way. Jericho quickly comes in and hits the Lionsault on Benoit then covers him and gets the 1..2..3 for the second fall and the European Title. ***1/2 Okay Angle loses both his titles without being pinned in either fall and complains to the referee about this while Benoit celebrates with the Intercontinential belt and Jericho takes the European belt. They relied on the toss one man out so the other two can fight a little too much, but what they did was pretty sweet. For a two fall match it was a little short, but in the end they accomplished a lot as they set up Jericho vs. Benoit for the summer, and got Angle to another level on his way to the Main Event.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews Vince McMahon about being in The Rock’s corner in the main event, asking if he will be a factor. Vince says he’s a factor everywhere he goes and that Rock is confident he will be WWF Champion, whether he’s in his corner or not. Cole then asks Vince about his wife and children being in the other corners. Vince address the talk about his family being dysfunctional and said he’s promised to make it right. Maybe that should have been a warning sign right there. Elsewhere Triple H talks with Stephanie about Vince’s comments, having seen them on a monitor, I guess. Triple H tells Stephanie tonight is not about what’s right or worng, it’s about who’s the best and says he will show everyone he is the best and will not be beaten tonight.

Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori) vs. Kane & Rikishi Phatu
Lawler mentions he spoke with Pete Rose earlier on Heat. Maybe we’ll see him in this match. Anyway the DX’ers come out to their Run DMC theme and Road Dogg does his rhyming on the mic. After Kane and Rikishi come out, Bearer argues with Tori who slaps him but Bearer no-sells it. Road Dogg and X-Pac double-team Rikishi to start the match while Kane and Bearer go out after Tori on the floor. Kane grabs Tori by the neck but X-Pac goes out and nails Kane to save her. Rikishi hits the butt charge on Road Dogg in the ring then gives him the Stinkface already! Tori climbs in and backs away form Kane, right into Rikishi who puts her in position for the stinkface. However X-Pac pulls Tori out of the ring before Rikishi can move in and the DX’ers decide they’ve had enough and start walking out. However Kane and Rikishi cut off their escape and bring the DX’ers back to the ring but X-Pac catches Rikishi with a spinkick. X-Pac kicks Rikishi down in a corner and follows up with the Bronco Buster. Road Dogg tags in and hits the juke ‘n jive punches on Rikishi followed by the big right but they have no effect. Road Dogg comes off the ropes with a forearm that does gets Rikishi off his feet and follows up with the shake, rattle ‘n kneedrop bit Rikishi powers out of the pin. X-Pac tags in and kicks Rikishi repeatedly but they don’t even phase Rikishi. X-Pac comes off the ropes but runs into a modified Diamond Cutter. Kane tags in and takes it to both his opponents then whips Road Dogg into a boot. X-Pac goes for a whip but Kane reverses and hits a backdrop. Kane clotheslines Road Dogg out of the ring then clotheslines X-Pac in a corner. Kane wants Rikishi to give X-Pac the Stinkface but Tori pulls him out to safety. Rikishi knocks down Road Dogg while Paul Bearer tosses Tori in the ring and Kane throws her down in a corner and Rikishi gives her the Stinkface! Kane kills X-Pac with the Tombstone and gets the three to finally end this feud. Kane and Rikishi celebrate the win when Too Cool comes out to join them, followed by the San Diego chicken. Naturally everyone thinks it’s Pete Rose based on what happened last year, especially Kane. Too Cool and Rikishi do their post-match dance and the chicken joins in. Eventually Kane stares down the chicken and grabs him by the throat but it turns out the chicken’s a decoy because here comes Pete Rose with a baseball bat. Pete gets ready to take a swing but Rikishi takes the bat away form him and Kane chokeslams him. Too Cool then drag Pete to a corner and Rikishi gives him the Stinkface. * Nothing really much here and pretty short but at least Kane finally got the last word against X-Pac and OWNED Pete again.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews The Rock on the main event and Rock starts off by saying 12 months of interviews, run-ins, backstabbing, wins and losses have led to this night. Rock says tonight is not about the McMahon family saga or Foley’s retirement, it’s about the WWF Championship. Rock promises to lay the Smackdown on his opponents for the millions of fans before finishing with the usual.

WWF Championship Fatal Four Way Elimination Match: Mick Foley (w. Linda McMahon) vs. The Big Show (w. Shane McMahon) vs. The Rock (w. Vince McMahon) vs. Triple H (w. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley)
So Rock won the Royal Rumble, but there was controversy as his feet touched before Big Show’s. That set up a Rock-Big Show match at No Way Out, which Show won in a stunning upset. Meanwhile HHH was Champion and had retained in a pair of classics with Foley at Royal Rumble and No Way Out the second costing Foley his career. Rock ended up getting in the match anyway, and Linda McMahon put Foley in the match that would win lose or draw be his last. Vince sided with The Rock as he had been feuding with HHH since he returned in September. Shane sided with Big Show thinking he was the unbeatable man and he wanted the power in the company. There are no disqualifications or countouts, and a man can only be eliminated by pinfall. Once everyone is out we have a four-way staredown to start before they go at it and pair off, Rock with Show and Triple H with Foley. Show hammers Rock and chokes him while Foley beats Triple H down in a corner and hits the running knee. Show clotheslines Triple H and Foley then headbutts Triple H, clotheslines Rock and slams Foley to the mat. Show throws Triple H across the ring and whips Rock into a press slam then does the same to Triple H. Show headbutts Foley and chokes Rock with his knee in a corner. Foley jumps on Show’s back but Show gets to his feet and throws imself back, squashing Foley. Rock starts fighting back and goes for a whip but Show reverses it and plants him with a sidewalk slam. Triple H leaps off middle rope and Show catches him for a chokeslam but Foley breaks it up with a low blow. Foley, Triple H and Rock triple-team Show and Triple H and Foley each come off the ropes with a clothesline but can’t get Show down but Rock comes off with a flying forearm and that does get Show off his feet. Rock, Triple H and Foley then stomp away at Show until Triple H starts attacking Foley but Foley fights back and clotheslines himself and Triple H over the ropes. Rock works over Show in a corner then goes for a whip but Show reverses him into a corner and hits a boot. Rock tees off on Show and comes off the ropes but Shane trips him from the floor so Rock pops Shane off the apron. Out on the floor Foley grabs a chair and jabs Triple H with it then whacks Show in the back with the chair. Rock then plants Show with the Rock Bottom and gets the pin for the first elimination. (4:41) Well that was quick, and that would be the end of Show’s main event push for two years. Show angrily leaves the ring but he and Shane have words with Vince on the way out. Now have Rock, Foley and Triple H left and Triple H tries to convince Foley to team up against Rock but Foley isn’t having it. Triple H then tries to convince Rock to join up against Foley. Rock seems to agree but then sucker-punches Triple H as they move in. Rock and Foley then renew their partnership as they double-team Triple H and take turns getting in their shots with Rock capping off with a right hand. Rock and Foley whip Triple H into a double clothesline and Foley throws him throgh the ropes to the floor. Rock goes out and Triple H starts to fight back but Foley nails him from behind. Triple H tries to whip Foley but Foley reverses him right into a clothesline from Rock. Foley tosses Rock the ring bell then holds Triple H for him and Rock takes a swing but Triple H ducks and Rock nails Foley by accident. Triple H throws Rock into the steps while we get a shot of Vince and Stephanie exchaning words. Triple H drops Rock on the barricade but looks over and sees Foley has found his barbed wire 2×4 and tries to escape in the ring. Foley backs Triple H into a corner and takes a swing but misses and Triple H hits a low blow. Triple H grabs the 2×4 and nails Foley in the chest with it then readies for another swing but Rock cuts him off with a forearm from behind. Rock goes for a whip but Triple H reverses and throws him over the ropes back outside. Foley drills Triple H with the double-arm DDT then pulls out Mr. Socko and locks in the Mandible Claw on Triple H. Rock brings in the title belt and clocks Triple H then sets up for the People’s Elbow when Foley puts the Mandible Claw on Rock! Foley has Rock down when Triple H hits a low blow on both men and everyone’s down. Triple H hammers Rock in a corner but Rock comes back while Vince slides a chair in the ring. Rock goes for a whip, Triple H reverses him into a corner but Rock comes out with a clothesline when Foley hits his own clothesline on Rock that gets a two count. Foley tees off on Rock and goes for a whip but Rock reverses him into a corner. Foley comes out but ducks a clothesline and hits Rock with the double-arm DDT for a two count. Foely grabs the chair and charges at Rock but Rock boots it into his face. Rock hammers Foley and hits a DDT but Triple H breaks it up for some reason and clotheslines Rock. JR speculates Triple H wants to be the one who ends Foley’s career. Foley then convinces Triple H to team up and eliminate Rock and they stomp away at him drawing boos from the crowd. Triple H whips Rock and sets him up for a kneelift from Foley for a two count. Both men hit a suplex on Rock and Triple H follows up with a kneedrop. Foley knocks Rock through the ropes to the floor then goes out after him with Triple H right behind. Triple H and Foley double-team Rock then goes for a whip but Rock reverses him into the steps. Rock rams Triple H into the barricade and chokes him with a television cable but Foley grabs the steps and nails Rock with them. Triple H rams Rock onto the Spanish announce table and places Rock onto it as Foley climbs to the top rope then leaps off for his flying elbow. Only Foley doesn’t leap far enough and bounces off the edge of the table! Triple H tries to cover for it by hitting his own elbowdrops until he drives Rock through the table. Triple H rolls Foley in the ring and hits the Pedigree…but only gets two!! Triple H grabs the chair and whacks Foley in the head then hits a second Pedigree right onto the chair and this time gets the 1..2..3 to eliminate Foley. (19:41) And Mick Foley’s career is over, again. Foley walks off with Linda and his arms raised as the crowd gives him a standing ovation. So we’re down to Rock vs. Triple H, finally giving us the match they should have done in the first place! However Foley comes back in and whacks Triple H with the 2×4 before leaving the ring for good(?). Rock manages to cover Triple H but only gets a two count then hammers away at him as we see Triple H busted open from the barbed wire shot. Rock clotheslines Triple H over the ropes to the floor then brings Triple H over to the the entrance and rams him into a guardrail. Triple H comes back and tries for a suplex but Rock counters with his own suplex on the floor. Rock throws Triple H into the entrance set and follows up with a clothesline. Rock and Triple H fight through the crowd and Rock backdrops Triple H over the barricade to ringside. Rock then brings Triple H over and rams him into the timekeeper’s table. Rock grabs the steps but Triple H whacks them with a chair and they fall on top of Rock. Triple H smashes the steps into Rock with the chair then piledrives Rock into the other steps. Triple H rolls Rock back in and covers him but only gets a two count! Both men exchange shots and Rock goes for a whip but Triple H reverses it and Rock goes for a Rock Bottom. Triple H fights out of it and sets up for the Pedigree but Rock backdrops him over the ropes to the floor. Rock pops Triple H over the barricade and they fight through the crowd again but Triple H gets the advantage and knocks Rock back to ringside. Triple H goes for a whip but Rock reverses him into the barricade then hits a spinebuster on the floor and both men are down. Triple H tries to crawl away but Rock suplexes him through the other announce table!! Rock moves in on Triple H but gets tripped into the steps! Triple H rolls Rock in the ring when Vince gets in his own shots on Triple H and throws him into the ringpost. Vince rolls Triple H back in the ring when Shane McMahon comes back out and nails Vince from behind then cracks him with a TV monitor. Vince is back up and unloads on Shane, pounding on him around the ring, but Shane hits a low blow then whacks him in the head with the chair! Michael Clarke Duncan has words with Shane while Rock and Triple H are still down in the ring. We then see Vince is busted open as Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson help him to the back. In the ring Triple H and Rock are up Rock hammers Triple H with the Smackdown in a corner. Rock goes for a whip, Triple H reverses it but Rock ducks a clothesline and hits a DDT for a near fall. Rock whips Triple into a gutwrench slam but still only gets a two count. Rock whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H hits the facebuster then grabs the 2×4 and nails Rock with it. Shane comes in with a chair while Triple H goes for a Pedigree but Rock counters and catapults Triple H into Shane! Rock hits the Rock Bottom but is too hurt to cover Triple H! Shane readies the chair when Vince comes back out and takes out Shane, knocking him out of the ring. Vince then grabs the chair and .. turns and hits The Rock!! Everyone is shocked at Vince’s sudden heel turn as Triple H covers the fallen Rock but only gets a two count!! Vince hits Rock with the chair again and Triple H gets the 1..2..3!! Triple H retains! Oh but it gets better. Vince kicks Rock out of the ring while Stephanie comes in and helps Triple H out then Vince turns and embraces her, the same daughter who betrayed him at Armageddon. The fans are rightully angry at all this and start throwing trash in the ring. Shane comes in to have words with Vince but Rock runs back in and lays out Shane with a Rock Bottom. Rock then tees off on Vince and takes him out with a Rock Bottom as well. Rock glares at Stephanie who has words with him and slaps him in the face but Rock responds by taking her out a Rock Bottom!!! Rock then stands over Stephanie and pops Triple H before hitting the People’s Elbow on Stephanie. Rock then departs the ring while Triple H and the McMahons are left laying, but it’s too little too late as Triple H is still the champion as the show goes off the air. ***1/2 The most enjoyable portion of this match was after Show was eliminated and before Foley killed himself on the announce table. The Rock/HHH ending sequence looked to be just wasting time before the swerve. This was a really hot portion for the WWF Main Event scene at the time, and it’s a shame things kind of fell flat at WrestleMania.

Overall: This Wrestlemania isn’t a very good one. Much of the card was subpar matches and some real silliness but there is One awesome match and 2 average matches. Triple H going over here turned out to be the smartest move the WWF made that year, establishing him as more than just another heel. In fact, he's still rolling off that momentum. The MOTYC ladder match makes this an automatic recommendation, even if it hasn't aged well. 5/10 really dissapointing

 

[Crippler]

WWF RAW IS WAR 04/03/2000
Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Chris Jericho (4/02/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Hardcore Holly (4/02/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Things kick off with Shane McMahon making his way to the ring and grabbing the mic to start the opening promo. Shane starts off by apologizing to Vince McMahon, saying he’s proud of him for his great accomplishment last night. Shane says after what Vince did he was so proud to carry the McMahon name and loves his father very much. Shane says he wants to continue what Vince started by challenging The Rock to a one-on-one match tonight! At that point the Helmsleys make their way out to the ring with Triple H still possessing the WWF Championship and Stephanie still hurting from Rock’s attack last night. Stephanie gets on the mic and says she’s still in pain after sustaining the Rock Bottom and the People’s Elbow and admits she slapped Rock feeling he deserved it but she didn’t deserve the assault because she’s a woman. Triple H takes the mic and reminds Shane that Rock put his hands on his wife so he wants some payback by facing him in a match tonight. However Triple H says it won’t be for the WWF Championship because he already proved The Rock is not in his league. Triple H tells Shane this a personal issue and dares Rock to accept his challenge, promising to hurt Rock tonight the same way Rock hurt Stephanie. Vince McMahon makes his way out to the ring instead and hugs Stephanie …. then turns and shake Triple H’s hand (!) before walking over and hugging Shane as well(!!). Yep, Vince is reconciling with the very children who tried to force him out of business over the past weeks. We’re hitting the reset button, everyone. Anyway Vince gets on the mic and says they have a problem becasue the match he had in mind was himself taking on The Rock. Vince says everyone is wanting an explaination of why he turned against Rock at Wrestelmania but feels he doesn’t answer to the fans so he’s not inclined to offer one. (Translation: “we don’t have an explanation to give because we haven’t quite worked one out yetâ€.) Vince then calls Rock egocentric and narcissistic just like all the Los Angeles fans for having various cosmetic operations. Vince then talks about all the bottom feeders out there wanting some Hollywood agent to make them a star in entertainment. Vince says he shattered Rock’s dream at Wrestlemania and thus everyone’s dreams of stardrom is doomed as well. Vince promises whoever faces Rock tonight will drive him out of the WWF into a more suitable job of waiting tables.

JR and Lawler then run down some of tonight’s matches which include The Big Show taking on Rikishi. Plus Hardcore Holly will defend his newly-won Hardcore title against his own cousin Crash Holly, Chris Jericho will defend his newly-won European Title against Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit will defend his newly-won Intercontinential Title against Tazz.

Backstage a limo pulls and The Rock climbs out, probably unaware of the McMahons challenging him tonight.

Back from break we get an exterior shot of the Staples Center as JR buzzes about which of the McMahons Rock will face in the main event.

WWF European Title: Chris Jericho © (w/Chyna) vs. Eddie Guerrero
Before the match Eddie gets on the mic and claims Chyna is craving his Latino Heat after last night then promises to make all his ancestors in Spain proud of him by winning the European Title. Both men exchange shots to start and Eddie gets the advanatge and pounds away on Jericho in a corner. Eddie whips Jericho into the other corner and charges but Jericho tosses him over his head onto the turnbuckle and connects with a clothesline. Jericho chops Eddie into the ropes then whips him and drops him to the mat. Jericho goes for a powerbomb when Eddie floats over him into a Sunset Flip but Jericho rolls out of it. Eddie hits a clothesline and dropkicks Jericho in the head then poses for Chyna before hitting a snapmare and rubbing his boot into Jericho’s face. Eddie whips Jericho into a heel kick then whips him again into a sleeperhold. Jericho fights out and comes off the ropes but runs into an Abdominal strech and Eddie goes back to the sleeper but Jericho counters it with a back suplex. Eddie jabs Jericho’s eyes to stop the rally and tosses him through the ropes then goes out to the floor and rams Jericho into the ringsteps as … we accidentally cut to the back? Oops! Back to the match both men exchange chops and Jericho starts chasing after Eddie but Eddie jabs him in the eye again and snampares him to the floor. Eddie hits a kneedrop to the face before throwing Jericho back in the ring and hitting a vertical suplex then winks at Chyna. Eddie climbs to the top rope looking for the Frogsplash and leaps off when Jericho rolls out of the way. Eddie rolls out of it only to run right into a powerslam. Jericho goes for a whip, Eddie reverses but Jericho comes back with the bulldog off the ropes for a two count. Jericho whips Eddie but lowers the head and Eddie kicks the face but Jericho trips him right into the referee, knocking him through the ropes. Jericho powerbombs Eddie then holds on for the second powerbomb and follows up with the Lionsault. Jericho covers Eddie but the referee is still out and can’t make the count and Chyna unsuccessfully tries to revive the referee so she goes in the ring and makes a fast three count for Jericho. Chyna the raises Jericho’s hand as if he’s won the match .. only to turn and drill him with a DDT?! Chyna then rolls Eddie onto Jericho and rolls the referee back in to count the 1..2..3! Eddie wins!! Eddie wins his first WWF belt ending Jericho’s European Title reign after just one day. Chyna then presents Eddie with the title and Eddie is confused by this at first but then the two embrace. So Chyna pinned Eddie at the pay-per-view yet turns on Jericho to align with that same person? **3/4 Other than the confusing heel turn, still a pretty good match.

Back from break Stephanie is showing off her new Women’s Title to Vince McMahon who says he’s proud of her. Stephanie then tries to convince Vince to let Triple H face The Rock tonight, letting him get revenge for last night and telling Vince that protecting her isn’t his job anymore. Vince says he’ll think about it.

Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori) vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)
No, I don’t know who the heels are in this match. Once the DX’ers hit the ring Road Dogg does his rhyming on the mic insulting Trish’s posterior. Albert and X-Pac start off and Albert gives X-Pac some words only for X-Pac to spray water in his face and get in the first shots. X-Pac goes for a whip but Albert reverses it and hits a press slam. Albert clubs X-Pac in the back and goes for a whip but X-Pac reverses it and Road Dogg gets in some shots from the apron. X-Pac follows up with the spinkick but Albert powers out of the cover. Road Dogg tags in to take over and goes for a whip, Albert reverses it and Road Dogg hits the juke ‘n jive shots but misses the big right and Albert connects with a bicycle kick. Test tags in and helps Albert whip Road Dogg into a corner then whips Albert into an Avalanche on Road Dogg and Albert throws Road Dogg right into a big boot from Test but X-Pac breaks up the pin. Test whips Road Dogg but lowers the head and Road Dogg kicks the face but Test comes back with the full nelson slam. Test and goes for the big boot but misses Road Dogg and straddles himself on the ropes. X-Pac spinkicks Test back in the ring then tags in and chops him in a corner but Test starts fighting back. X-Pac goes for a whip, Test reverses him into the opposite corner and charges but X-Pac sidesteps him. X-Pac goes for another spinkick but Test catches him into a slam. Test goes for the pump-handle slam but X-Pac floats over him and hits a suplex then tags Road Dogg in and Road Dogg straddles Test into the ropes. Road Dogg pops Albert off the apron and hits the shake, rattle ‘n kneedrop on Test but Albert breaks up the pin. X-Pac comes in and works over Albert while Test whips Road Dogg into a boot. Test goes for a powerbomb but Road Dogg backdrops Test over the ropes. Albert grabs X-Pac but Road Dogg low blows him and X-Pac quickly follows up with the X-Factor on Albert allowing Road Dogg to grab the pin. **

Backstage Kurt Angle is complaining to Howard Finkel about losing both his titles last night without being pinned, calling it a conspiracy against him. Finkel explains the rules stated the champion did not have to be pinned to lose either title so because of that Angle is no longer a champion. Angle seems to accept the explanation and walks off but quickly comes back and slaps Finkel in the crossface chickenwing while screaming he’s a champion.

Back from break Shane barges into Vince McMahon’s office accusing Stephanie of manipulating him like always. Shane tells Vince that he wants to be the one to take on The Rock and Vince promises to work it out somehow.

WWF Intercontinential Title: Chris Benoit © vs. Tazz
Isn't it cool how the Radicals have been in the WWF for just two months yet three of the four members are already holding gold? Both men lockup to start and Benoit forces Tazz into a corner but Tazz punches his way out of it when Benoit rakes the face. Benoit goes for a whip, Tazz reverses it but Benoit comes back with a shoulderblock. Benoit comes off the ropes and slides under Tazz but Tazz hits a belly-to-belly Tazplex right on Benoit’s head. Tazz hammers Benoit and whips him but Benoit hits another shoulderblock followed by a snap suplex for a two count. Benoit tosses Tazz through the ropes then goes out and whips Tazz into the barricade and exchanges chops with him. Benoit rolls Tazz back in the ring and slams him to the mat and hits an elbowdrop and Tazz starts ro fight back. Benoit takes him down by the legs and puts him in the Sharpshooter but lets go of it for whatever reason. Benoit whips Tazz into a corner but eats a boot and Tazz comes out but runs into a drop toehold. Benoit wails on Tazz’s neck and whips him into a corner then goes for a German suplex but Tazz slips out and slaps on the Tazzmission! Benoit starts to fade and looks ready to submit just as Perry Saturn runs out and climbs to the top rope. Before Saturn can do anything Tazz throws Benoit into the ropes causing Saturn to straddle the turnbuckle. Tazz climbs up and hits a belly-to-belly superplex then clotheslines Saturn over the ropes to the floor. Tazz turns back to Benoit but Benoit plants him with a bridge suplex for the three to retain. ** Good match but really needed a few more minutes. After the match Benoit and Saturn start heading for the lockeroom but Tazz catches Saturn on the ramp with the Tazzmission. Benoit goes and beats Tazz off Saturn but Tazz is back up and continues attacking Saturn to the back.

Backstage we find Rikishi talking with Too Cool but we get a low-angle shot for some reason as we go to commercial.

Back from break Shane McMahon praises The Big Show’s efforts at the pay-per-view despite being the first man eliminated. Show tells Shane he’s still there for him but he’s decided to have fun and explore what Hollywood has to offer him before he heads off. Shane seems confused by this but still wishes Show luck.

Out in the arena Michael Cole brings Edge & Christian out to the ring for their first interview as tag team champions but Edge decides to take the mic from Cole and dismiss him. Edge puts over he and Christian winning a fantastic match and the two of them repeatedly say they were great last night before admiting they needed great opponents. E&C ask the Hardys to come out and once Matt and Jeff Hardy appear on the stage Edge tells them to cheer up since they did a great job last night while Christian says there’s no shame in coming in second or third. The Hardys start heading down the ramp but before they climb in the ring the Dudleys also come out. The Hardys turn and stare back at the Dudleys when E&C waffle both Hardys from behind with the title bets. The Dudleys pass them and go right after the champs before tossing E&C back in the ring. Bubba clotheslines Christian over the ropes then he and D’Von hit Edge with the 3D. The Hardys climb in and duke it out with the Dudleys while Edge and Christina grab their belts and depart. A swarm of referees try to break up the brawl in the ring as we go to commercial. This would begin Edge and Christian’s transformation into the heels we all know and love, though it would take a while to get there.

Back from break we get a replay of the Hardys/Dudleys/Edge & Christian brawl.

We then find Eddie Guerrero and Chyna talking Spanish as they climb into a low rider and drive off.

The Big Show vs. Rikishi Phatu (w/Too Cool)
Rikishi gets in the first shots and whips Show into a corner then charges at him but eats a boot. Show comes out with a clothelsine then moonwalks for some reason before doing his verson of the Worm. Show tries to finish it with an elbowdrop but Rikishi has more than enough time to move out of the way. Rikishi comes back with a Samoan Drop then hits the running butt splash in a corner and gives Rikishi the stinkface. Rikishi superkicks Show near the ropes when Sexay snaps Snow’s neck into them causing a DQ, even through Rikishi was in control. Rikishi superkicks Show back down and Scotty decides to come in and show how to properly do the Worm. The three of them to commence with the post-match dance as Show watches from the stage with interest. DUD

We then get a shot of The Rock’s door signaling an interview with him is near as we go to commercial.

Back form break Vince is with Shane and the Helmsleys suggesting they draw straws to see who faces The Rock. Triple H picks first and Shane allows Vince to go second but Shane ends up with the short straw and gets the match. Shane gets excited and walks off but after he departs Vince and Triple H admit they really didn’t want to face Rock.

The Big Show is back in the ring and gets on the mic talking about being known as a great athlete and an unstoppable monster. However Show says there’s more to him than chokeslams and such then brings up his appearence on Saturday Night Live, claiming everyone knows he’s a funny, entertaining guy. Show says sometimes he feels like fighting but other times he feels like dancing and decides to show it tonight. Show asks the production truck to cue up some music and starts busting some moves as the crowd gets into it.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews The Rock about facing Shane McMahon tonight and Vince’s actions last night. Rock brings up Vince’s great decisions such as expanding the WWF, creating Wrestlemania and getting an implant. Rock then says Vince made the worst decision of his life when he hit him with the chair twice when he was down. Rock guarantees he’s going to beat Shane up then promises to somehow become WWF Champion again before finishing with the usual"IF YOU SMELLLLLLLL....."

Back from break the Too Cool guys talk about Big Show’s dancing. Grandmaster Sexay saying he stunk while Scotty 2 Hotty tells him that Show wasn’t that bad. Sexay is unconvinced and continues to make fun of Show’s actions.

WWF Hardcore Title: Hardcore Holly © vs. Crash Holly
As Crash comes out JR mentions the title changed hands 10 times in the battle royal last night. Crash attacks Hardcore as he climbs in the ring then grabs the title belt and waffles him with it. Crash heads to the floor looking for weapons then brings in a cookie sheet and whacks Hardcore in the face for a two count. Crash goes for a whip but Hardcore reverses it and drops Crash onto the sheet. Hardcore goes out for his own plunder and brings in a push broom then breaks the handle on Crash’s back and works him over with the broken handle. Hardcore goes back out to the floor and grabs a fire extinguisher as Crash goes for a baseball slide but misses Hardcore and Hardcore sprays him with the extinguisher for a near fall on the floor. Hardcore tosses Crash back in the ring then brings in a chair and readies it but Crash cuts him off. Crash gets in his shots and sets the chair up when Hardcore comes back with goes for a suplex onto the chair. However Crash floats over Hardcore and manages to hit a front suplex onto the chair but only gets a two count. Crash clotheslines Hardcore over the ropes to the floor then grabs the ringbell and readies it but Hardcore cuts him off by smashing a glass candy jar in his face. Suddenly The Acolytes make their way out for some reason and Bradshaw nails Hardcore with his Clothesline from Hades. Bradshaw throws Hardcore in the ring then he and Faarooq whip Hardcore into a double spinebuster. Crash covers Hardcore and gets the three to regain the belt! 1/2* This proves last night’s finish was botched. The now four-time champion takes the belt and thanks the Acolytes as JR suspects Crash paid for their help. Crash starts heading up the ramp but the Mean Street Posse ambush him on the stage and try to pin him there. However the Posse quickly fight among themsleves again while Crash is able to make his escape. Didn’t Crash call off the 24/7 rule on Smackdown or was that a temporary thing?

Backstage Shane McMahon is suiting up for his match against The Rock when Triple H comes in offering advice. Triple H tries to come up with something Shane can use to his advantage but realizes nothing will really help him. So all Triple H does is tell Shane to be careful out there and walks off as we go to commercial.

Back from break Grandmaster Sexay is packing up his gear when The Big Show appears asking if his dancing was that bad and Sexay says it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good. So Show drops Sexay with a right hand and splashes him through a table! Show then grabs Sexay’s hat and shades and heads out to meet his agent leaving Sexay writhing in pain.

Kurt Angle vs Val Venis
Val gets on the mic to greet the ladies but gets interupted by Angle’s music as he comes out with his own mic. Angle calls last night the WWF’s darkest day because he lost both his titles and wasn’t even pinned once, and a result he’s gotten calls from parents who said their kids were too depressed to go to school today. Angle then says he’s gone from holding two belts to wrestling a porn star and doesn’t want to taint his body so he pulls out a pair of saniatry gloves. Angle tries to slip them on but before he can finish Val jumps him from behind to start the match. Val pulls off Angle’s medals and stomps him down in a corner then chokes him with his boot and goes for a whip. Angle reverses it but lowers the head and Val kicks the face then whips Angle into an elbow. Val follows up with an elbowdrop and a kneedrop off the ropes for a two cunt then hits a chop. Angle ducks a short-arm clothesline and goes for an O’Connor roll but Val grabs the ropes to prevent it. Angle comes back with a clothesline but Val pops right up and hits his own clothesline then chops Angle and clotheslines him over the ropes to the floor. Val leaps off the apron but Angle belts him in the chest and whips him into the ringsteps. Angle heads back in the ring and pulls Val onto the apron but Val hits a neckbreaker into the ropes then rolls back in the ring. Angle hits a DDT that gets a two count then elbows Val in the back twice and whips him hard into a corner. Angle follows up with a snap suplex then whips Val but misses a clothesline and Val hits a neckbreaker. Angle tries to splash Val in a corner but eats a boot and Val whips Angle into a corner and hits a clothesline. Val does the same thing in the opposite corner then hits a butterfly suplex but that only gets a two count. Val goes for the Fisherman’s suplex but hurts his back and Angle takes advantage and sets him on the top rope. Angle goes up for a superplex but Val fights Angle off to the mat. Val then goes for the Moneyshot but misses it and Angle quickly slaps on the crossface chickenwing forcing Val to give it up. *3/4

Backstage Shane is stretching for the match when Vince McMahon comes in and assures his son he has his back. Shane thanks Vince and hugs him while complaining about Triple H’s “advice†as we go to commercial.

Kane (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Bull Buchanan (w/The Big Bossman)
Bossman gets Kane’s attention allowing Buchanan to attack him from behind and get in the first shots. Buchanan whips Kane into a corner but Kane comes back with a clothesline and whips him into a boot. Kane whips Buchanan into a corner and Buchanan runs up the ropes … but slips and falls back to the mat. Kane pops Buchanan and whips him into a corner then charges but eats an elbow. Buchanan hits a forearm and climbs to the top rope but Kane sits up and grabs him by the neck. Bossman hops on the apron and Kane knocks knocks him back off and Buchanan leaps off but Kane catches him in a chokeslam for the three. Bossman comes in and works Kane over with his nightstick then knocks him out to the floor and the two handcuff Kane to one of the ringposts. Bearer tries hitting Buchanan with a chair but it has no effect and Buchanan nails Bearer with a right hand. Buchanan then takes the chair and smashes Kane’s hand with it. DUD

The Rock is shown pacing in the back in anticipation for the main event as we go to commercial.

The Rock vs. Shane McMahon
Shortly after Shane comes out to the ring Vince makes his way out and has a word with Earl Hebner. The Rock then rushes the ring while Vince and Shane quickly bail out to the floor. Vince distracts Rock so Shane can jump him but Rock catches Shane and chases him back out to the floor and up the ramp. Rock catches Shane on the stage but Triple H comes out and ambushes Rock, ramming him into the entrance set. Triple H hammers Rock down the ramp before whipping him into the steps and tossing him in the ring to officially start the match. Shane greets Rock with a clohtesline then hops to the middle rope and hits an elbowdrop but only gets a two count. Rock starts fighting back and goes for a whip but Shane reverses it and Rock tumbles out after Triple H pulls down the top rope. Hebner keeps Triple H from interefering but doesn’t see Vince clotheslining Rock over the announce table. Vince tosses Rock back in and Shane wails away on him then whips him and hits an elbow. Shane drapes Rock on the middle rope adn distracts Hebner while Triple H gets in some shots from the floor and snaps Rock’s neck on the top rope. Shane starts skipping around while getting in some jabs then comes off the ropes but runs right into a spinebuster. Rock readies himself to hit the People’s Elbow when Vince hops on the apron so Rock knocks Vince off but accidentally takes out Earl Hebner as well. Triple H comes in and lays Rock out with the Pedigree then rolls Shane onto Rock and tries to revive Hebner. Eventually Hebner recovers his senses and crawls over to make the count for Shane but only gets a two count. Triple H gets Hebner’s attention while Vince brings the title belt in as Shane holds Rock for him but Rock fights his way free before he can connect. Rock sends both McMahons scattering and has words with them but Triple H comes in and nails Rock from behind and stomps him down in a corner. Hebner tries to get Triple H off Rock but Triple H shoves him down then goes back to Rock and chokes him. Triple H goes for a whip but Rock counters with a Rock Bottom then covers him as Hebner counts the three? ** Rock then poses with the title belt as if he won the WWF Championship even though it wasn't a title match but i guess that was him throwing out the challenge. Vince and co' look on with exasperation at Rock foiling their plans as Raw goes off air.

Overall: There were some good matches on this card and some surprise title changes as well as some fun segments. The main event, however, didn’t really get on track and the ending was really confusing. Also we didn’t get the explanation for Vince’s odd heel turns, or Chyna’s for that matter. Still a solid episode or Raw to get us started on the road to Backlash, which will prove to be the exact opposite of March. 8/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF SMACKDOWN 04/06/2000
Shark Tank in San Jose, CA​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (4/03/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Smackdown comes on the air with footage of then Rock pinning Triple H in his match with Shane McMahon on Raw. We then find Shane talking to Vince McMahon on the phone backstage, asking him to arrive as soon as possible so they can clear up this controversy with the Rock.

WWF Intercontinential Title: Chris Benoit © vs. Rikishi Phatu
Both men stand nose-to-nose to start and Rikishi gets in the first shots then whips Benoit but lowers the head. Benoit kicks the face but it has no effect and Rikishi clotheslines Benoit down. Rikishi whips Benoit again and Benoit goes for a Sunset Flip but can’t get Rikishi over. Rikishi go for the sitdown splash but Benoit avoids it and dropkicks Rikishi from behind. Benoit stomps Rikishi down in a corner and hammers away on him with chops but Rikishi just shrugs them off so Benoit comes off the ropes but runs right into a modified Diamond Cutter. Rikishi whips Benoit into a corner and superkicks him in the back of the head. Rikishi then goes for the running butt charge but Benoit sidesteps him then hits a Northern Lights suplex into a bridge and gets the three. * Looked like it was going to be a fun match when it suddenly ended. After the match Benoit decides he’s not done yet and charges at Rikishi with the belt but Rikishi plants him with a Samoan Drop then gives Benoit the Stinkface. Benoit again rushes at Rikishi but runs into a belly-to-belly suplex. Maybe he should just grab his title and depart. Rikishi drags Benoit to a corner then climbs up the ropes and hits a Banzai Drop on him then poses with the IC belt even though he’s not the champion.

We then get a shot of Vince McMahon arriving to the building in a limo when Shane comes out to greet him informing him they’re the only ones there. The two McMahons then head somewhere as we go to commercial.

Back from break we find members of the Oakland Raiders in the crowd tonight.
Vince and Shane McMahon make their way to the ring because we forgot to start the show with a promo segment. Vince gets on the mic and asks the fans in “Sacramento†to not get upset even though they’re in San Jose tonight, but then says it doesn’t matter what city it is since all of California will soon sink to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Vince mentions rumors of DX not appearing tonight by saying they will be here after finishing their autograph session. Vince then addresses the controversy resulting from Raw‘s main event claiming the inmates were running the asylum. Vince shows the closing moments from the Rock/Shane match on the OvalTron that ended with Rock pinning Triple H and Vince claims Rock was frustrated he couldn’t beat Shane one-on-one so he took it out on Triple H. Vince also mentions Earl Hebner making the three count for Rock, Lillian Garcia announcing him as the winner, and Rock posing with the belt at the end of the show. Vince decides to get to the bottom of this and starts off by summoning Earl Hebner to the ring. Once Hebner arrives Vince asks about him making a count in an unsanctioned match and Hebner says Rock told him to count it. Vince tells Hebner his bias has compromised the integrity of the WWF referees and threatens to knock Hebner on his rear if he ever pulls such a stunt again before sending him out on his way. Vince then brings Lillian Garcia out to the ring to get her explantion but first asks her to sing a song for him. Once Lillian starts singing, Vince interupts saying that proves she’s a dime-a-dozen and can be replaced in an instant. Vince tells Lillian she’ll be singing the blues if she makes another mistake like on Monday and dismisses her as well while saying it’s not easy to be the boss when he’s surrounded by incompetent employees. Vince then proceeds to announce that The Rock is NOT WWF Champion, nor will he likely ever be champion again. Vince then brings up what Jim Ross’ said about he and Shane not having the intestinal courage to stand up to Rock. Vince decides to show the fortitude he and Shane have by booking them in a handicap match with Rock tonight! Shane acts like Vince has lost his mind but then acts like it’s a good idea when Vince looks at him.

Trish Stratus is shown leading Test and Albert to the ring as we go to commercial.

The Dudley Boyz vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)
D’Von Dudley pounds on Test to start and goes for a whip but Test counters it into a gutwrench suplex for a two count. Test whips D’Von but misses a clothesline and D’Von whips him into a spinning elbow. Bubba Ray tags in and chops Test in a corner then goes for a a whip, Test reverses him into a corner and chagres but eats a boot. Bubba hops the to middle rope and hits a flying clothesline for a two count then goes for a whip but Test reverses it and hits a backdrop. Albert tags in and T&A whip Bubba into a corner then Test whips Albert into an Avalanche on Bubba then Albert rams Bubba into a big boot from Test but only gets a two count. Albert headbutts Bubba then whips him into the ropes but lowers the head and Bubba kicks him in the face and follows up with a clothesline. Bubba draws Test to distract the referee then sets Albert up while D’Von climbs to the top rope and connects with the headbutt to the groin. D’Von snapmares Albert to the mat and hits a jumping elbowdrop then goes for a whip but Albert reverses it. Test nails D’von from the apron and D’von staggers into a bicycle kick but only gets a two count. Albert slingshots D’Von into the middle rope then draws Bubba in when D’Von whips him into a corner and charges but eats a boot. Albert whips D’Von into a corner and charges but D’Von sidesteps him and comes off the ropes with a clothesline. Both sides tag but Bubba catches Test with a pair of clotheslines. Bubba goes for a whip, Test reverses it but Bubba ducks a clothesline and hits a Diamond Cutter. Albert breaks up the pin but D’Von comes in and all four men are going at it. Bubba chops Test while Albert clotheslines D’von over the ropes. Bubba goes for a whip but Test reverses him right into the chokebomb from Albert. Test climbs to the top and connects with the flying elbowdrop but D’Von barely makes the save. Albert sets Bubba up for a powerbomb but Bubba backdrops him over the ropes and the Dudleys whip Test into a 3D that gets the pin. *1/2 After the match Trish comes in to check on Test but Bubba sees her and gets that look in his eyes again. Bubba grabs Trish by the hair and calls for a table from D’Von, intending to make her thier next table victim. However Albert attacks D’Von from behind distracting Bubba long enough for Test, Albert and Trish to make their escape. Suddenly the Hardy Boys come out looking to get a piece of the Dudleys. The two teams brawl with each other as a group of referees try to separate them.

Backstage Scotty 2 Hotty is styling his hair when Kurt Angle walks up saying he has a tag team title shot tonight and needs a partner. Angle asks Scotty if he’s interested but Scotty declines, not wanting to disrespect Grandmaster Sexay. Scotty says once Sexay comes back from his injury they’re going to win the gold together then leaves Angle behind as we go to commercial.

Back from break we find The Rock pacing around backstage.

Tazz vs. Perry Saturn
As Tazz is making his entrance Saturn runs out and attacks him from behind then drops him onto the barricade. Saturn goes for a whip but Tazz reverses him into the ringsteps and unloads on him as they fight to the back so basically this match never takes place. DUD

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews The Rock for his feeling on facing the McMahons tonight. Rock starts by suggesting what Shane and Vince can do then asks if he’s supposed to be afraid of their challenge. Rock tells Vince that whether he or his family like it or not, he still reigns supreme at the top of this company. Rock accepts their challenge, promising to lay the Smackdown on both of them saying it’ll be a beautiful thing and once the dust has settled, Vince and Shane will smell as one what he’s cooking.

Back from break we see the DX Express arriving at the building and Triple H and the rest filing out of it.

Al Snow & Steve Blackman vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
Blackman starts off with Bossman who avoids his shots and the referee repremands Blackman, giving Bossman an opening to attack and choke him. Blackman ducks a right hand and kicks Bossman over the ropes and Snow then follows up with an Asai moonsault on Bossman before throwing him back in the ring. Blackman lays the boots to Bossman then tags in Snow who comes off the top with a bodyblock. Snow pops Buchanan on the apron but Bossman slams him to the mat. Buchanan tags in but Snow connects with a crescent kick then hits an enzuigiri for a two count. Snow goes for a whip, Buchanan reverses but Snow slides under him. Buchanan hits an axe kick for a near fall then goes for a whip but Snow reverses it and Blackman kicks Buchanan from the apron. Snow belts Buchanan in the chest and throws him back to the mat and Blackman tags in and rams Buchanan into a turnbuckle. Blackman whips Buchanan into a corner but Buchanan springs off the top rope into a flying clothesline. Buchanan works Blackman over then tags Bossman in and the two whip Blackman into a double clothesline. Bossman chokes Blackman with his boot then rams him into a turnbuckle. Bossman whips Blackman into a corner and hits a splash then follows up with a kneedrop. Buchanan tags in and whips Blackman but Blackman slides under him and misses a roundhouse kick but connects with another kick. Blackman comes off the ropes but runs into a boot and Buchanan rams him into Bossman’s boot before tagging him in. Bossman slams Blackman to the mat then hops to the middle rope then leaps off but Blackman gets a boot up to block him. Snow gets the tag and takes it to both men then tees off on Bossman while Blackman throws Buchanan through the ropes. Blackman goes out after Buchanan but Buchanan whips him into the ringsteps. Snow whips Bossman into a heel kick but doesn't see Buchanan making a blind tag. Snow comes off the ropes but runs into the Bossman Slam while Buchanan climbs to the top and hits the guillotine legdrop for the pin. Blackman comes in and clear out both men with a series of kicks. 1/2* Some nice moments but pretty dull otherwise.

Backstage Eddie Guerrero and Chyna pull up to the building in a low rider then climb out and head somewhere as we go to commercial.

Back from break Eddie Guerrero comes out with Chyna and the European Title belt and debuts his separate entrance theme. As they head to the ring Eddie hands some roses to Chyna who smells them and tosses them away. Eddie gets on the mic and asks Chyna why she helped him win the European Title belt last Monday and Chyna claims she couldn’t resist his Latino Heat. Chyna says Chris Jericho was always intimidated that a woman would steal his glory, which she did. Eddie calls Chyna the 9th Wonder of the World and that’s why he’s European Champion. Eddie claims his ancestors such as Cortez, Columbus, Pancho Villa and Don Quixote are all proud of him before he starts mumbling something in Spanish. Suddenly Chris Jericho’s intro comes on and sure enough Jericho charges in the ring and takes it to both Eddie and Chyna. Jericho hammers Chyna in a corner but Eddie makes the save allowing Chyna to escape from the ring. Eddie goes for a whip but Jericho counters and whips Eddie into a powerbomb. Jericho stomps away at Eddie until a pair of referees come out to break it up. Chyna then helps Eddie out of the ring and walk off with Jericho glaring at them.

Backstage Kurt Angle now tries to recruit Essa Rios as his partner for the title match but runs into the language barrier and Rios doesn’t understand what Angle is saying. Lita walks into the picture so Angle asks her to translate for him and tells Rios once they win the belts he can sell his half of the gold for money and feed his family in his poor country. Lita passes along the message but Rios gets angered and storms off and Angle gets denied a partner again.

Elsewhere Vince is talking to Shane when Triple H and the rest of DX storm into the room. Triple H yells at Vince for DX being booked in an autograph session that runs past the start of the show just so he and Shane can book themselves against the Rock tonight. Triple H says he wants the Rock tonight and even offers to put his title on the line in a match but Vince turns down his suggesstion, saying the Rock doesn’t deserve a title shot. Road Dogg and X-Pac say they’re ready to go against Rock but Vince declines that option as well and asks DX to let them have their night. Vince sends the DX’ers on their way but Stephanie stays behind to try and talks some sense into her father.

Back from break Stephanie is still talking to Vince about tonight, saying Triple H is just upset. Stephanie agrees the Rock shouldn’t get a title shot tonight but mentions Road Dogg and X-Pac are willing to go and suggests they deserve a shot at Rock. Stephanie tells Vince he owns the WWF and can destroy Rock anytime he wants then asks Vince to let Road Dogg and X-Pac have this match tonight. Eventually Vince caves in and allows the DX’ers to replace himself and Shane in the main event.

WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko © vs. Taka Michinoku
Cole gets continuity points for mentioning that Taka was the first Light Heavyweight Champion. Malenko pounds on Taka to start and goes for a whip but Taka reverses into a rollup for a two count. Malenko whips Taka into an inverted Torture Rack but Taka counters it with an arm drag. Taka dropkicks Malenko through the ropes then follows up with an Asai moonsault on the floor. Taka rolls Malenko back in the ring then snapmares him to the mat and dropkicks him in the head. Taka hits another dropkick to the face then comes off the ropes but Malenko counters into a wheelbarrow suplex. Malenko stomps Taka down in a corner and chokes him with his boot then hits a back suplex and puts him in a Camel Clutch. Taka doesn’t submit so Malenko shoves him into the mat and stomps him. Malenko whips Taka but lowers the head and Taka gets a Sunset Flip for a two count. Malenko clotheslines Taka then hits a backbreaker but holds on and bends Taka over his knee. Malneko stomps away on Taka then whips him in to a corner and hits a clothesline followed by a suplex but only gets a two count. Malenko whips Taka into a corner and charges but eats a boot. Malenko charges again but Taka sidesteps him and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Taka hops to the middle rope and hits a tornado DDT but only gets a two count. Taka climbs to the top rope and connects with a missle dropkick then goes for the Michinoku Driver but Malenko floats over into a belly-to-back suplex. Taka flips out of it and goes for a huricanrana but Malenko counters it into a powerbomb for a two count. Malenko goes for a whip, Taka reverses him into a corner and charges at him when Malenko backdrops Taka over the ropes but Taka lands on his feet on the apron. Taka climbs to the top rope but Malenko cuts him off then goes up and hits a gutbuster from the top rope! Malenko then slaps on the Texas Cloverleaf and Taka is forced to tap. **1/2 Pretty good match though I wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes.

Backstage Shane shows the Big Show some highlights he’s put together from Raw and puts over Show’s dancing and splashing Grandmaster Sexay through a table. Show (who’s offscreen) says he hasn’t seen anything yet and shows off his latest style and Shane seems impressed as the two head to the ring when we go to commercial.

Backstage Mae Young as trying to convince Kurt Angle they should team up and become tag team champions and Angle seems ready to resign himself to it. However Angle sees Hardcore Holly walking by and begs him to be his partner and Hardcore says it might be fun to beat up Edge and Christian so he accepts Angle’s offer. Angle happily walks off with Hardcore while Mae is disappointed she got kicked to the curb.

The Big Show vs. The Godfather (w/the ladies)
Godfather comes out first and does his usual spiel on the mic when Show makes his way out dressed as a pimp and doing his own rap on the mic. Godfather attacks Show as he’s removing his bling and goes for a whip but Show reverses it and hits a dropkick. Show elbows Godfather in the head and chokes him on the middle rope then headbutts Godfather into a corner and hits a pair of giant chops. Godfather reverses positions and tees off on Show but Show comes back with a headbutt and slams him to the mat. Show climbs to the middle rope but misses an elbowdrop and Godfather hammers away at Show and hits a crescent kick but Show doesn’t go down. Godfather comes off the ropes with a bulldog then hits the Ho Train in a corner when one of the Godfather’s women distracts the referee. The Godfather walks over to her when Show nails him in the back with his cane and covers for the pin. Show then kisses the woman who helped him and carries her over his shoulder to the back. The crowd was into it for the most part but still nothing to see here. DUD

Edge and Christian are shown walking to the ring for their title defense as we go to commercial.

WWF World Tag Team Titles: Edge & Christian © vs. Kurt Angle & Hardcore Holly
Hardcore tells Angle to let him start then locks up with Christian and applies a headlock and Christian shoves Hardcore into the ropes. Hardcore comes back with a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes and Christian leapfrogs him but lowers the head and Hardcore kicks the face. Hardcore whips Christian but Christian floats over him and hits a backdrop. Christian hits an armdrag then applies an armwringer before he tags in Edge and whips Hardcore into a double hiptoss for a two count. Edge wrenches Hardcore’s arm but Hardcore reverses and works over Edge’s arm. Angle tags in and unloads on Edge in a corner then whips him into the opposite corner and charges but eats a boot. Christian clotheslines Angle from the apron and Edge goes for a whip, Angle reverses but Edge ducks a clothesline and hits a crescent kick. Edge hops to the middle rope and leaps off but Angle catches him into a belly-to-belly suplex. Hardcore tags in and lays the boots to Edge before clubbing him in the back. Hardcore whips Edge into an elbow for a near fall then hits a delayed vertical suplex for another two count. Angle tags in and beats Edge down in a corner then hits a suplex for a two count. Angle wails on Edge some more then covers him for another two count. Angle whips Edge but lowers the head and Edge gets a Sunset Flip for a near fall. Angle clotheslines Edge for a quick two count before tagging Hardcore in and Hardcore and Edge exchange shots before Hardcore stomps Edge down in a corner. Hardcore whips Edge into the opposite corner and hits a powerslam for a two count then hits a backbreaker and stomps Edge in the chest. Angle tags in and works over Edge in a corner then whips him into the opposite corner and charges but Edge trips him into the turnbuckles and hits a clothesline. Both men crawl to their corners and Angle tags in Hardcore while Edge makes the hot tag to Christian. Christian takes it to Hardcore with a pair of forearms then hits Angle with an Atomic drop. E&C whip Hardcore into a double flapjack but Angle breaks up the pin. Edge spears Angle but Hardcore boots Edge through the ropes to the floor. Hardcore whips Christian into a corner and hits a clothesline followed by a backbreaker. Edge whips Angle into the ringpost while Hardcore climbs to the top rope but Edge pulls him onto the turnbuckle. Christian climbs up as Edge sets him on his shoulders and Christian hits Hardcore with a double superplex for the three. **1/2 Surprisingly good match. Angle worked well with Edge and Christian and Hardcore put forth a solid effort as well. Edge and Christian walk off with the belts while Angle is frustrated that he lost out on more gold and gets on the mic to blame Hardcore for the loss, especially since he’s the big shot. Angle says this is Hardcore’s loss and not his and that he should have gone with Mae Young as his partner. Hardcore responds by slapping Angle and whipping him into a dropkick then laying him out with the Hollycaust.

The Rock is shown pacing around the back waiting for the main event as we go to commercial.

Back from break Tony Chimel starts annoucing the main event when Shane McMahon comes out and tells Chimel he’s going to be the guest ring announcer and takes over for him. Shane tells Earl Hebner his services are not needed for this match and sends him to the back before he brings out the special guest referee for this match, Triple H. After Triple H comes out with Stephanie, Shane then brings out Road Dogg and X-Pac while The Rock appears without an intro.

The Rock vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori)
Stephanie joins the annoncers. Rock starts off X-Pac and the two have a staredown when Road Dogg tries a sneak attack but Rock catches him with a right hand. Rock goes for a whip, X-Pac reverses it but Rock comes back with a shot. Rock throws Road Dogg over the ropes then plants X-Pac with a Samoan Drop and covers him but gets a very slow two count from Triple H. Road Dogg nails Rock with a forearm then he and X-Pac double-team Rock and choke him. Road Dogg beats on Rock in a corner then takes a moment to taunt the fans. Rock comes out with a clothesline but Road Dogg ducks it and Road Dogg hits the juke ‘n’ jive punches but Rock blocks the big right and fights back. Rock goes for a whip but Road Dogg reverses and X-Pac kicks Rock from behind allowing Road Dogg to drop him with a right. Road Dogg follows up with the shake, rattle ‘n kneedrop and covers him as Triple H tries a fast count but only gets two. X-Pac comes in without a tag and lays the boots to Rock before applying a chinlock and Triple H asks Rock if he wants to give up. Rock takes a swing at Triple H but begins to fade and Triple H checks the arm and it drops once, twice but Rock keeps it up the third time. Rock fights out of the hold and comes off the ropes but runs into a spinning heelkick. X-Pac chokes Rock in a corner then Triple H repreamans him, while choking Rock himself. X-Pac hits the Bronco Buster then celebrates, not seeing Rock get to his feet. Rock throws X-Pac into the corner and wails on him, capping off with the Smackdown. Rock Dogg comes in but Rock DDT’s him then whips X-Pac into a gutwrench suplex. Rock covers but Road Dogg breaks it up before Triple H can count. Road Dogg goes for a whip but Rock reverses and hits a spinebuster then knocks X-Pac off the apron right into Shane McMahon on the floor. Triple H goes for a clothesline but Rock ducks it and throws Road Dogg into Triple H knocking him through the ropes. Rock then plants Road Dogg with the Rock Bottom and covers but there’s no referee to count. Earl Hebner comes out to count but Vince McMahon pulls him out of the ring and socks him and that’s pretty much the match right there. Rock glares at Vince then goes out and chases him up the ramp, catching him on the stage. Rock drops Vince with a right hand then heads to the back as Stepahnie and the others go over to check on Vince. However Rock comes back out with a chair and holds everyone at bay and Shane and Triple H try to warn Vince but Vince turns and Rock whacks him with the chair. Rock holds the DX’ers back with the chair while putting a foot on Vince’s chest and Smackdown goes off air.

Overall: This was a really fun SD this week as the WWF was still trying to sort things out for Backlash and beyond. There wasn’t much in the way of angle progression other than the Rock/DX stuff and while there were two good matches the rest of the in-ring action was pretty forgettable. Plus for the second show in a row the main event ended up going nowhere. So nothing to really see here, but things would pick up starting with the next show. 6/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF RAW IS WAR 04/10/2000
National Car Rental Arena in Ft. Lauderdale, FL​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (4/03/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Things kick off with The Rock coming out to the ring and getting on the mic to start off the opening gabfest. Rock starts off by saying he has special footage he wants to show of himself and Vince McMahon at their best then shows clips on the TitanTron of him beating Vince up with the chair during his match on Smackdown. Rock especially shows a shot of his foot on the unconcious Vince’s chest saying he wants Vince to remember that shot forever. Rock brings up all the humiliation he put Vince, Shane and Stephanie through recently but he still wants more, and after mentioning South Florida being his home Rock demands a WWF Championship match tonight in “the People’s Ringâ€. It doesn’t take Vince very long to make his way out to the ring for a rebuttal but he comes out armed with a chair in hand. Rock demands Vince put the chair down or he’ll do something with it and Vince agrees to do so but warns Rock to stay back. Vince declines Rock his title shot tonight but does give Rock an oppertunity to earn a title match and says all Rock has to do is defeat an opponent to be determined later in a steel cage match. Vince then tells Rock that he’s tired of giving him what he wants so from now on Rock has to earn everything. Vince goes on about how he’s the reason Rock became the star he is today and that it wasn’t the People who made him, reminding Rock that he stood in his corner during his days as the Corporate Champion just over a year ago. Continuity! Vince says Rock may have been a star without him, but only as the next Doink, Gobbledygooker or Bastion Booger! Vince says Rock hosted Saturday Night Live, appeared on The Tonight Show and got numerous TV and movie offers all thanks to him. Vince finally explains why he turned on Rock at Wrestlemania by saying Rock never thanked him for all his success and because of that he wanted to humiliate Rock at the biggest show of the year. Vince calls Rock an ingrate but Rock responds to what Vince is saying by telling him he can take what he thinks and shove it up his you-know-what. That prompts Vince to go into some weird rant about Rock’s fixation on the rectal cavity. Suddenly Triple H’s theme fires up and Rock turns to see The Hemlselys and Shane making their way out to the stage. Vince tries to hit Rock with the chair while he’s distracted but Rock catches him and knocks the chair out of his hands. Rock then takes the chair and whacks Vince in the back with it and Vince tumbles out through the ropes to the floor. Triple H and the others try to charge in the ring but Rock holds them at bay with the chair so they think better of it. Rock glares as the group as they help Vince to the back.

Back from break we get an exterior shot of the arena as well as a replay of Rock assaulting Vince with the chair.

WWF World Tag Team Titles: Edge & Christian © vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori)
Once the DX’ers hit the ring Road Dogg does his usual incoherent rhyming on the mic before E&C come out through the crowd. X-Pac starts off with Christian by spitting water in his face and whipping him but Christian comes back with a powerslam. Christian tags Edge in and whips X-Pac into a corner, Edge drops to the mat and Christian launches off him and hits the crossbody. Edge follows up with a spinning heel kick for a two count then applies a chinlock and X-Pac shoves him off but Edge hits a shoulderblock. Edhe comes off the ropes but X-Pac leapfrogs over him and Road Dogg gets in a shot from the apron while X-Pac hits a spin-kick. X-Pac tags Road Dogg in for a double-team on Edge while the referee is busy with Christian. Edge exchanges shots with Road Dogg then whips him but Road Dogg comes back with the juke ‘n jive punches then hits the shake, rattle ‘n kneedrop. Christian breaks up the pin but the referee tries to get him out while X-Pac comes in for another double-team. The DX’ers whip Edge but Edge hits a flying clothesline on both of them then Christian tags in and takes it to them, hitting Road Dogg with an Atomic Drop and knocking their heads together. Edge knocks Road Dogg through the ropes then goes out after him while Christian hits X-Pac with a gutbuster. Christian covers X-Pac but the referee is busy with Road Dogg and Edge duking it out on the floor to count. Tori pulls Edge off Road Dogg by the hair and the distraction allows Road Dogg to ram Edge into the ringpost. In the ring X-Pac whips Christian into a corner but Christain sidesteps him and X-Pac staddles the turnbuckles. Christian goes for the Unprettier but Tori distracts the referee while Road Dogg brings one of the tag belts in and waffles Christian with it. X-Pac covers Christian as the referee turns around and counts 1..2..3 for the titles! (2:49) So Road Dogg and X-Pac get the belts and now DX has control over pretty much every title in the WWF. But wait, Earl Hebner runs in and tells the referee what happened and the referee in turn orders the match to continue. The DX’ers go back to work on Christian in a corner and go for a double suplex but Christian flips out of it and shoves X-Pac into a spear from Edge then keeps Road Dogg occupied as Edge gets the real pin. ** Match was solid but felt too rushed.

Backstage we find The Godfather enjoying the company of his entourage before his match as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get footage of Terri Runnels visiting with The Kat earlier today claiming she wants to make amends for their feuding. Terri offers to take Kat on a day of beauty at a nearby salon and Kat accepts it. The two head off and you’d have to be a corpse not to see where this is going to end up.

Kurt Angle vs. The Godfather (w/the ladies)
Godfather comes out first and does his spiel on the mic before Angle makes his way out with a mic and decides to give a lecture about celebacy. Angle talks on how he helped make him an Olympic hero then critizes Godfather for parading his women around and offers him a condom as well as a nursery rhyme. Godfather responds to that by pounding on Angle to start the match then whips him but Angle ducks a clothesline and gets in his shots. Angle goes for a whip but Godfather reverses it and connects with a boot. Godfather whips Angle into a backdrop then slams him to the mat and comes off the ropes with a legdrop. Angle rolls out to the floor and has words with Godfather’s ladies then shoves one of them into Godfather’s path and tries to run back in the ring. However Godfather catches Angle and holds him while one of his women slaps him before rolling him back in the ring. Godfather whips Angle into a corner then goes for the Ho Train but misses it and Angle hits a back suplex that gets a two count. Angle argues with the referee allowing Godfather to clothesline him and Godfather hits a short-arm clothelsine but Angle ducks a second and hits the Olympic Slam for the pin. * Not much of a match, then again this is the Godfather we’re talking about.

We then get more footage of Terri and The Kat as they climb into a limo and head off for their beauty date. However as the limo pulls out we find a low rider pulling in the building containing Eddie Guerrero and Chyna.

Scotty 2 Hotty, Rikishi and Tazz are shown heading to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.

Back from break the Big Show is talking with Shane McMahon about how last week was the tip of the iceberg and that he has something new to show the fans. Show gives Shane a preview off camera with Shane reacting to it.

Scotty 2 Hotty, Rikishi & Tazz vs. Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn
Scotty and Rikishi’s pal Grandmaster Sexay got taken out by the Big Show last week and now JR is reporting that Sexay will be out six weeks after having surgery on his injured knee. Scotty and Benoit lock to start and Scotty applies an armwringer when Benoit reverses it but Scotty kips up and applies a headlock. Benoit shoves Scotty into the ropes but Scotty comes back with a shoulderblock then comes off the ropes and rolls over Benoit. Scotty blocks a clothesline and follows up with a back suplex then kips up again and moonwalks across the ring but Malenko omes in and nails Scotty from behind. Malenko tees off on Scotty and whips him into a heel kick then brings him to his corner and tags in Saturn. Both Radicals hit a double headbutt and Saturn whips Scotty into an elbow then knocks Tazz off the apron. Saturn hits a knee to Scotty’s face then scoops him onto his shoulders and rams him into the turnbuckles. Benoit tags back in and hits a snap suplex then tags Malenko in and Malenko whips Scotty into a corner then goes for a back suplex but Scotty flips out of it. Scotty grabs a waistlock and Malenko switches into his own hold and rolls Scotty up but Scotty kicks him off into the ringpost then crawls over makes the tag to Rikishi. Rikishi drops Malenko with a right hand and clotheslines both Benoit and Saturn then turns and superkicks Malenko. Rikishi whips Saturn into Malenko in a corner then whips Benoit into Saturn and hammers both men with rights. Malenko drops to the mat and gets the stinkface then Rikishi tags out but Benoit knocks him through the ropes. All six men start going at it with Benoit and Rikishi on the floor, Tazz and Saturn and Scotty and Malneko. Tazz tosses Saturn through the ropes while Scotty hits Malenko with the bulldog followed by the Worm. Benoit comes back in but Scotty catches him with a right hand while Rikishi comes in and superkicks Benoit. Scotty whips Malenko into a corner then Rikishi whips Scotty into a butt bump. Rikishi then readies his butt splash but Benoit trips Rikishi and pulls him to the floor. Scotty puts Malenko in his own Texas Cloverleaf and Malenko starts tapping out but the referee is too busy trying to get Tazz out of the ring to record the submission. Saturn breaks up the hold with a forearm on Scotty and Malenko quickly covers him for the three. *1/4 Fun match.

Triple H is shown with Shane and Stephanie heading to the ring for his mystery title defense as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get more footage of Terri and The Kat earlier today as we find them at the beauty salon. Terri introduces Kat to Francois and offers to get her a drink. Gee, I wonder if the drink is going to be spiked.

Triple H makes his way to the ring and awaits his title match as we then cut to the back to find … Kaientai coming toward the ring, suggesting one of them is going to be his challenger. Triple H smirks at his apparent easy win, until the Acolytes join Taka Michinoku and Funaki on their way out to the ring and Triple H’s mood changes dramatically. Shane also gets upset with Earl Hebner but Hebner shoves him down and the Acolytes chase him out of the ring.

WWF World Heavyweight Title: Triple H © (w/Stephanie & Shane) vs. Taka Michinoku (w/Funaki & The Acolytes)
Taka goes right to work on Triple H and goes for a whip, Triple H reverses but Taka hits the headscissors. Taka connects with a dropick followed by a spinning heel kick then dropkicks Triple H in the face for a two count and the crowd is solidly behind Taka. Taka goes for whip, Triple H reverses it and lifts Taka up but Taka dropkicks him away. Taka continues his assault and goes for a whip, Triple H reverses him into a corner but eats a boot. Taka hops to the middle rope and drills Tirple H with a tornado DDT but only gets a two count. Taka hits some chops and whips Triple H again but lowers the head and Triple H hits the facebuster then clotheslines him over the ropes. Triple H goes out and drops Taka onto the barricade then hammers him with chops before throwing him back in. Triple H whips Taka and hits the high knee for a near fall as we see the Acolytes still standing guard at ringside. Triple H stomps Taka down in a corner and chokes him with his boot but Hebner pulls him off by the hair. Triple H shoves Hebner but Hebner shoves him back as the crowd gets on their feet, thinking Hebner might screw Triple H out of the belt. Triple H goes back to work on Taka but Taka starts fighting back and knocks him down with a forearm shot. Triple H hits a throat chop and tosses Taka through the ropes then goes out and throws him into the steps. Triple H tosses Taka back in the ring then gets in Hebner’s face when Funaki dropkicks Triple H right into the Acolytes. That prompts Bradshaw and Faarooq to start beating down Triple H with Faarooq throwing him into a lariat from Bradshaw. Bradshaw tosses Triple H back in the ring while Funaki climbs to the top and connects with a missile dropkick. Taka also climbs to the top rope and connects with a moonsault then covers Triple H … but only gets two!! Let men tell you eveybody was on their feet thinking Taka had it right there! Shane and Vince McMahon then make their way down the ramp with Vince trying to reason with the Acolytes but Bradshaw and Faarooq turn their backs to the ramp allowing The Big Bossmman and Bull Buchanan to jump them. In the ring Taka connects with a missile dropkick then goes for the Michinoku Driver but Triple H blocks it and clubs him in the back. Taka goes for huricanrana but Triple H catches him into a powerbomb then finishes up with the Pedigree and gets the three to retain. **1/2 So instead of an expected squash we got a surprisngly great match that the crowd was hot for and Triple H really made Taka look like a million bucks which had everyone believing Taka may pull off the upset. Funaki goes in to tend to his partner but Triple H decides to lay him out with the Pedigree for good measure. The McMahons pose in the ring then go out to get some last licks on the fallen Acolytes on the floor.

Back form break we get clips of the WWF Kane funny car winning some sort of race in Las Vegas over the weekend.

Next we get clips of the Dudley Boys’ failed attempt at putting Trish Stratus through a table on Smackdown. Backstage we find Trish leading Test and Albert in search of retribution and sends then into the Dudley’s lockerroom. After a scuffle behind the door the Dudleys come flying out into the hall and Test and Albert beat them down as we go to commercial.

The Hardy Boyz vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)
Test pounds on Matt Hardy to start and whips him into a corner then charges at him but eats an elbow. Matt climbs to the missle rope and connects with a moosault for a two count. Matt continues working Test over and goes for a whip but Test counters it with a knee to the chest then hits a gutwrench into a powerbomb. Albert tags in and T&A whip Matt into a tilt-o-whirl faceplant for a two count. Albert hits a bodyblock and slingshots Matt into the middle rope then beats on him in a corner with kicks and shoulderblocks. Albert tosses Matt across the ring then whips him but lowers the head and Matt goes for a neckbreaker but Albert counters it into a sidewalk slam. Albert hops to the middle rope but misses a guillotine legdrop and Matt makes the tag to Jeff and Jeff climbs to the top rope and connects with a missile dropkick on Albert. Jeff follows up with a huricanrana but Test comes in with a clothesline on Jeff. Test whips Jeff into a corner then whips Albert into an Avalanche on Jeff before hitting a Rydien bomb. Matt makes the save and Test charges at Matt but gets backdropped over the ropes. Albert presses Matt up but Matt slips out of it and drills him with the Twist of Fate. Jeff climbs to the top rope and hits the Swanton Bomb on Albert for the pin. *1/2 Another match that seemed to blow on by. As the Hardys depart the Dudleys appear from under the stage and head in the ring looking for some payback. The Dudleys plant Test with the 3D and Bubba goes out and slides a table in the ring which D’Von sets up when Trish hops on the apron and gets Bubba’s attention. Bubba is meserized and doesn’t see Albert coming in and tossing D’Von aside. Albert grabs Bubba and drops him through the table with the chokebomb.

The Big Show vs. Val Venis
After Val comes out the ring Show makes his way entrance dressed up like Val with a wig and a towel. Snow even gets on the mic and greets the ladies while calling Val the S.S. Minnow and himself the Titanic. Val takes the mic and responds by saying the Titanic sank not because of an iceberg but because of Show’s rear. Val gets in the first shots and pounds on Show in a corner then goes for a whip but Show reverses him into a boot. Val rolls out and climbs on the apron when Show goes for a boot but ends up straddling himself on the top rope. Val goes in and tees off on Show capping off with a dropkick that has Show teetering but he stays on his feet. Val comes off the ropes with a shoulderblock that does get Show off his feet then hops to the middle rope and hits an elbowdrop for a two count. Val starts hitting the count-along punches in a corner but Show shoves him off and follows up with a clothesline. Show elbows Val in the head before hitting a big chop in the corner. Show whips Val into a clothesline then charges but falls out to the floor after Val pulls down the top rope. Show still lands on his feet and heads back in then grabs his wig and chokes Val with it getting himself DQ’ed. DUD! Show continues to choke out Val with the wig then starts swiveling his hips even though he lost the match.

WWF European Title: Chris Jericho © (w/Chyna) vs. Eddie Guerrero
This is Jericho’s shot at revenge for Chyna costing him the title last week. After Eddie and Chyna hit the ring Jericho then comes with a mic and asks Eddie and Chyna which one of them is the man in their relationship. Jericho then tells Eddie the Taco Bell chihuahua has more Latino Heat than him and his female is housebroken. Jericho gets in the first shots and whips Eddie into a foreram then hits a double-underhook backbreaker and Eddie rolls out to the floor. Jericho chases Eddie back in the ring and Eddie tries hiding behind the referee before dropkicking Jericho in the knee. Eddie sets Jericho’s leg on the bottom rope and sits down on it then goes out to the floor while wrenching the knee. Eddie rolls back in the ring and applies a Figure Four and Jericho turns it over but Eddie turns it right back and Jericho grabs the bottom rope for the break. Eddie kicks the knee and hits some chops and goes for a whip but Jericho reverses it and lifts Eddie up then drops him. Eddie pulls Jericho by the tights into the tunbuckles and snapmares him to the mat and grinds his foot into the face. Eddie chops Jericho and whips him into a corner then charges but eats a boot. Jericho comes out with several chops and whips Eddie into a backdrop then clothesines him and hits more chops in a corner. Jericho goes for a whip but Eddie reverses him into a corner and charges and Jericho backdrops him. However Eddie lifts himself up with the ropes and goes into a rollup but Jericho rolls through it into the Walls of Jericho. Chyna suddenly hops on the apron getting Jericho’s attention. Jericho releases Eddie and heads for Chyna when Eddie rolls him up with his feet on the ropes for a two count. Jericho comes off the ropes with the bulldog for a two count when Chyna tosses the European belt to Eddie. Jericho grabs the belt as well and Eddie manages to pull the belt away but goes flying right into the referee. Eddie takes a swing with the belt but Jericho ducks it and comes back with a flying forearm off the ropes. Jericho connects with the Lionsault but Chyna comes in and low blows Jericho then follows up with a DDT. Chyna rolls Eddie onto Jericho as the referee revives and counts the three for the win. **1/4 Good match but a step down from last week and a bad finish to boot. Too bad Jericho never does get his final revenge against Chyna or Eddie for that matter.

Back from break we see the cage beginning to lower to the ring signaling our main event is coming up.

We first get more footage from Terri and The Kat’s day of beauty earlier today. The Kat awakens from her drugged-induced sleep to find her hair butchered and wacky makeup applied. Kat freaks out as Terri laughs at her misfortune and even hands her a poodle dog that’s been sheared.

Back from break The Rock makes his way out to the ring and steps into the cage awaiting his mystery opponent. Suddenly Triple H comes out with the McMahon clan looking ready for action and JR specualtes he’s the opponent. However The Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan make their way out and apparently Rock has two opponents tonight.

The Rock vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan (2-on-1 Cage Match)
If the Rock wins by pinfall or escape he gets a WWF Championship match, possibly at Backlash. Bossman climbs in the cage first and Rock goes right to work on him as Buchanan climbs in behind him at him. However Rock tosses Buchanan right into Bossman and clotheslines him down then starts climbing the wall but Buchanan pulls Rock back down to the mat. Bossman and Buchanan double-team Rock and whip him into an elbow. Buchanan whips Rock into a corner then whips Bossman into a splash on him. Buchanan whips Rock into the other corner and Bossman whips Buchanan when Rock ducks a clothesline and DDT’s him. Bossman clotheslines Rock back and climbs up the cage wall but Rock pulls him off the ropes to the mat and hits Buchanan with a back suplex. Rock tries climbing the wall when Shane climbs up the other side to cut him off but Rock greets him with a right. However that allows Buchanan to nail Rock from behind and Rock ends up crotching himself on the ropes. Bossman and Buchanan continue double-teaming Rock while Shane gets in some shots from outside the cage. Bossman and Buchanan beat Rock down and make a wish with the legs before Buchanan hits a jumping legdrop for a two count. Vicne warns Earl Hebner to call this fair and Bossman and Buchanan both whip Rock but lower their heads and Rock kicks Bossman’s face then rams Buchanan into the mat. Rock fights back on Bossman and goes for a whip but Bossman reverses it and sets Rock up for an axe kick from Buchanan that gets a two count. Bossman tries covering Rock and he only gets two so Buchanan hits an elbowdrop and both men hit a suplex. Buchanan uppercuts Rock and chokes him on the middle rope while Bossman grabs at his face. Buchanan whips Rock into a clothesline from Bossman for a two count and Bossman hits a wind-up punch then both men throw Rock into the cage as Vince taunts Rock from outside. Bossman hits Rock below the belt then holds him while Buchanan runs up the ropes and springs off going for the flying clothesline but Rock slips out of it and Bossman takes the hit instead. Rock again begins to fight back and throws Buchanan into the wall then hits a Samoan Drop but Bossman comes back with the Bossman Slam. All three men are down and Bossman works Rock over while Buchanan starts climbing up the cage to escape. Bossman goes for a whip but Rock counters with a spinebuster then turns toward Buchanan who’s on the ropes. Buchanan leaps off the ropes but Rock catches him with a Rock Bottom and gets the three and the title shot. ** This was allot better then i expected but there’s a reason Bossman and Buchanan shouldn't be main-eventing anything. After the match Shane starts climbing up the cage and reaches the top but Rock tries to pull him down to the mat. However Vince gets the cage door open and Triple H charges in the ring and nails Rock from behind then throws Rock into the wall twice. Triple H slips on some brass kunckles and bops Rock right in the head, busting him open. Triple H works over Rock’s open wound and the McMahon’s hold Rock for another shot before Triple H drills Rock with the Pedigree. Stephanie then passes a chair to Vince who sets it down on the mat while Triple H gets on the mic and tells Rock he’s through playing games with him then as well as something bleeped. The Rock is really gushing blood now as the McMahons pick him up and Triple H Pedigrees him onto the chair. The Acoltyes come out and send the McMahons scampering out of the cage but it’s far too late for the save. The bloodied Rock has claimed his title shot but paid a heavy price for it as Raw Goes off air.

Overall: This was a pretty fun episode of Raw this week with most of the in-ring action ws mediocre but the Triple H/Taka match was awesome and worth checking out. Not much was done in the way of angle progression except for Rock getting his title rematch. And what is with having the Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan in the main event? But at least this episode didn’t have all the hot-shotting and screwy finishes. So yeah 7/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF SMACKDOWN 04/13/2000
Ice Palace in Tampa, FL​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (4/03/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Smackdown comes on the air with clips of the Rock’s bloody cage match on Raw to earn his title shot.

WWF European Title: Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi Phatu
After Rikishi comes out to the ring Eddie makes his way out and presents Chyna with a jar full of flowers. Eddie gets on the mic and says him losing the European title to an Islander from Samoa would be a disgrace and that Rikishi may have the biggest rump in the world but he has the biggest supply of Latino Heat. Eddie has Chyna get Rikishi’s attention so he can get in the first shots but Rikishi just shrugs off the blows and comes back with a series of rights. Rikishi whips Eidde and drops him to the mat then whips him again and hits a powerslam. Rikishi whips Eddie into a corner and clotheslines him down then climbs up the ropes for the Banzai Drop but Chyna smashes the jar of flowers in Rikishi’s face. Rikishi is down as Eddie crawls over to cover him but only gets a two count. Eddie lays the boots to Rikishi and comes off the ropes with an elbow knocking Rikishi through the ropes. Rikishi lands on his feet on the floor but Chyna clotheslines him before throwing him back in the ring. Eddie goes out to the apron and slings himself over the ropes into a hilo but Rikishi powers out of the cover sending Eddie flying through the ropes. Chyna helps Eddie back in the ring and Eddie dropkicks Rikishi’s kne then starts kicking at the knee. Rikishi fights back again and whips Eddie into a backdrop then hits a Samoan Drop. Rikishi whips Eddie into a corner and connects with the running butt splash and Eddie slumps to the mat. Rikishi readies for the stinkface when Chyna comes in but Rikishi catches her and Chyna starts begging off. That allows Eddie to dropkick Rikishi from behind but that causes Rikishi to squash Chyna in a corner. Rikishi superkicks Eddie then turns back to see Chyna down in the corner and proceeds to give her the stinkface. Rikishi scoops Eddie up for the sitdown piledriver but Chyna lowblows Rikishi for an intentional DQ. After the match Chyna yells at Eddie for not preventing the Stinkface. *1/2

Backstage we find the Helmsleys and Shane McMahon celebrating their destruction of The Rock on Monday. Shane suggests they could have even more fun tonight and Triple H promises to take out anyone in their way. We then cut out to the parking lot to find a limo pulling up and The Rock climbing out with a bandaged forehead. The Helmsleys and Shane watch Rock’s arrival and decide to let the fun begin as we go to commercial.

Back from break Triple H and the others come out to the ring as Cole mentions Vince McMahon is not here tonight. Shane takes the mic first and talks about the carnage on Raw and emphasizing Rock’s blood oozing onto the mat. Shane tells Triple H he’s proud that he’s WWF Champion and his brother-in-law and the two of them share a hug. Stephanie takes the mic and gets emotional over this scene then mentions an upcoming surprise Vince has for Triple H. Stephanie decides to spoil it and tells Triple H that Vince wants to be in his corner when he defends the WWF Championship against The Rock. Triple H responds to that by saying he’s honored but isn’t sure he wants a glory hound like Vince to steal his thunder. Triple H suggests Vince can have a front row seat when he destroys Rock’s dreams for good and does it all by himself. Triple H says he taught Rock a lesson on how much blood, sweat and tears it takes to be champion and every time Rock comes back he will teach him that same lesson until Rock realizes he can’t beat him. Eventually Rock makes his way out to the stage to offer a rebuttal on the mic but first decides to take in the cheers. Before Rock can say anything Triple H cuts him off and talks about when their title match will actually take place, teasing having the match tonight but decides instead to have it in Washington DC at Backlash. Rock admits Triple H beat and bloodied him on Monday but despite that he still walked out with a shot at his title. Rock brings up Vince being in Triple H’s corner at the pay-per-view saying nothing will stop him from beating him. Triple H reminds Rock that he unloaded half his blood on Monday and must currently be at only 60% to 70% but regardless of his condition the two of them will go at it tonight. Triple H says it won’t be for the championship but it will be a six-man tag with Rock and the Acolytes against himself, The Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan. Rock asks Triple H if that’s the best he can come up with but of course cuts him off with his “It doesn’t matter†line. Rock promises that he’s going to walk out of Backlash the new WWF Champion then wraps up with the usual stuff.

We then get footage of Al Snow and Steve Blackman (reluctantly) visiting a nursing home for seniors earlier today and Blackman assumes they’re there to offer handshakes and autographs for the old folks. Snow says not exactly and once the two of them arrive at the cultural hall Blackman is shocked to find he’s been booked as the entertainment. Snow hands Blackman some 3×5 cards of material he’s written then tells him to knock ‘em dead, just not literally.

The Hardy Boyz vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko
Matt Hardy and Malenko lockup to start and Malenko goes for a whip but Matt reverses it and hits a hiptoss. Matt trips Malenko with a drop toehold then whips him into a corner and charges but Malenko sidesteps him. Malenko gets in his shots then tags Benoit in and whips Matt into a corner and Benoit whips Malenko into Matt but Matt sidesteps it. Matt goes for a kick but Benoit spins Matt right into a dropkick from Malenko. Matt stumbles into a German suplex and Benoit holds on for a second German but Matt fights out of a third then pops Malenko off the apron. Benoit dropkicks Matt through the ropes and Malenko works him over on the floor before throwing Matt back in the ring. Benoit whips Matt into a corner and charges but eats an elbow and Matt hops to the middle rope and hits a flying bulldog from behind. Matt tags Jeff in and the Hardys whip Benoit into a double elbow followed by their combo move. Malenko comes in but Jeff takes him down while Matt hops to the middle rope and the Hardys hit their combo legdrops. Jeff takes it to both Radicals and goes to whip Benoit but Benoit reverses it looking for a powerbomb. Jeff tries to fight out of it when Malenko manages to make a blind tag then climbs to the top rope and hits something like a Doomsday Device on Jeff. Malenko covers Jeff but the referee is too busy with Matt to make the count so Malenko lays the boots to Jeff and hits a back suplex. Benoit tags in to take over and hits a snap suplex followed by a legdrop and a backbreaker for a two count. Jeff tries to crawl to his corner to tag out but Benoit prevents it and makes his tag to Malenko. Malenko whips Jeff into a corner and hits a clothesline then hammers away on him. Benoit tags back in and both men hit a headbutt then Benoit hits a short-arm clothesline and whips Jeff into an elbow. Benoit tags Malenko and whips Jeff into a drop toehold then holds him down while Malenko dropkicks the face. Benoit tags back in and goes for a suplex and Jeff flips out of it but Benoit comes back with a chop. Benoit whips Jeff hard into a corner and nails him from behind with a foreram. Benoit sets Jeff on the top rope then goes up and goes for a back superplex but Jeff manages to shift in mid-air and lands on top of Benoit. Both men start crawling towart their corners and Benoit tags in Malenko while Jeff makes the hot tag to Matt. Matt hammers on Malenko and whips him into a backdrop and Benoit comes in but gets backdropped as well. Matt clotheslines Malenko but Malenko comes back with a leg lariat and covers Matt when Jeff makes the save. Matt elbows Malenko into a corner while Benoit chops Jeff in the other corner and whips him toward Malenko but Matt drops to the mat and Jeff hits the Poetry in Motion on Malenko. Benoit clotheslines Matt and Jeff nails him with a forearm and goes for a whip but Benoit reverses it and tosses Jeff over the ropes. Malenko slams Matt to the mat and covers him but Jeff climbs to the top rope and breaks up the pin the Swanton Bomb. Jeff dropkicks Benoit while Matt drapes an arm over Malenko and collects the three for the pin. *** Very good tag match here with some nice moves on both sides.

Backstage Shane McMahon and Triple H meet with Kurt Angle and agree with him getting screwed at Wrestlemania. Shane decides to offer Angle a chance at once again holding some gold by booking him in a tag team title match tonight and Triple H tells Angle they’ve even handpicked The Big Show as his partner. Angle happily accepts this oppertunity but after he departs Triple H and Shane snicker at what Show has planned as we go to commercial.

WWF Hardcore Title: Crash Holly © vs. Perry Saturn
Saturn brings a trash can full of weapons out to ringside and heads in the ring armed with a crutch. Crash heads out to throw in the rest of the weapons but that allows Saturn to go out and get in the first shots. Saturn drops Crash onto the apron and goes for a whip but Crash reverses and sends him into the ringsteps. Crash rolls Saturn in the ring and snapmares him to the mat then dropkicks him in the head for a near fall. Crash goes for a whip and Saturn reverses it but Crash comes back with the headscissors for another two count. Crash sets a road sign on the mat and looks to DDT Saturn into it but Saturn slips out of it into an armwringer. Saturn whips Crash but Crash ducks a clothesline and leaps up only to get powerbombed onto the road sign. Saturn grabs a trash can lid when Crash floats over him into a Sunset Flip attempt but can’t get Saturn over. Saturn whacks Crash with the lid and sits on his shoulders but Crash counters into his own rollup for a two. Saturn reverses back into his own cover but Crash clocks him with the lid for a cover but that only gets a two count. Crash comes off the ropes but runs into a flapjack and Saturn grabs the crutch and breaks it on Crash’s back. Saturn follows up with a legdrop for a near fall then scoops Crash up and rams him into the turnbuckles. Saturn grabs a cookie sheet and takes a swing at Crash but Crash sidesteps and the sheet bounces into his face. Crash hammers away on Saturn in a corner and connects with a tornado DDT but that only gets a two count. Crash grabs the cookie sheet but Saturn superkicks it into his face and that gets the three for the title! (3:10) Saturn celebrates his title win when Tazz runs in the ring with referee Jim Korderas and grabs the cookie sheet then whacks Saturn in the face with the cookie sheet and covers him for another title change! (3:31) Tazz celebrates his win but Crash waffles him with the cookie sheet and gets the three to regain the belt. (3:45) Crash then grabs his belt and takes off while Tazz and Saturn duke it out with the referees having to separate them. So to recap, in the span of 45 seconds Saturn held a title, Tazz became a three-time Hardcore champion and Crash left as a five-time Hardcore champion. And they wonder why people quickly got annoyed with this 24/7 thing. *

Back from break we get more footage of Steve Blackman at the nursing home doing comedy with Al Snow’s jokes. Blackmam reads a joke about airline food, saying he hadn’t seen peanuts that bad since Charles Schults was alive and Snow laughs hysterically but the others are silent except for one person who says “you stink, black man!â€

WWF World Tag Team Titles: Edge & Christian © vs. Kurt Angle & The Big Show
Angle failed to win the belts with Hardcore Holly last week so let’s see how he fares with Show. Angle comes out first and gets on the mic saying his quest to regain championship gold comes to an end tonight because he has the most dominant force in the WWF as his partner which guarantees bringing home the titles. The Big Show then makes his way out to the ring … but is dressed up as a Scotsman sporting big red eyebrows. Angle is shocked at his partner and asks him what he’s doing and Show responds with a terrible Scottish accent. Angle asks Show to be serious about their title oppertunity but Show continues talking about beating the “wee fairy sissy boys†much to his dismay. Edge starts off with Show and gets in the first shots but Show shurgs them off and tosses Edge across the ring. Christian comes in and chopblocks Show’s knee then E&C both dropkick him into a corner. Christan drops to the mat and Edge launches off Christian hitting the flying crossbody then E&C reverses positions with Edge on the mat. Christian launches off Edge but this time Show catches him and press slams him. Edge climbs up to the top rope and leaps off and Show catches him in a choke but before he can hit the chokeslam Christian makes the save. Show turns around and grabs both of them by the throat then headbutts them before whipping Christian into a corner. Show then whips Edge into Christian … but decides to prance around the ring causing Angle to tag himself in. Angle orders Show to the corner and charges at E&C but the two flapjack Angle onto the turnbuckles and hit another flapjack onto the mat. Christian hammers away on Angle and tags Edge in then slams Angle to the mat and E&C hit a double headbutt for a near fall. Christian tags back in and chops Angle then whips him but lowers the head and Angle kicks the face and clotheslines Christian down. Angle looks for a tag only to see Show dancing on the apron when Edge comes up and hits a bridge suplex for a two count. Edge whips Angle but Angle hits a belly-to-belly suplex then nails Christian with an elbow. Angle turns toward Show and asks what he’s doing before slapping him in the face. Show doesn’t appreciate that and charges in the ring pounding on Angle and throwing him through the ropes. Show conntines beating up his own partner up the ramp as the referee makes the 10 count for the champs. Edge and Christian quickly clear out of the ring while Show throws Angle back in and powerbombs him. Not much of a match but had its funny moments. 1/2*

Backstage Chris Jericho walks up to two women with their backs to him and asks if they’ve seen the Godfather but the two women turn out to be Stephanie and Tori. Jericho realizes his mistake and tries to apoligize but after he leaves Stephanie and Tori take exception to being mistaken for the Godfather’s women.

Bubba Ray Dudley (w/D’Von Dudley) vs. Albert (w/Test & Trish Stratus)
Bubba wants revenge for Albert putting him through a table on Raw. Albert attacks Bubba as he slides in the ring and works him over in a corner then chokes him. Albert whips Bubba into the opposite corner and chagres but eats a boot and Bubba hops to the middle rope and connects with a flying shouldertackle for a two count. Trish hops onto the apron as Bubba goes for a whip and Albert reverses it and Bubba stops himself before he runs into Trish on the apron. Bubba tries to slap Trish but misses then turns back into a boot from Albert for two. Albert whips Bubba in a corner and hits a sidewalk slam for another near fall then slams him to the mat. Albert hops to the middle rope but misses an elbowdrop. Bubba comes back with a clothesline followed by a DDT for a two count. Bubba goes for a whip and Albert reverses it but lowers the head and Bubba kicks the face. Bubba leaps up but Albert counters into a powerbomb for a two count. Albert whips Bubba but Bubba ducks a clothesline and hits his version of a Diamond Cutter for the three. D’Von celebrates his half-brother’s win but Test pulls him off the apron and clotheslines him down while Trish pulls a table out slides it in the ring. Test sets the table up and sets Bubba up for a powerbomb through it but D’Von comes in the ring with a chair and whacks Test in the back for the save. D’Von clocks Albert in the head and places him on the table while Bubba climbs to the top rope and splashes Albert through the table. *

Backstage Chris Jericho tries to apologize to Stephanie and Tori for confusing them with the Godfather’s women but goes on to say they’re almost as attractive as the women only a little wider in the hips. Oops. Stephanie responds by wishing Jericho good luck in his match against X-Pac … and his partner the Road Dogg. Stephanie tells Jericho no hard feelings and Jericho is not happy with this as we go to commercial.

We then get more footage of Steve Blackman earlier today bombing in his comedy act at the old folks home with one of the residents tells Blackman he stinks again. Al Snow tells Blackman to go to the heckle card to respond and Blackman reads off a “your mamma†joke comparing her to Bigfoot but the heckler says her mother died in ’64. Blackman finally has enough of this and breaks out his nunchucks for some action as the heckler says bring it on.

Terri Runnels & The Fabulous Moolah vs. The Kat & Mae Young
Yes, this feud just refuses to end, especially after the makeover Terri gave Kat on Raw. Terri and Kat start off with catfighting and eventually Kat puts Terri in her corner allowing Mae to choke her. Terri crawls under Kat and reaches her corner to tag in Moolah who has words with Kat only to get slapped. Moolah snapmares Kat around the ring by the hair then slaps her around as Terri asks to tag back in. Moolah obliges and Terri does her devil thing then sits on Kat’s shoulders but Kat rolls her up for a two count. Kat throws Terri through the ropes and chases her on the floor but Terri grabs a glass and throws water at her. Terri throws Kat back in the ring and Kat tags Mae in so Terri makes her tag to Moolah and those two go at it. Moolah sort of hits a pair of monkey flips and then goes for a third but Mae grabs the ropes to block it. Mae knocks Moolah down and works her over in a corner when Terri nails her from behind but Mae no-sells it. Mae throws Terri down in a corner when Kat comes in and the two give Broncobusters to their respective foes. Terri rolls out to the floor while Mae throws Moolah across the ring by the hair and Kat spears her. Mae caps off with an elbowdrop and gets the three to finally end this. DUD who's idea was it to give these 4, 4 minutes of ring time.

Chris Jericho vs. Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Tori)
Jericho gets on the mic and does his greeting then mentions insulting Stephanie McMahon earlier, saying he was going to apologize but since he’s getting screwed anyway he might as well run with it and calls Stephanie the most filthy, dirty, disgusting, burtal, bottom-feeder he has ever seen. Jericho starts off with Road Dogg when X-Pac tries to get in a quick shot but Jericho catches him with a chop. Jericho pounds on Road Dogg and goes for a whip, Road Dogg reverses it but Jericho hits a flying forearm. X-Pac comes in and nails Jericho wtih a spinkick and the DX’ers double-team Jericho before X-Pac heads out. Road Dogg whips Jericho into a corner and charges but eats a boot and Jericho hits a spinning heel kick. X-Pac comes in and Jericho sets him up for a powerbomb but Road Dogg breaks that up with a clothesine. Jericho is down as X-Pac goes for the Bronco Buster but Jericho moves and X-Pac straddles the turnbuckles. Road Dogg whips Jericho and Jericho slides under him when Road Dogg comes back with the juke ‘n jive punches but misses the big right. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho but X-Pac breaks that up with a kick and goes for the X-Factor but Jericho counters with a powerbomb. Jericho holds on for the second powerbomb and connects with the Lionsault and Road Dogg tries to make the save but elbowdrops X-Pac by mistake. Jericho drills Road Dogg with a bulldog then knocks X-Pac off the apron with the springboard dropkick. Tori comes in the ring looking to slap Jericho but Jericho blocks it and puts her in the Walls of Jericho. However Road Dogg breaks it up and X-Pac hits the X-Factor allowing Road Dogg to get the three. *1/2 This mainly served as the beginning of the never-ending battle between Jericho and Stephanie but still had some decent action for the short time it lasted.

Back from break we find Triple H and Shane McMahon berating Earl Hebner for his past officiating actions and Shane is ready to fire him. However Triple H suggests probation instead feeling Hebner could make it up to them then warns Hebner if he makes one more bad call he’s fired before dismissing him.

We then get more footage of Al Snow and Steve Blackman earlier today showing them leaving the nursing home. Snow yells at Blackman for using his nunchucks on the elderly and the two climb in their car as a siren is heard.

Stephanie McMahon makes her way out to the ring but with her is some energetic blonde. Stephanie gets on the mic suggesting the fans have a hard time looking at the wrestlers’ svelte, hard bodies when it’s even tougher for all of them to look back at the fans who she calls fat, lazy and celluite-ridden. Stephanie mentions she’s the Women’s Champion and thus represents all the women plus the men and their fat kids. Stephanie decides to perform a public servie for everyone and introduces the blonde as her personal trainer, Muffy, who tries to get everyone to do jumping jacks. Don’t get too excited, though, Muffy only makes one other appearence on Heat before she disappears without a trace.

Backstage The Rock starts making his way to the ring for the main event and is joined by the Acolytes. Rock then asks Bradshaw and Faarooq if they’re man enough to tell him if the McMahons bought them off and Faarooq says they’re man enough to tell Rock nothing. Bradsahw adds Rock will just have to trust them as we go to commercial.

The Rock & The Acolytes vs. Triple H (w/Stephanie & Shane), The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
Rock asks the Acolytes to let him start agains the Bossman and knocks him over the ropes with the Smackdown. Buchanan comes in but Rock clotheslines him down and tosses him over the ropes then turns toward Triple H, daring him to step in the ring against him. However that allows Bossman to blindisde Rock with a right hand and Triple H tags in stomps Rock down in a corner when Earl Hebner pulls him off and gets in his face about it. Rock exchange punches with Triple H and goes for a whip but Triple H reverses it and hits the high knee. Buchanan tags in and works Rock over then whips him but Rock ducks a clothesline and drills him with a DDT. Rock then tags in Faarooq who clotheslines Buchanan and Bossman then pops Triple H and tags in Bradshaw. Both Acolytes whips Buchanan into a double spinebuster and Bradshaw hammers away on him with elbowdrops. Bossman makes the save but Bradshaw knocks him through the ropes to the floor then gets in a shot on Triple H. Bradshaw climbs to the top rope and connects with a flying shoulderblock on Buchanan that gets a two count. Bradsahw goes for a whip but Buchanan reverses it into a boot then runs up the ropes and springs off for the clothesline. Buchanan whips Bradshaw but lowers the head and Bradshaw clubs him in the back and hits a neckbreaker. Bradshaw hits a second neckbreaker then tags in Faarooq who goes for the ropes but Shane grabs his ankle from the floor. Faarooq has words with Shane but Bossman nails him from behind and whip him into a big boot. Buchanan follows up with an Axe Kick for a two count then slams Faarooq to the mat and elbowdrops him. Bossman tags in and throws Faarooq through the ropes and Buchanan comes off the apron with an axehandle. Buchanan and Triple H both whip Faarooq into the ringsteps before Buchanan tosses him back in the ring. Faarooq starts fighting back and comes off the ropes but runs into a boot that gets Bossman a two count. Bossman hits a kneelift before tagging Triple H back in and Triple H pops Bradshaw drawing Rock in the ring and distracting Hebner for a double-team. Triple H stomps Faarooq down in a corner and chokes him with his boot when Hebner pulls Triple H off him and the two start having issues. Shane also hops on the apron and barks at Hebner then shoves him but Hebner shoves him back off to the floor. Triple H and Hebner have their shoving match when Faarooq recovers and whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H hits the facebuster. Triple H goes for the Pedigree but Rock comes in and breaks it up with a clothesline. Faarooq tries to crawl to his corner and Triple H grabs his leg but Faarooq still makes the hot tag to Rock. Rock hammers away on Triple H with clotheslines and goes for a whip, Triple H reverses him into a corner but Rock comes back out with a clothesline. Rock sets Triple H up for a Rock Bottom but Buchanan breaks it up and all six men then come in the ring to go at it. The Acolytes clears Bossman and Buchanan out from the ring while Rock and Triple H get back to their feet and Triple H quickly reazlies realizes he’s surrounded by his opponents. Road Dogg and X-Pac charge in the ring but the Acolytes take them down and they end up spilling out to the floor and I guess that’s the match. ** Okay stuff but they really needed to stop putting Bossman and Buchanan in main events.

Rock works Triple H over and hits the Smackdown then whips him into a spienbuster. Shane suddenly comes in and nails Rock from behind but it has no effect and Rock chases him out of the ring. Shane tries to flee into the crowd but Rock catches him and rams him into the announce table taking the top off. Rock cracks Shane onto the table with a monitor then goes up and hits a Rock Bottom through the table! Rock heads back in the ring and has a staredown with Triple H on the ramp and Smackdown goes off air.

Overall: A few angles started to get built toward Backlash and the in-ring action ranged from the great Hardys/Radicals match to the abismal women’s tag match with with the rest of the contests somehwere in the middle. Plus the main event saw Rock get one back on the Regime, though that’s still no excuse to include the Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan. But this show is Notoriously known for the start of the Jericho/Steph feud. 5/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF RAW IS WAR 04/17/2000
Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (4/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (3/13/2000)

Jericho comes out to the ring when we cut backstage and find Triple H getting ready for this confrontation as Shane looks on. Triple H tells Stepahnie he remembers everything Jericho said about her on Smackdown and promises to show everyone how a real husband defends his wife’s honor as he heads out to the ring. Back in the ring Jericho gets on the mic and does his usual intro then talks about how he’s in hot water again. Jericho brings up how he was punished last Thursday after calling Stephanie a brutal bottom-feeding trash bag and offers to apologize for slandering the “bottom feeing trashbags†by comparing them to Stephanie. Triple H storms out to the ring but Jericho quickly bails out to the floor and decides he’s not done talking yet. Jericho tells Triple H if he wants to really impress Stephanie he should put his WWF Championship on the line! Jericho continues to goad Triple H who gets so incensed at Jericho that he actually agrees to put the title up! Jericho then says he’s invested in an insurance policy before bringing the Acolytes out to ringisde! The crowd is excited that Jericho may take the title as we go right into….

WWF World Heavyweight Title: Triple H © (w/Stephanie & Shane) vs. Chris Jericho (w/The Acolytes)
Jericho comes in the ring with a flying forearm to start the match and gets in the first shots then works Triple H over in a corner. Jericho goes for a whip and Triple H reverses him into the other corner but Jericho ducks a clothesline and trips Triple H with a droptoe hold. Jericho clotheslines Triple H and unloads on him then goes for a whip but Triple H reverses it and hits a knee. Triple H charges but gets backdropped over the ropes and Shane tries to help Triple H up on the floor but the Acolytes walk over convincing Shane to stay back. Jericho goes for a baseball slide but Triple H dodges it and pops him before throwing him back in the ring. Triple H climbs onto the apron but Jericho nails him with the springboard dropkick. Jericho tries to suplex Triple H back in but Triple H blocks it and snaps Jericho on the top rope. Triple H goes in the ring and nails Jericho with a high knee then stomps him down in a corner and chokes him as referee Mike Chioda tries to order a break. Triple H goes out to the floor and drapes Jericho over the apron before elbowing him in the chest and hitting an elbowdrop from the steps. Triple H brings Jericho over to the announce table but Jericho blocks a shot and rams Triple H into the announce table. Jericho then charges at Triple H but runs into a boot (after Triple H taps his knee). Triple H whips Jericho into the steps then poses before throwing him in the ring and hitting a delayed suplex. Triple H follows up with a kneedrop for a two count then unloads on Jericho who’s bleeding from the mouth. Jericho then starts fighting back and whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H drills him with a DDT. Triple H then climbs to the top rope but Jericho goes up and hits an armdrag off the top and across the ring! Jericho chops Triple H and whips him into an elbow then goes for another whip. Triple H reverses Jericho into a corner but eats a boot and Jericho hops to the middle rope and hits a missile dropkick but that only gets two as the crowd though Jericho had the title won there. Jericho whips Triple H, Triple H ducks a clothesline and sets him up for a Pedigree but Jericho counters it. Jericho then goes for the Walls of Jericho but can’t turn Triple H over so he catapults him right into the referee. Jericho comes off the ropes and hits the bulldog then climbs to the top rope but Shane shoves him off it. The Acolytes chase Shane away from ringside to the back as Stephanie slides the title belt in the ring. Both men get to their feet and Triple H goes for the belt but Jericho cuts him off then grabs the belt himself and clocks Triple H in the face with it. Jericho covers Triple H but the referee is still knocked out and Earl Hebner runs in to make the count but only gets two. Jericho is frustrated at this and whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H hits the facebuster. Triple H then notices Hebner in the ring and exchanges words with him before shoving him and Hebner shoves back but Triple H is not amused and responds by shoving Hebner down. However that allows Jerihco to come back and hit a spinning heel kick! Jericho hits the Lionsault and covers Triple H as Hebner quickly counts 1.2.3!!! Jericho wins the title!!!! ***3/4 Good match with a shocking ending and a hot crowd to boot. Triple H is shocked and tries to chase after Hebner but the Acolytes stand in his way as Hebner escapes. Triple H then goes after Jericho in the ring but Jericho bails with the belt to join the Acolytes at ringside. Triple H and Stephanie are furious in the ring at what just went down. Just an awesome opening segment overall

Back from break we get a replay of Chris Jericho upsetting Triple H to win the WWF championship. We then find Triple H and Shane storming into the referee’s locker-room looking for Mike Chioda and Earl Hebner. Once Triple H and Shane quickly find them they drag them back out to the ring with Shane putting Hebner in a full nelson. Triple H grabs a mic and accuses Hebner of cheating him out of the WWF Championship after being put on probation then points out Chioda was the assigned official for the match. Triple H asks Chidoa to watch the finish of the match and after showing the footage of Hebner’s count on the TitanTron Triple H asks Chioda for his unbaised opinion on it. Chioda tells Hebner he agrees with Triple H that it was indeed a fast count and that he did cheat him out of the title and Triple H allows Chioda to leave. Triple H then turns toward Hebner and points out the official referee said it was a fast count then orders Hebner to reverse then decision, that he’s WWF Champion and that the title change never happened. Triple H threatnes to beat up Hebner if he doesn’t comply with his demand but Hebner responds by screaming “NO!†Triple H and Shane start to advance on Hebner when Hebner starts begging off, as if he’s reconsidering his decision. Hebner agrees to reverse the decision if Triple H assures him no one will harm him as long as he’s a WWF official. Triple H agrees to the deal and Hebener ends up reversing the decision, thus Jericho’s first world title win is voided. Triple H then orders Hebner to go to the back and get his title belt back from Chris Jericho then turns to the fans and emphasizes that no matter what may they think they saw, he never lost the WWF title because the match never took place. Hebner walks up the ramp when Jericho comes out to the stage wearing the WWF Championship around his waist. Jericho asks if he has to give up the belt because the match never happened, that no one saw him pin Triple H, then asks if that means Stephanie hasn’t actually been with all the boys in the back? Nevertheless Jericho surrenders the title belt to Hebner without incident and Hebner brings the belt back in the ring ready to hand it over. Triple H instead demands Hebner put the title belt around his waist which he does. Triple H then tells Hebner he’s going to be honoring his end of their deal ….by firing him! Triple H and Shane proceed to beat up Hebner and Triple H lays him out with a Pedigree for the exclamation point. The other referees swarm in to keep Hebner from suffering any more damage and Triple H walks off with the belt.

Back from break we find Eddie Guerrero whacking his brain trying to study for his GED test which is tomorrow. Chyna comes in to tell Eddie they have a match next and put away the books but Eddie’s too worried about the test. Chyna finally gets Eddie’s attention by slamming his hand in his book and emphasizing they have a match now. Chyna then walks off with Eddie mumbling behind her as they head to the ring.

We then get a replay of Triple H firing Earl Hebner after he erased Chris Jericho’s WWF Championship win.

Outside a limousine pulls up and Linda McMahon comes out as Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco greet her. Usually Linda only shows up for big moments so something big must be happening tonight.

The Hardy Boyz vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/Chyna) & Essa Rios (w/Lita)
Eddie and Rios attack the Hardys to start and dump Matt over the ropes then stomp Jeff down in a corner. Eddie whips Jeff into a corner then tosses Rios over his head and Rios follows up with a dropkick on Jeff. Rios then chokes Jeff with his boot in the corner while Eddie goes out and adds in a headlock from the floor. Rios hits a clothesline and snapmares Jeff to to the mat then follows up with a dropkick to the back of the head. Eddie tags in and whips Jeff into a flying heel kick then follows that with a back suplex that gets a two count. Eddie throws Jeff through the ropes then distracts the referee while Chyna gets in a forearm shot on the floor. Eddie pulls Jeff through the ropes bafk in then tags Rios and both men whip Jeff into a dropkick from Rios. Rios hits a fireman’s carry into a slam then tags in Eddie who slings himself over the ropes into a hilo on Jeff. Eddie goes for a whip but Jeff reverses and hits a tilt-o-whirl slam then follows that up with a dropkick. Jeff makes the tag to Matt who dodges a dropkick from Eddie and Rios comes in but eats a clothesline. Matt hits a backdrop on Eddie and slams Rios to the mat then the Hardys whip Eddie and drop him to the mat. Rios charges at the Hardys but gets dumped over the ropes and Jeff slings himself over the ropes into a plancha on him. Matt slams Eddie to the mat while Jeff climbs to the top rope for the Swanton Bomb but Chyna throws him off onto the ropes. Matt works Eddie over and goes for a whip, Eddie reverses him into a corner but Matt lifts himself over him. Matt ducks a clothesline when Rios climbs to the top rope and nails Matt with a moonsault. Eddie then whips Rios into a corner and Rios sails over the ropes and hits a somersault senton on Jeff on the floor! Eddie slams Matt while Lita climbs to the top rope and goes for a moonsault on Matt but nails Eddie by mistake. Matt kicks Lita out of the ring then drills Eddie with the Twist of Fate and that’s all for this one. **3/4 Very fun match here with some cool spots. The Hardys depart and Rios tries to tend to Eddie but Chyna comes in and yells at Rios for Lita’s screw-up then lays him out with a powerbomb. Chyna and Eddie stomp away at Rios before they leave the ring.

Backstage we find Linda McMahon typing on her laptop when Shane McMahon knocks and comes into the office. Shane asks Linda what she’s doing here in Penn State thinking she was off in Europe with Vince on a business trip and Linda says she came back to the States tonight because she has an important announcement which concerns The Rock. Shane wants to know what it is but all Linda says is it’ll be better for him to hear it when everyone else does later. Naturally the announcers are buzzing about what this special announcement could be as we go to commercial.

Back from break Triple H is all worked up about Linda’s surprise as Stephanie and Shane try to calm him down. Triple H refuses to clam down demanding to know why Linda is here and what it is she has to say about The Rock. Stephanie sends Shane to get more information from Linda and Shane eventually leaves after some reluctance.

WWF Hardcore Title: Crash Holly © vs. Perry Saturn vs. Tazz
Tazz comes out wearing the ECW Heavyweight Championship belt and is announced as such while JR explains Tazz won the title “on his day off†last Thursday in Indianapolis (by beating the WCW-bound Mike Awesome). Saturn makes his way out to the ring but Crash nails him from behind with a cookie sheet during his entrance. Crash runs in the ring swinging the cookie sheet but Tazz ducks it and starts getting in his shots. Saturn suddenly comes in and clotheslines both men then scoops Crash up and rams him into the turnbuckles. Saturn then charges at Tazz but runs into an armdrag and Tazz turns toward Crash and climbs up for a superplex but Saturn nails Tazz from behind with the cookie sheet. Saturn goes to whip him but Tazz hits a backdrop and Crash leaps off the middle rope but Tazz catches him with a clothesline. Saturn breaks up the pin and hits Tazz with a flapjack when Crash jumps on Saturn’s back but Saturn shrugs him off and hits a bridge suplex. Tazz breaks up the cover with the cookie sheet then waffles both men with it but Crash nails Tazz from behind. Crash whips Tazz and trips him into the ropes with a drop toehold then whips Saturn and hits a Frankensteiner. Tazz breaks up that cover and goes for a Russian legsweep on Crash but Saturn legsweeps him at the same time. Tazz then clotheslines Crash while Saturn hits a legsweep at the same time, almost like a Total Elimination. Crash rolls out to the floor when Hardcore Holly makes his way out with his own referee and pounds on Crash while Tazz and Saturn are still going at it in the ring and apparenlty we have two title matches going on. Hardcore drops Crash on the barricade while Tazz whips Saturn in the ring and both men clothesline each other. Hardcore covers Crash for a two count on the floor and goes for a whip but Crash reverses him into the post. Crash goes over and grabs a pitcher of Kool-Aid from the announce table … but breaks it before he can use it. In the ring Saturn goes for a whip but Tazz reverses it and hits a spinebuster then slaps on the Tazzmission. However Crash nails Tazz from behind with the cookie sheet while Hardcore drills Saturn with the Hollycaust. Crash dropkicks Hardcore away and covers Saturn himself to get the pin, surviving another hardcore battle. * Crash grabs his belt and takes off to the back while the rest are left in the ring disappointed.

Backstage Shane barges in on Linda again and tries to get more information on her big annoucement about The Rock but all Linda says is that it concerns Backlash. Lina then says it’s about time she reveals it right now and heads out with Shane right behind her as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get footage of Kurt Angle preaching abstinence to the Penn State students earlier today.

Linda McMahon is in the ring ready to make her big announcement as the Helmsleys watch backstage. Linda starts off by saying she’s going to address an unfair situation, especially after what’s already happened tonight. Linda talks about The Rock having the deck stacked against him in his WWF Championship match at Backlash since Vince McMahon has decided to be in Triple H’s corner along with Stephanie to help him out. Thus Linda has decided to put someone in the Rock’s corner to even the odds even though Rock hasn’t asked for help. Linda says it’s not going to be Mick Foley since his return at Wrestlemania was one night only and he’s happily retired. Linda then announces The Rock’s cornerman at Backlash is going to be ….…. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN! The crowd pops loudly for this announcement and JR is going nuts as you’d expect. However the Helmsleys and Shane aren’t as thrilled and the three of them march out to the ring. Stephanie snatches the mic from Linda and cries her meddling is unfair then mentions what happened the last time Linda got involved in their affairs. Stephanie gives Linda a chance to reconsider but Linda refuses so Stephanie decides to slap her mother again. Stephanie rears back but this time Linda blocks it and slaps Stephanie down! Linda immediately recoils in horror at what she’s just done while Stephanie has a look of shock on her face as well. Triple H grabs Linda and sets her up for a Pedigree but Shane’s not letting this happen and stops him with a clothesline! Linda manages to escape the ring while and Shane and Triple H start to go at it while Stephanie stands between them trying to calm her husband and brother down. However they still try to get at each other so Stephanie slaps both of them in the face! Just as the McMahon-Helmsely Regime seems ready to collapse The Rock comes out to the stage to get on the mic. Rock says when he woke up this morning he was feeling great but Linda’s announcement just made his great day better. Rock mentions he and Austin have had their differences in the past but they both absolutely hate Triple H. Rock promises to leave Backlash as the new WWF Champion and finishes with the usual catchphrases while Triple H and Stephanie are left seething as we go to commercial.

Back from break we get a replay of Linda’s annoucement about Steve Austin and Triple H and Shane’s subsequent scuffle. Backstage Michael Cole interviews Triple H and the rest of DX about the night he’s been having. Triple H disagrees with that, “reminding†Cole that his title match with Chris Jericho earlier “never happened†and that nobody beats him. Triple H adds he’s not done with Jericho yet tonight and proceeds to announces a six-man tag for tonight’s main event with himself, Road Dogg and X-Pac against Jericho and the Acolytes. Triple H then promises to take care of business DX style before telling Cole to hit the bricks.

The Dudley Boyz vs. Al Snow & Steve Blackman
As the Dudleys make their way out JR announces they have a match with Test and Albert at Backlash. The Dudleys attack Snow and Blackman on the ramp but they come back and Snow throws D’Von in the ring. Bubba and Blackman duke it out on the floor while in the ring D’Von whips Snow but Snow slides under him and hits an enzuigiri and D’Von rolls out to the floor but Snow connects with an Asai moonsault on D’Von. Bubba throws Blackman in the ring for their turn and goes for a whip but Blackman reverses him into a corner. Blackman goes for a monkey flip and Bubba shoves him off but Blackman hammers away on him with kicks and caps off with a spinkick. Bubba rolls out to the floor but Blackman goes out to continue his assault and goes for a whip but Bubba reverses him into the ringsteps. D’Von brings Snow back in the ring and the Dudleys nail Snow with the 3D. D’Von goes for the cover when Trish Stratus brings out Test and Albert. Trish hops on the apron to distract the referee while Test climbs to the top and hits the elbowdrop on D’Von. Test then rolls Snow onto D’Von and heads out all while the referee turns around and watches him do it! Looks like referee Chad Patton messed up by turning back to the action too soon and as a result has to pretend he didn’t see the interference as he counts the pin for Snow and Blackman. DUD T&A then head in the ring and start working over the Dudleys with Test clotheslining D’Von over the ropes. Bubba is able to turn it around by backdroping Albert over the ropes then grabs Trish by the hair and calls for a table from D’Von. D’Von slides a table in the ring but before anything happens Trish kisses Bubba! Bubba seems mesmerized by the kiss allowing Trish to make her escape with Test and Albert.

We then get more footage of Kurt Angle’s abstinence campaign from earlier today as he interupts a kissing couple. Angle gives the young couple some words of wisdom then hands them both a lollipop before departing.

WWF Light Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty
These two fought the previous night on Heat but Malenko pulled Scotty’s tights to win that encounter so here’s the rematch. Both men lockup to start and Scotty applies a headlock and Malenko shoves him off into the ropes but Scotty hits a shoulderblock. Scotty comes off the ropes and slides under Malenko before hitting a clothesline. Scotty whips Malenko and hits a jumping elbow then whips him again into a corner and goes for the bulldog but Malenko clotheslines Scotty instead. Malenko kicks at Scotty’s ribs then hits a back suplex to get a two count. Malenko beats Scotty down in a corner and headbutts him then hits a vertical suplex and continues his assault. I should mention JR is totally ignoring the match while buzzing about Austin’s return. Malenko stomps Scotty’s hand and hits a kneelift then whips Scotty into an elbow. Malenko snapmares Scotty to the mat and elbows him in the neck then whips him into a corner and clotheslines him. Malenko goes for a whip when Scotty reverses Malenko into a corner but eats a boot. Malenko runs into a powerslam that Scotty gets a two count and Scotty whips Malenko into a backdrop. Scotty whips Malenko into a corner and this time hits the bulldog then follows up with the Worm. Scotty goes for a whip but Malenko counters it and hits a Tigerbomb. Malenko puts Scotty in the Texas Cloverleaf but Scotty manages to inch over and grab the bottom rope for the break and Malenko argues with the referee. Malenko goes for a whip, Scotty reverses him into a corner and charges but gets backdropped over the ropes. Scotty lands on his feet on the apron and pops Malenko and climbs to the top rope. Malenko cuts Scotty off then goes up and hits a superplex but Scotty somehow hooks the legs and gets the 1..2..3 for the title!! Scotty wins the belt his partner was never able to get and celebrates his first WWF gold with a little breakdancing. ** Pretty good match crammed into five minutes but these two would do far better down the line.

We then get another clip of Kurt Angle’s abstenence campaign on the Penn State campus from earlier today, this time showing Angle preaching to the students while holding a sign that reads ‘IT FEELS GREAT WHEN YOU WAIT’. However the Big Show comes along handing out condoms and everyone flocks to him while Angle shakes his head.

WWF Intercontinential Title: Chris Benoit © vs. The Big Show
Show makes his way out and is in his serious mood for this match, no funny costumes or characters this time. Benoit starts off with some chops but they have no effect and Show throws him into a corner and hits a giant chop on him. Show press slams Benoit but misses an elbowdrop and Benoit tries to come back but Show just shrugs off his shots and headbutts Benoit. Show pounds on Benoit then elbows Benoit in the head and throws him through the ropes. Show goes out to the floor and whips Benoit into the ringsteps then scoops Benoit onto his shoulders but Benoit slips out and shoves Show into the ringpost. Benoit hits some kicks but once again Show no-sells them and headbutts Benoit before press slaming him over the ropes back in. Show goes in and clubs Benoit in the back then pops him with a big right hand and whips him into a big boot. Show grabs Benoit by the throat but before Show can hit the chokeslam Benoit kicks him below the belt, intentionally getting himself DQ’ed. Kurt Angle then comes in while Show is down and stomps him repeatedly below the belt as well. DUD

It was suppose to be a tag title match between Edge & Christian © vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan but the Raw i downloaded seem to cut this match out and only showed Kane coming out with Paul Bearer and a cast on his hand and that woke the crowd up. Kane dispatches Bossman with an uppercut then chokeslams Buchanan before setting off his pyro.

Backstage Michael Cole interviews Chris Jericho and the Acolytes about the six-man main event but suggests Bradshaw and Faarooq may have accepted some money on the side from the DX Regime. Bradshaw takes offense to that, saying they’d take money from anybody but they’re standing with Jericho tonight while Faarooq adds they’d be man enough to tell Jericho if the Helmsleys paid them off. Bradshaw then threatens to beat Cole up for free before they head out. Cole has really been getting the business tonight.

We then get a replay of Kane returing and getting revenge on Bossman and Bull Buchanan for his broken hand.

Elsewhere Road Dogg and X-Pac are standing with Tori when Edge and Christian walk by and exchange words. E&C then start walking away when Road Dogg and X-Pac jump them from behind and beat them down. The DX’ers tell E&C to shine the belts up for them and depart as we go to commercial.

Chris Jericho & The Acolytes vs. Triple H, Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Stephanie, Shane & Tori)
Triple H starts off with Bradshaw and exchanges words before getting in the first shots. Triple H then goes for a whip but Bradshaw reverses it and connects with a boot. Jericho asks to be tagged in and once Bradshaw obliges Jericho charges at Triple H but runs right into a Pedigree attempt. However Bradshaw bails Jericho out with a lariat on Triple H and the Acolytes chase Road Dogg and X-Pac out to the floor. Jericho puts Triple H in the Walls of Jericho but before Triple H can submit X-Pac makes it back in the ring and nails Jericho with a spinkick for the save. Road Dogg follows up with the shake, rattle ‘n kneedrop on Jericho and the DX’ers work him over in a corner. Triple H tags in and stomps Jericho down in the corner then whips him but Jericho comes back with a forearm. Farrooq and X-Pac both tag in but Faarooq clotheslines X-Pac then catches Road Dogg with a powerslam. Bradshaw comes in and whips X-Pac and X-Pac goes for a crossbody off the ropes but Bradshaw catches him then boots Road Dogg before hitting X-Pac with the fallaway slam. Jericho gets in a shot on Road Dogg but X-Pac nails Faarooq with a spinkick and stomps away on him while Road Dogg hammers him from the floor. Triple H pulls Faarooq out to the floor and drops him onto the ringsteps before X-Pac rolls him back in. Road Dogg tees off on Faarooq when Faarooq fights back and whips him but Road Dogg floats over Faarooq and hits the juke ‘n jive punches. Road Dogg readies for the big right but Faarooq stops that with a spinebuster. Faarooq manages to tag in Bradshaw but the referee misses it and orders Bradshaw back out to the corner. While the referee is occupied with this DX triple-teams Faarooq in their corner and X-Pac kicks him down. Road Dogg tags in and puts Faarooq in a facelock to keep him from tagging out as Faarooq tries to budge him. Triple H tags in when Faarooq starts to fight back and whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H nails him with the facebuster. Bradshaw breaks up the pin and X-Pac comes in without a tag and chokes Faarooq and Road Dogg and X-Pac takes turns getting in their shots. X-Pac goes for a whip but Faarooq reverses him into a corner and X-Pac runs into a cool-looking backbreaker. Both men start crawling to their corners and X-Pac tags in Triple H while Faarooq makes the hot tag to Jericho. Jericho takes it to all three DX’ers and drills Triple H with the bulldog then hits the Lionsault and covers him but X-Pac makes the save. X-Pac nails Jericho with the X-Factor but Bradshaw knocks X-Pac through the ropes while Faarooq does the same to Road Dogg. The Acolytes go out and fight the DX’ers up the ramp to the stage when Edge and Christian come out looking to get a piece of the DX’ers and all six guys disappear backstage. That leaves Triple H and Jericho down in the ring and Triple H drapes an arm over Jericho but only gets two. Triple H then sees the Acolytes coming back out when Jericho rolls him up from behind but that only gets two. Suddenly The Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan make their way down and attack the Acolytes from behind. Jeircho goes for a whip but Triple H reverses him into a corner and hits the Pedigree and that’s it. *** Good main event but everyone knew Jericho wasn’t going to beat Triple H twice in one night. After the match Triple H poses with Stephanie and Shane and they shake hands and hug, having made up at least for tonight. And for some reason The Rock never shows up for the happy ending as Raw goes off the air.

Overall: This was a fucking amazing RAW You could tell by this time that they were positioning Chris Jericho to be the #2 babyface behind The Rock as he got to beat Triple H and hold the WWF Title, even if only for 15 minutes. The rest of the show had some nice in-ring action for the most part such as the Light Heavyweight Title match and the Hardys vs. Eddie/Rios tag as well as some big moments including the announcement of Steve Austin’s return. The show does lose steam in the last half-hour with some Half assed DUD matches but ends in a good way with a good/great 6man match but still a great, eventful episode of Raw. Too bad Chris Jericho would have to wait 18 more months for a real world title regin. 8/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF SMACKDOWN 04/20/2000
First Union Center in Philadelphia, PA​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (4/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Scotty 2 Hotty (4/17/2000)

[video=youtube;V1-_iI4qZNc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1-_iI4qZNc[/video]
Smackdown comes on the air with highlights of Triple H’s bad day on Raw, including briefly losing the title, Linda McMahon’s announcement on Steve Austin and the Regime’s breakdown.

Road Dogg vs. Edge
This stemmed from Road Dogg and X-Pac jumping Edge and Christian from behind on Raw, and apparently because of that the DX’ers get another tag team title shot at Backlash. Road Dogg makes his way out first and gets on the mic to do his rhyming while promising to win the tag titles. Edge comes out and poses on the turnbuckles when Road Dogg tries a sneak attack but eats a flying elbow. dge gets in his shots and goes for a whip, Road Dogg reverses it but Edge comes back with a shouldertackle. Road Dogg rolls out to the floor to regroup but Edge hits a baseball slide then drops him onto the barricade. Edge rams Road Dogg into the steps and rolls him in the ring but Road Dogg hits Edge with a dropkick through the ropes. Road Dogg leaps off the apron with a clothesline then rams Edge into the barricade before throwing him back in. Road Dogg whips Edge into a corner but Edge sidesteps him and hits a Northern Lights suplex for a two count. Road Dogg jabs Edge in the eyes to get the advantage then boots in the head and covers him for a two count. Edge whips Road Dogg and Road Dogg comes back and hits the juke ‘n jive punches but misses the big right. Edge rolls Road Dogg up but Road Dogg counters into his own rollup and holds the tights to get the three. *3/4 It was getting good when it suddenly ended.

Backstage Triple H is walking with Stephanie and Shane McMahon who says he’s going to round everyone up and departs while Stephanie mentions plans to “divide and conquer” tonight as we go to commercial.

Back from break they’re doing a series of ‘Stone Cold Strikes’ clips on the show. This one shows Steve Austin’s shoving match with Mike Tyson in January 1998 on Raw.

Triple H makes his way out to the ring along with Stephanie to get on the mic for our talking segment. Triple H addresses all the talk of him having a bad day on Raw by claiming he doesn’t have that many bad days and s Monday wasn’t even that bad of a day for him. Triple H claims the record books will clearly back him up because they’ll show he never lost the WWF Championship to Chris Jericho in a match that never happend and there was never a quick count by Earl Hebner before the Helmsleys fired him. Triple H does admit the one bad thing on Raw was Linda McMahon announcing Steve Austin will be at Backlash. Triple H calls Linda a psycho for slapping her own daughter and tells Stephanie he doesn’t feel comfortable leaving their kids with her. Triple H also brings up grabbing Linda claiming he wasn’t really going to Pedigree her, he just wanted to scare her. Triple H mentions Shane did punch him in response but he’s okay with it since Shane’s always been a mama’s boy. Triple H then addresses Austin being in The Rock’s corner during their WWF Championship match at Backlash, saying Linda is trying to ruin a fair championship match between two athletes by stacking the odds against him. Triple H says Rock will have someone in every corner tonight because he will face Chris Jericho in a lumberjack match with the lumberjacks for that match being handpicked at this very moment by Shane himself. Triple H then assures the fans that the McMahon-Helmsley Regime is in control and there will be no more bad days. Tazz makes his way out to the stage still wearing the ECW World Heavyweight title belt. Tazz gets on the mic and claims Triple H always talks like all his bases are covered before challening him to a match! Tazz adds the WWF Championship doesn’t have to be on the line, all he wants is for Triple H to take him on tonight and Triple H accepts the match. Triple H then makes fun of Tazz’s championship belt and promises to prove to everyone that ECW sucks, prompting an “ECW” chant from the Philly crowd. Tazz responds by promising to choke Triple H out and Cole starts buzzing about having two world champions in the ring together for the first time in forever.

Backstage Chyna is walking with Lita and says Eddie Guerrero is in a good mood tonight after passing his GED test so he wants to give Essa Rios another chance to team up with him, this time against The Dudley Boyz. However Chyna warns Lita not to screw this match up like she did on Monday as we go to commercial.

Backstage Kurt Angle is walking when Stephanie McMahon runs up to him and starts sweet-talking him, saying his biggest quality is his credability. Stephanie invites Angle to be a lumberjack in the main event and Angle happily accepts then some tension develops between him and Stephanie before the two separate. (And the love trinagle returns)

The Dudley Boyz vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/Chyna) & Essa Rios (w/Lita)
Once again Eddie hands Chyna roses on the stage and again Chyna drops them on the ramp as they head to the ring. Rios locks up with Bubba Ray Dudley to start and Bubba knees him in the chest and clubs him in the back. Bubba whips Rios and goes for a backdrop but Rios lands on his feet and comes back with a headscissors. Rios follows up with a spinning heel kick but Bubba comes back and plants him with the Full Nelson bomb. D’Von tags in and goes for a whip and Rios reverses it but D’von hits him with a shoulderblock. D’von comes off the ropes and Rios leapfrogs over him but D’Von whips Rios again and connets with a flying shoulder-block for a two count. Rios fights back and kicks D’Von down then tags Eddie who climbs to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick. Eddie hammers D’Von in a corner then whips him into the opposite corner and chagres when D’Von sidesteps him and Eddie lands on his feet the middle rope but D’von hits a neckbreaker. Bubba and Rios both get the tag and Bubba hits Rios with a hiptoss and press slams Eddie then whips Rios ino a backdrop. Bubba hits Eddie with a sidewalk slam then whips Rios and Rios kicks the face and goes for a huricanrana and Bubba counters into a powerbomb. Eddie saves it with a dropkick but D’Von clotheslines him over the ropes. The Dudleys whip Rios looking for a 3D but but Eddie pulls Bubba out to the floor and Rios comes back with a DDT on D’Von. D’Von rolls out to the floor but Rios climbs to the top rope and connects with a flying crossbody on the floor. Bubba and Eddie are also going at it nearby and Bubbs tries to whip Eddie into Chyna but Chyna stops him. Lita climbs to the top rope and goes for her crossbody on Bubba but Bubba ducks and Lita takes out Eddie. Chyna angrily yells at Lita for her mistake while in the ring the Dudleys hit the 3D on Rios for the pin. *1/2 Lita goes in to check on Rios but Chyna follows her and grabs her by the hair. However the Dudleys also slide a table in the ring and sets it up, looking to make one of the ladies their next victim. Chyna turns around and finds the Dudleys and a table so she tosses Lita at them and quickly makes her escape. Bubba sits on the top rope while D’Von passes Lita to him and Bubba superbombs her through the table! Bubba has the euphoric trance and Lawler figures Bubba hopes to do the same to Trish Stratus at Backlash.

Backstage Perry Saturn is talking with Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit about Tazz looking like Donkey Kong. Shane McMahon comes in and asks Benoit about his Intercontinential title defense with Benoit saying it won’t take long. Shane McMahon then invites all three Radicalz to be lumberjacks for the main event and all three accept.

Rikishi and The Big Show are both shown walking to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.

The Big Show vs. Rikishi Phatu
Before the match Cole mentions the issues Show has with Kurt Angle before announcing they will go one-on-one at Backlash. Show comes out in his fun mode and gets on the mic saying in Philadelphia they call him “The Big Fun-kay!” Show talks about Rikishi dancing and challenges him to a dance contest to see who shakes their rump better. Show decides to start things off and break dances to Too Cool’s theme and Rikishi seems amused by his moves. Rikishi then dons his shades and takes his turn when Show clotheslines him from behind to jump start the match. Show headbutts Rikishi and hits a giant chop in a corner then whips him into the opposite corner but eats a boot. Rikishi superkicks Show down into a corner and moves in for the Stinkface but Show bails out to the floor. Rikishi goes after Show but Show slides back in the ring and stomps Rikishi as he climbs in then headbutts him again. Show goes for a whip but Rikishi counters it and hits a DDT then follows up with a legdrop for a two count. Rikishi tries to scoop Show up but collapses under the weight with Show splashing him. Show elbows Rikishi in the head and comes off the ropes with a forearm then starts mocking Scotty 2 Hotty, even hiting the Worm on Rikishi!! Show whips Rikishi into a corner and charges at him but Rikishi sidesteps him and comes back with an armdrag. Rikishi hits a Samoan Drop followed by the running butt charge then clotheslines Show and himself over the ropes. Both men get to their feet on the floor and Rikishi whips Show into the steps as the referee makes the 10 count. * Show starts to head back up the ramp but Rikishi gets on the mic and dares Show to come back in the ring. Once Show returns they have a staredown when Rikishi gives Show a pair of shades and Show does the same to Rikishi and the two start the post-match dance. As Kurt Angle watches this from the back in disbelief Show looks for some love when Rikishi superkicks him and takes back his shades. Riksihi then walks off while Show is left in the ring looking dumbfounded.

Back from break they show a trailer for the new movie “The Gladiator”. After that Kevin Kelly interviews Kurt Angle backstage about constantly being labeled a modern-day gladiator. Angle claims Steven Spielberg personally invited him to the premiere and also has him in mind for a possible sequel. Kevin then brings up Big Show’s dance routine and Angle says Show used to mean something as WWF Champion but nowadays he stands for nothing while he himself stands for intensity, integrity and intelligence Angle says the world will be a better place once he wins the Intercontinential Title and he’ll see us … at the movies.

Triple H © (w/Stephanie McMahon) vs. Tazz
Well if there’s to be a WWF Champion vs. ECW Champion match Philadelpha is definetly the place to do it. After all both companies do have history in this city, Cole and Lawler even debate about it. Triple H and Tazz stand nose-to-nose and sadly they can’t disguise the fact that Tazz is significantly shorter. Both men lockup to start and Triple H forces Tazz into a corner but Tazz knocks him back down a right hand. Triple H pounds away on Tazz and goes for a whip but Tazz reverses it and connects with a pair of clotheslines. Tazz beats on Triple H in a corner and goes for a T-bone Tazplex but Triple H fights out of it and clotheslines him. Tazz whips Triple H but lowers the head and Triple H kicks the face but Tazz clotheslines him over the ropes. Tazz then goes out after Triple H and rams him into the announce table then slams him onto the floor. Tazz goes for a whip but Triple H reverses and sends Tazz into the steps then drops him onto the barricade before throwing him back in the ring. Triple H then hits a suplex followed by a kneedrop for a two count and Tazz fights back but Triple H knees him in the chest to stop the rally. Tazz comes back with a back suplex then whips Triple H into an elbow and whips him looking for a belly-to belly suplex but Triple H headbutts him. Triple H comes off the ropes and Tazz plants him with a Northern Lights Tazplex but only gets a two count. Tazz whips Triple H and Triple H hits the facebuster but Tazz ducks a clothesline and locks in the Tazzmission! However Stephanie distracts the referee while Triple H hits a mule kick below the belt to escape from the hold and takes him out with the Pedigree. Suddenly from out of the crowd comes … Tommy Dreamer!! The referee tries to keep Dreamer out of the ring when Triple H goes over and decks Dreamer off the apron. Dreamer brings a chair in the ring and takes a swing at Triple H but misses him and nails Tazz by accident. Triple H takes out Dreamer with a Pedigree then covers the unconcious Tazz and gets the three. Triple H then raises his WWF championship belt into the air, feeling he’s defended his company’s honor. ** Pretty solid, competitive match that would prove to be the height of Tazz’s WWF run. I just wish the match would of been a little bit longer.

Backstage Trish Stratus is giving a pep talk to Test and Albert before their match but they seem a little distracted. Trish has to constantly tell her charges to concentrate on the match and keep their eyes up as we go to commercial.

The Godfather & D’Lo Brown (w/the ladies) vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)
D’Lo comes out in his normal gear for a change and Godfather does his speil but gets interupted by T&A. Test starts off with D’Lo and whips him and D’Lo slides under a boot but Test comes back with a clothesline. Test goes for a whip, D’Lo reverses it and Test ducks a clothesline but D’Lo plants him with a back suplex. D’Lo goes for a whip but Test counters it with the full nelson slam as we see Bubba Ray Dudley watching on the stage. Albert tags in and hits a pair of clotheslines then goes for a whip but D’Lo blocks a clothesline and fights back. Trish looks over and sees Bubba slowly advancing down the ramp when D’Von comes out to reason with him. In the ring D’Lo whips Albert into a slam from Godfather and D’Lo splashes him while Godfather adds a legdrop. Godfather goes for a whip and Albert reverses it but Godfather hits a kick to the chest followed by a crescent kick. Test breaks up the pin as we see D’Von has apparently convinced Bubba to go with him back to the lockerroom. D’Lo works Test over in a corner while Godfather does the same to Albert and they whip T&A into each other. D’Lo knocks Albert through the ropes while Godfather goes for the Ho Train on Test but Albert grabs his leg. D’Lo and Godfather both whip Albert into Test in a corner and this time Godfather connects with the Ho Train. Godfather goes for the Death Valley Driver while D’Lo charges at Albert but misses him and nails Godfather. Test drops D’Lo with a right hand while Albert plants Godfather with the chokebomb to grab the pin. 1/2* D’Lo and Godfather try to sort out what happened and Godfather seems willing to forgive D’Lo for his error and looks for a hug. D’Lo instead plants Godfather with a Sky Hi and yells at him before storming off and that’s the end of that partnership, as well as D’Lo’s face run.

X-Pac (w/Tori) vs. Christian
Both men lockup to to start and X-Pac applies a headlock when Christian shoves him off into the ropes but X-Pac hits a shoulderblock. X-Pac comes off the ropes and Christian leapfrogs over him but X-Pac grabs a waistlock. Christian slings X-Pac through the ropes and X-Pac climbs on the apron but Christian slides out to the floor under him then drops X-Pac onto the apron. Christian goes back in the ring and hits a baseball slide before going back out. Tori grabs Christian’s hair and Christian shoves her down but turns back just as X-Pac nails him with a spinkick. X-Pac throws Christian into the steps then rolls back in the ring but Christian rams him into the turnbuckles. Christian then climbs up to the top rope but X-Pac kicks his leg causing him to straddle the turnbuckle. Christian tumbles down to the mat landing in a sitting position and X-Pac follows up with the Bronco Buster. X-Pac snapmares Christian to the mat then applies a chinlock but Christian fights out of it. Christian ducks a spinkick and goes for a Slop Drop but X-Pac kicks his way out of it and connects with a clothesline for a two count. X-Pac climbs to the top rope and goes for a somersault senton but misses and Christian hits him with a dropkick. Christian goes for a whip and X-Pac reverses but Christian blocks a clothesline and hits the Slop Drop for two. Christian whips X-Pac into a corner and charges but eats a boot and X-Pac comes out but runs into a gutbuster. Christian goes for the Unprettier when Road Dogg runs out to the apron so Christian goes over and decks him. Edge comes out and attacks Road Dogg but X-Pac hit the X-Factor on the distracted Christian for the win. Edge goes in the ring and wails away on X-Pac while Christian hammers Road Dogg in a corne then drops to the mat while Edge launches off him into a flying crossbody on Road Dogg. Edge clotheslines X-Pac over the ropes and E&C stand tall even though both champs got pinned by the challengers in singles matches. ** Really fun for 3 and a half minutes.

Backstage the Dudleys are walking when Shane runs up telling them that what they did to Lita earlier is insane then invites them to be lumberjacks. D’Von asks if tables will be involved Shane says anything can happen. Shane then tells the Dudleys they can hit the 3D on anyone they want on the floor and they finally accept the offer.

Back from break another ‘Stone Cold Strikes’ clip is shown, this one of Austin’s beer bath for the Corporation in March 1999.

WWF Intercontinential Title: Chris Benoit © vs. Kurt Angle
Both men lockup to start and jockey for position in a corner before Angle takes Benoit down with a waistlock. Angle follows up with a dropkick and starts celebrating but Benoit interupts that foolishness with a pair of chops. Benoit goes for a whip but Angle reverses it and hits a belly-to-belly throw then works Benoit over in a corner and chokes him with his boot. Benoit fights out of the corner and hits a snap suplex for a two count then whips Angle into an elbow for another two count. Benoit slams Angle to the mat and hits a running elbowdrop. Benoit whips Angle and blocks a backslide attempt but Angle hits a belly-to-belly suplex instead for a near fall. Angle scoops Benoit up when Benoit counters into a rollup for two then rakes the face. Benoit goes for a whip but Angle counters into a suplex for another near fall. Angle goes for a whip but Benoit reverses him hard into a corner and hits a German suplex then holds on for a second German suplex and sitll holds on for a third German. Benoit climbs to the top rope when the Big Show appears and shoves Benoit off to the floor promting a DQ. Show then goes in the ring after Angle but Angle takes off for the back with Show following behind him. **1/4 Good match but really needed more time and an actual finish. Benoit gets the win to retain the title but doesn’t seem happy he didn’t get to pin Angle cleanly.

Backstage Triple H meets with The Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan and invites them to be lumberjacks as well. The two of them don’t hesitate to accept and everyone gets excited about the main event as we go to commercial.

Backstage the McMahon-Helmsley Regime is gathered around a table talking about the great night they’re all having. Triple H congradulates Road Dogg and X-Pac on their wins tonight, feeling they have the tag team titles in the bag. Shane then tells everyone they need to focus on the lumberjack match later saying if someone gets out, nail them.

We then get a clip of Crash Holly’s latest Hardcore Title defense from earlier today at the Ringling Bros. circus. Crash is walking around when a pair of clowns appear and one of them recognizes him as the Hardcore Champion before suddenly attacking him. The clown covers Crash while the other clown reveals himself as referee Teddy Long but only gets a two count. Crash throws the clown into a trailer then tries to slip away but gets ambushed by another clown who covers him for a near fall. The second clown dumps a bucket of something on Crash and covers for another two count. A third clown comes along and helps his buddy double-team Crash while wailing away on him with his big clown shoe. One of the clowns covers Crash but the other breaks it up and they start fighting each other allowing Crash to escape. The three clowns are then revealed as the Mean Street Posse who are frustrated Crash has eluded them once again.

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews The Rock about the lumberjack match and Rock starts off with his “Finally…” bit then talks about Triple H booking him against Chris Jericho. Rock says he doesn’t have a problem with Jericho and claims all Triple H is doing is delaying the inevitable, that he only has 10 days left as WWF Champion. Rock tells Triple H to live it up with the title while it’s still in his posession with him and even offers a few suggestions. Rock also mentions if Vince McMahon gets involved in their match there’s a Rattlesnake ready to be unleashed. Rock says regardless of what Triple H throws at him he will be the next WWF Champion at Backlash.

Lumberjack Match: The Rock vs. Chris Jericho
So the lumberjacks are DX, the Dudleys, the Radicals, Kurt Angle, Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan. Jericho comes out as Triple H taunts him with the title belt while Rock comes in and gives Triple H a glance. Rock and Jericho both stare the lumberjacks before exchanging punches to start and Rock gets the advantage. Rock whips Jericho but Jericho comes back with a flying forearm then works him over with chops and kicks. Jericho goes for a whip and Rock reverses him into a corner as we see the Hemlsleys watching from the ramp. Rock charges at Jericho and eats a boot but then nails Jericho with an elbow and lays the boots to him. Jericho comes back but Rock throws him over the ropes and the lumberjacks descend on Jericho on the floor and beat on him before throwing him back in the ring. Rock covers Jericho for a two count then hits a suplex for another two count. Rock goes for a whip but Jericho reverses and hits a spinning heel kick. Rock rolls out to the apron when Jericho connects with the springbard dropkick, knocking him off to the floor. The lumberjacks work Rock over and Triple H comes over to get a shot before Rock is tossed back in the ring. Jericho stomps away on Rock when Rock fights back and comes off the ropes but eats a clothesline for a near fall. Jericho throws Rock through the ropes and the lumberjacks beat Rock down before tossing him back in the ring and Jericho connects with the Lionsault but only gets a two count. Jericho goes for a whip and reverses it but lowers the head and Jericho kicks the face but runs into a tilt-o-whirl slam for a near fall. Rock then goes out to the floor and starts attacking the lumberjacks but gets overwhelmed by the numbers. Jericho goes out and starts throwing punched but he gets swarmed by the lumberjacks and thrown into the steps. Rock and Jericho are both thrown back in the ring and down on the mat as the referee starts making the count. Triple H then tries to come in the ring but that distracts the referee while Chris Benoit climbs to the top rope and hits the diving headbutt on Jericho. Rock manages to drape an arm over Jericho but only gets two and Triple H again hops on the apron to distract the referee while X-Pac comes in and nails Rock with the X-Factor. Jericho covers Rock but he only gets two as well and Rock comes back and plants Jericho with a spinebuster. The lumberjacks start climbing onto the apron but Rock tries to fight them off then brings Triple H in the ring and knocks him back over the ropes with the Smackdown. Shane comes in and nails Rock from behind and Rock goes after Shane who tries to escape through the ropes but Jericho beats on Rock. Jericho goes for a whip but Rock counters it and hits Jericho with a Rock Bottom. Rock covers Jericho but Triple H pulls Rock out of the ring. Rock is able to fight Triple H off then rolls back in the ring and plants Jericho with a second Rock Bottom. Rock covers Jericho but Shane distracts the referee while Triple H clocks Rock with the championship belt. Triple H then drapes Jericho’s arm over Rock and the referee counts the three for the pin. **1/2 It goes down as a win for Jericho but Triple H’s theme starts playing for some reason and Lawler explains it’s because Triple H is the real winner tonight. Triple H and the McMahons celebrate their two main enemies being destroyed as Smackdown goes off the air.

Overall: This has to be the most avarage Smackdown i've seen thus far, where everything stayed at one level meaning nothing was Awful and nothing was Amazing it was just good. The in-ring action wasn’t too bad but almost all the matches were won by heels and only the main event really had much angle progression. The highlight was definitely Tazz having a competitive match with the WWF Champion, but sadly his WWF run would go downhill from there. So i would say this is a step down from that great Raw. And they really didn't hype up Backlash that much. 6/10

 

[Crippler]

WWF RAW IS WAR 04/24/2000
Entertainment & Sports Arena in Ralegih, NC​

List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/03/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (4/02/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (4/02/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly (4/13/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Scotty 2 Hotty (4/17/2000)

Kurt Angle vs. Rikishi Phatu
Angle gets on the mic saying fans may wonder why he’s concentrating on the Big Show and not winning gold. Angle says he dislikes and doesn’t appreciate a big ASS which is what Rikishi has and what he feels Show is. Angle also says nobody would have to put up with Rikishi’s rump had his parents practiced abstinence. Angle rushes at Rikishi getting in the first shows but Rikishi shoves him away and hammers him with rights. Rikishi whips Angle but lowers the head and Angle goes for a suplex but can’t get Rikishi off his feet and Rikishi counters with his own suplex. Rikishi whips Angle and Angle goes for a Sunset Flip but can’t get him over. Rikishi goes for the sitdown splash but Angle quickly avoids it and manages to hit a belly-to-belly suplex. Angle works Rikishi over in a corner and caps off with a pair of running clotheslines but they have no effect and Rikishi comes out with his own clothesline. Rikishi whips Angle in a conrer and goes the running butt splash but Angle throws the referee in Rikishi’s way causing him to take the hit and the referee calls for the bell. 1/2* potentially decent match cut down for no reason. The Big Show suddenly rins in and plants Angle with a sidewalk slam allowing Rikishi to give Angle the Stinkface. Show goes out and chases Angle from the ring then goes back in and has a staredown with Rikishi. Show gives Rikishi a pair of shades and leaves the ring while Rikishi commences with the dance. Amazingly the crowd was really in these three minutes.

Outside we see the DX Express pulling into the parking lot with the Helmsleys and Shane McMahon filing out as we go to commercial.

[video=youtube;gMA7tWWeaME]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMA7tWWeaME[/video]
0:00 - 0:39

Triple H, Stephanie and Shane McMahon come out to the ring to give us our long promo segment. Shane gets on the mic first and says Vince McMahon will arrive momentarliy but first he has something to get off his chest. Shane turns to Triple H and apologizes for his actions last week, saying he knew he’d never hit Linda with the Pedigree and that he loves the McMahon family as much as he does. Shane calls Triple H the best brother-in-law ever, that he never had a big brother and that he loves him and the two of them hug share a tearful embrace. Stephanie takes the mic and continues the mushy stuff by apologizine to both of them for hurting them with her actions. Barf. Triple H then takes the mic and says he may owe the fans an apology for some of his actions as of late in the WWF. Triple H asks if striking Chris Jericho’s big win from the record books and humiliaitng and firing Earl Hebner on television was unfair. Triple H also asks if it was fair to make The Rock compete in a lumberjack match so close to losing his title match at Backlash? Triple H calls himself a fair guy and starts talking about tonight when Chris Jericho comes out to the stage to respond on the mic. Jericho says Triple H should be apologizing for boring the fans with his long, tedious interviews week after week before asking him to see the fans don’t care. Jericho then tells Triple H if he really wants to be fair he should grant him a rematch for the WWF Championship tonight. Triple H asks Jericho why he should reward him after all the derogatory things he said about his delicate “little flowerâ€. Jericho responds by saying Stephanie lost her flower a long time ago and calls her a filthy, dirty, brutal bottom-feeder. Shane takes the mic saying he’s tired of both Jericho and The Rock constantly disparaging Stephanie with their remarks and decides to book a special tag match for tonight, with Jericho teaming with The Rock against Triple H and himself. Triple H agrees with the match and denies Jericho his title shot while Stephanie taunts Jericho at ringside by dangling the title belt in his face. However Jericho is able to snatch the belt out of Stephanie’s hands and starts walking up the ramp with it. Triple H heads out to get his belt but Jericho waffles him in the face with it and tosses it on his prone body.

JR then switches gears and mentions Eddie Guerrero passing his GED test last week and having his prom on Sunday. We cut to the back and find Eddie trying out a greet jacket and tuxedo t-shirt as Chyna dresses behind a screen. Once Chyna see it she tells Eddie it makes him look like a Gumby reject and orders him to find something else. JR also mentions that same night Eddie also has a European Title defense with Essa Rios as Backlash.

Back from break we get a recap with Chris Jericho’s latest encounter with the Helmselys and Shane earlier. We then get footage of Chris Benoit assaulting Jericho backstage with his Intercontinential belt during the break and saying “Here’s another championship you’ll never getâ€. Last night on Heat these two had a confrontation leading to an IC title match being agreed upon and JR says that match will take place at Backlash.

WWF Intercontinential Title: Chris Benoit © vs. Road Dogg
Road Dogg is on his own tonight. JR explains X-Pac’s family had a recent tragedy so he’s not here. Road Dogg does his spiel on the mic but mentions Dennis “Mideon†Knight who was suffering from a serious illness at the time. Once both men are out Edge & Christian appear and join the announcers for commentary for some reason. Christian says once Road Dogg has the advantage he and Edge are going to interfere and cost him the match and Edge adds that wrestling circles call that a “run-inâ€. Interesting. Both men lockup to start and jockey for position in a corner and Benoit gets the first shots and stomps Road Dogg down. Road Dogg jabs the eyes to get the advantage then applies a headlock. Benoit goes to shove Road Dogg off when Road Dogg counters it into a whip but Benoit rolls under a boot and hits a Dragon legwhip. Benoit dropkicks Road Dogg through the ropes as Tori makes her way out to ringside. Benoit goes out and rams Road Dogg into the announce table then throws him back in. Benoit goes for a whip, Road Dogg reverses him into a corner but eats a boot. Benoit comes out but misses a clothesline and Road Dogg hits the juke ‘n jive punches but Benoit ducks the big right. Benoit goes for a German suplex but Road Dogg fights out of it and drops Benoit with a right hand then hits the shake, rattle ‘n kneedrop for two. Benoit pulls Road Dogg by the tights through the ropes then goes out and rams him into the barricade repeatedly. Benoit goes for a suplex but Road Dogg counters and suplexes him on the barricade. Road Dogg heads back in the ring when E&C decide this is a good time for thier run-in and Christian starts to head in the ring but Tori stops him. The referee tries to keep Christian out of the ring but Edge comes in behind his back and spears Road Dogg. Benoit climbs to the top rope and connects with the diving headbutt to secure the pin. ** Solid match for what it was. Benoit departs while E&C attack Road Dogg then whip him and hit a combo sidewalk slam/neckbreaker. Tori comes in to help Road Dogg but Edge kisses her before Christian plants her with the Slop Drop.

Backstage Kurt Angle visits the Acolytes’ office which has a ‘under construction’ sign hanging from the doorway. Angle offers to pay them to beat up The Big Show but Bradshaw and Faarooq make jokes at Angle’s expense. Bradshaw explains they only take money to protect people and Angle agrees and starts to head out to fetch his wallet. Hovever Angle first decides to suggest the Acolytes might want to cut down on their drinking, smoking and gambling habits. Naturally Angle’s advice rubs them the wrong way so Bradshaw and Faarooq chase him out of the office and throw beer cans at him.

Back from break The Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan are conversing with Stephanie when Kurt Angle walks by talking about his problems with The Big Show. Angle then asks Bossman if he would like to beat Show up for him and Bossman brings up how he pulled Show’s deceased father out of the grave and drove his casket around the cemetary. Bossman seems up for the job and Stephanie decides to book Show against him and Buchanan in a handicap match. Angle is jubilant for the favor and thanks Stephanie who gets all gooey-eyed in response.

The Hardy Boyz vs. Crash & Hardcore Holly
JR announces The Holly cousins, Tazz and Perry Saturn will fight in a four-way Hardcore Title match at Backlash. JR also says he heard Hardcore has promised Crash he wouldn’t attack him for his Hardcore Title tonight. Hardcore pounds on Matt to start and Matt fights back and comes off the ropes but runs into a powerslam. Hardcore clubs Matt in the back and whips him into an elbow then whips him into a corner but eats an elbow himself. Matt boots Hardcore down then hops up to the middle rope and hits the guilltoine legdrop for a two count. Matt goes for a whip, Hardcore reverses it but lowers the head and Matt kicks the face but eats a clothesline. Crash tags in and whips Matt into an elbow for a near fall then slams him to the mat. Crash climbs to the top rope and leaps off but Matt gets the foot up to block him then crawls to his corner and makes the hot tag to Jeff. Hardcore also tags in but Jeff nails him with a forearm and an elbow then stomps him down in a corner. The Hardys whip Hardcore into a corner and Matt drops to the mat allowing Jeff to hit the Poetry in Motion. Crash breaks up the cover so Matt throws Crash through the ropes in response then suplexes Hardcore. Jeff climbs to the top rope looking for the Swanton Bomb but Crash grabs a trash can lid and whacks Jeff with it. Jeff falls back onto the mat and Hardcore follows up with the dropkick and gets the surprise pin. The Hardys then decide they’re not done quite yet so they attack Crash on the ramp then bring him back in the ring and double-team him. JR points out the referee is still here so this must be a Hardcore title match. The Hardys go for a suplex but Crash flips out of it and backdrops Matt over the ropes as Hardcore looks on. Perry Saturn rushes by Hardcore into the ring just as Jeff connects with a spilt-legged moonsault on Crash. Jeff covers Crash but Saturn breaks it up and tosses Jeff through the ropes then turns and suplxes Crash. Now Tazz makes his way out and knocks Hardcore over on his way to the ring and breaks up Saturn’s cover. Hardcore joins in on the action while Jeff climbs to the top rope and connects with the Swanton Bomb on Crash. However Matt slips back in the ring and covers Crash to snag the three count and the title for himself! Matt then grabs the belt and he and Jeff excuse themselves while the rest continue to fight it out in the ring. *1/2 Decent match.

Backstage we check in on Eddie Guerrero and Chyna as they model more dress clothes for their prom.

[video=youtube;gMA7tWWeaME]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMA7tWWeaME[/video]
0:40 - 1:07

The Big Show vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
Show tries to take it to both men to start but Bossman and Buchanan come back and double-team him. Both men whip Show and hit a double boot then slide out to the floor and trip Show up by both legs. Both men come back in the ring and continue their assault but Show comes back and shoves Bossman away. Show headbutts both men and tosses Buchanan over the ropes but Buchanan skins the cat back in the ring. Show grabs Buchanan by the throat for a chokeslam but Bossman is able to break it up then goes for a whip but Show reverses it and grabs Bossman by the throat. Buchanan breaks that up and both men whip Show but Show comes back with a double clothesline. Show grabs both men by their necks but before he can hit a double chokeslam Kurt Angle runs in and low blows Show bringing this match to an end. Angle then manages to hit the Olympic Slam on Show and allows Bossman and Buchanan to work Show over. However the Acolytes rush out to the ring and clear out Bossman and Buchanan then chase them to the back. DUD

We then see limo pulling up to the bulding and Vince McMahon climbing out of it as we go to commercial.

[video=youtube;gMA7tWWeaME]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMA7tWWeaME[/video]
1:08 - 1:34

Vince McMahon makes his way out to the ring to give us our second long talking segment. Vince gets on the mic and talks about being in Europe on buisness last week but seeing his family’s actions in the ring. Vince mentions Linda announcing Steve Austin being in the Rock’s corner at Backlash which enraged the rest of his clan. Vince also mentions Stephanie looking to slap Linda for her decision only for Linda to knock her own daughter down. Vince then brings up Triple H looking to Pedigree Linda only for Shane to knock him down with Stephanie in between, finally asking what is wrong with his family and feeling that he’s the only level-headed member of the McMahon group. Vince says Triple H may have only wanted to scare Linda but still warns him to never put his hands on his wife again. Vince says Triple H will have to find another partner for the tag match since Shane has been assigned to other duties. I bet we can guess what those “other duties†just might be, especially if it involves the main event later. Vince next addresses The Rock asking if he really thinks Austin is going to deliver him to the promised land this Sunday. Vince tells Rock he may want to rethink that idea and instead be thinking more of the history he and Austin share. Vince decides to refresh everyone’s memory of an incident last year and has a “Stone Cold Strikes†clip shown on the TitanTron Of Ausitn running over Rock’s brand new Lincoln during the mock funeral in April 1999. Vince says Rock wasn’t cheering that night and vowed to get even with Steve Austin for that incident no mater what. Vince suggests Rock may have succeed in getting his revenge when Austin was ran over by a car at the Survivor Series by pointing out it was Rock’s rental car that was used. Vince does say Rock wasn’t the one behind the wheel but still points out how he was the one guy to benefit the most from Austin being put on the shelf. Vince says with Austin out healing from his neck injury Rock was able to take his spot at the top and reap the rewards. Vince asks Rock if he can really trust Austin to be in his corner since Austin always says D.T.A: Don’t Trust Anyone. Vince finishes up by suggesting Austin may not strike him or Triple H at Backlash but may in fact strike The Rock.

Back from break we find Eddie and Chyna admiring their clothes in a mirror with Eddie finally wearing a tuxedo. Chyna suddenly remembers Eddie has a match coming up in 10 minutes so the two of them change behind a screen.

The Godfather (w/the ladies) & Al Snow vs. D’Lo Brown & Steve Blackman
On Smackdown D’Lo turned on Godfather while on Heat last night Blackman finally got tired of Snow’s silliness and broke up their partnership. Snow comes out dressed in his own pimpwear while Godfather gets on the mic and does his thing on the mic. D’Lo pounds on Snow to start and whips him into a heelkick. D’Lo works Snow over and whips him into a corner but Snow slides to stop himself and hits a huricanrana. Snow whips D’Lo into a corner and connects with a clothesline. Godfather tags in but D’Lo backs away from him and tags in Blackman and Godfather whips Blackman into an elbow. Godfather comes off the ropes but misses an elbow and Blackman works him over with kicks and hits a dropkick. Blackman goes for a whip and Godfather reverses it but Blackman comes back with a flying shoulderblock. Blackman hits a backbreaker then tags D’Lo in and D’Lo slams Godfather to the mat and hits the shaky legdrop. D’Lo whips Godfather but lowers the head and Godfather kicks the face and nails him with a jumping clothesline. Snow gets the tag and backdrops D’Lo then hammers Blackman with clotheslines and all four men are going at it. Godfather knocks Blackman through the ropes and goes out after him while Snow works D’Lo over in a corner. Snow goes for a whip but D’Lo counters into the Sky High and gets the three for his team. *1/2 UGHH!! The ladies come in to console Godfather and Snow but Snow grabs Godfather’s hat and wants to dance instead. Snow tells the ladies to dance with him but Godfather takes exception and drops Show with a right hand then tosses him through the ropes. Snow then grabs Head and starts yelling at it.

Back from break we get another ‘Stone Cold Strikes’ clip, this one of the zamboni incident in September 1998.

We next get a rainy exterior shot of the building as JR gives a shoutout to Vinny’s Steakhouse and Tavern. We even get a shot of the restaurant’s propreitor, Dusty Anderson, who’s in the crowd tonight.

[video=youtube;gMA7tWWeaME]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMA7tWWeaME[/video]
1:34 - 1:57

Eddie Guerrero © (w/Chyna) vs. Val Venis
Eddie somehow convinces Val to check out Chyna before he blindsides him and gets in the first shots. Eddie whips Val and hits a heel kick then slams him to the mat and slings himself over the ropes into a hilo. Eddie goes for a suplex but Val councerts into a brainbuster then stomps on Eddie. Val goes for his own suplex but Eddie floats over and rolls Val up for a two count. Eddie hits a clothesline followed by an elbowdrop for another near fall. Eddie whips Val into a corner and charges but eats a boot and Val comes out of the corner with a clothesline. Val whips Eddie and conencts with an elbow then hits an elbowdrop and a kneedrop but only gets a two count. Val whips Eddie again and Eddie slides under him but Val comes back with a Fisherman’s suplex for a near fall. Val whips Eddie and goes for a backdrop but Eddie counters that into a Frankensteiner that gets a two count. Eddie goes for a whip, Val reverses and Eddie grabs a waistlock but Val switches into his own waistlock. Eddie sends Val through the ropes and Chyna gets in a forearm on the floor before throwing Val back in the ring. We then see Essa Rios and Lita making their way out and Lita gets in Chyna’s face but gets shoved to the floor. Essa then charges at Chyna but Chyna tosses him over his head and Rios crashes face-first into the apron. Chyna sets Rios up for something but Lita climbs to the top rope and takes out Chyna with a flying cross body. In the ring Eddie must have been distracted by this as we see Val whip him and plant him with a spinebuster. Val then climbs to the top rope and connects with the Moneyshot on Eddie for the somewhat clean pin. ** Good match although the stuff on the outside did detract from it. After the bell Val departs while Rios and Lita head in the ring looking to get themselves a piece of Eddie. Chyna then makes her way back in the ring and Rios and Lita quickly clear out and make their escape.

Edge & Christian © vs. The Dudley Boyz
Edge works on D’Von to start then applies a headblock but D’Von shoves him off into the ropes and Edge hits a shoulderblock. Edge comes off the ropes and leapfrogs over D’Von then goes for a hiptoss but D’Von blocks it and whips Edge into a corner then hits a forearm. Christian tags in but runs into a drop toehold then Bubba tags in and hammers away on Christian with rights. Bubba whips Christian into a backdrop and follows up with a clothesline while talking trash to him and Edge. Bubba powerslams Christian then draws Edge in to distract the referee while setting Christian up for D’Von who climbs to the top rope and hits the headbutt to the groin. D’Von takes over on Christian without a tag and whips Christian into the jumping elbow. Bubba tags in and chops Christian in a corner then whips Christian into the opposite corner just as Test and Albert bring Trish out to the stage on a table. Bubba plants Christian with the full nelson bomb then looks out at Trish and ends up mesmerized by her again, allowing Christian to come up and drill Bubba with the Slop Drop from behind for a two count. Edge tags in and whips Bubba into a corner then Christian drops to the mat and Edge hits the flying crossbody. Edge hits a clothesline then draws D’Von in again and E&C double-team Bubba behind the referee’s back. Christian tags in and E&C whip Bubba but Bubba kicks Christian’s face and hits Edge with a Diamond Cutter. D’Von gets the tag and takes it to both E&C then backdrops Edge and hits Christian with the Curtain Call for a near fall. Bubba whips Edge into a corner and charges at him but Edge sidesteps him. Christian drops to the mat and Edge goes for another crossbody but Bubba cuts him off with a shouldertackle. Christian makes the save the Dudleys hit him with a double neckbreaker and Chrsitian rolls out to the floor. The Dudleys whip Edge looking for the 3D but Trish gets Bubba’s attention and Bubba leaves D’Von hanging allowing Christian to come to Edge’s aid. Edge then spears D’Von and gets the three. Trish and her charges depart while Bubba quickly realizes what just happened and is not happy about it. ** Fun tag match.

Backstage we get a look at the Rock’s door suggesting an interview is forthcoming as we go to commercial.

Back from break Michael Cole interviews The Rock about Vince’s claims that he can’t trust Steve Austin on Sunday. Rock cuts Cole off and starts with the usual then says he’s looking forward to tonight’s tag match with Chris Jericho. Rock then says maybe he and Austin can’t trust each other but they both know they can’t ever trust the McMahons. Rock says he knows Austin wouldn’t be in his corner to screw him out of the title just as Vince did at Wrestlemania and if Austin had something to say to him then he would be man enough to say it to his face. Rock also denies he had it easy saying he’s clawed his way up, earning the right to be called the People’s Champion. Rock promises to lay the Smackdown on Triple H in six days and be WWF Champion then finishes with the rest.

Outside we find the Helmsleys leaving the bus and heading back in the building for the main event. Triple H expresses his concern that this could be a handicap match and says someone better be watching his back.

Back from break Chris Jericho and the Rock both head out to the ring and await their opponents for the main event. Triple H then comes out with Stephanie but gets on the mic announcing there will not be a handicap match tonight and proceeds to bring out his partner, which just happens to be Jericho’s pay-per-view opponent Chris Benoit. Triple H then announces the special guest referee for the match, Shane McMahon. Like we couldn’t see this coming. Triple H isn’t done yet and brings out Vince McMahon to be in his corner tonight just like he will be this Sunday.

The Rock & Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (w/Stephanie & Vince) & Chris Benoit
Benoit starts off with Jericho and gets in the first shots then whips him but Jericho comes back with an elbow. Jericho goes for a whip, Benoit reverses him into a corner and goes for a suplex but Jericho flips out of it. Benoit and Jericho exchange stiff chops but Benoit rakes the face to get the advantage. Benoit goes for a whip, Jericho reverses him into a corner and comes off the ropes with the bulldog and Shane makes a fair two count. Rock tags in and works Benoit over then whips him but Benoit ducks a clothesline and comes back with chops. Benoit hits a headbutt and charges at Rock but Rock tosses him over the ropes then dares Triple H to come in. Triple H slowly starts to head in but that allows Benoit to come back in the ring and nail Rock from behind. Triple H tags in and hammers away on Rock in a corner when Rock starts to fight back. Rock goes for a whip but Triple H reverses it and hits the high knee for a fair two count and Triple H yells at Shane for not counting fast. Triple H stomps Rock down in a corner and chokes him with his boot then Benoit tags in but eats a clothesline. Jericho gets the tag and goes for a whip but Benoit reverses it and Triple H nails Jericho from behind. Jericho turns and pops Triple H off the apron but Benoit flapjacks him into the top rope then hits a snap suplex. Triple H tags back in then draws Rock in to distract Shane while Benoit chops away on Jericho in his corner. Triple H stomps Jericho down then hits a vertical suplex and follows up with a kneedrop to the face for two. Benoit tags in and Jericho makes a brief rally but Triple H holds Jericho for a chop from Benoit to stop it. Benoit whips Jericho into a running clothesline for a two count then tags Triple H back in to take over. Jericho rams Triple H into the turnbuckles and starts fighting back then whips him but lowers the head and Triple H hits the facebuster for a two count. Triple H whips Jericho but Jericho comes back with a flying forearm. Both men crawl to the their corners and Triple H tags Benoit while Shane let Jericho make the hot tag to Rock. Rock hammers Benoit with right hands then brings Triple H in the ring the hard way and hits the Smackdown. Rock drills Triple H with a DDT then turns toward Benoit on the apron but Benoit responds with a headbutt. Jericho nails Benoit with the springboard dropkick then goes out and the two of them duke it out on the floor. In the ring Rock hits Triple H with the Rock Bottom and covers but Shane is busy with Stephanie on the apron so Rock goes over and drops Shane with a right hand. Vince comes in the ring but Rock turns and catches him and Vince tries to flee from the ring but Rock cuts off his escape. Benoit comes back in and nails Rock then goes for a whip but Rock counters with the spinebuster. Rock readies himself for the People’s Elbow but Vince kicks Rock in the forbidden zone! Triple H hits the Pedigree and the three count is academic. *** Pretty good fast-paced main event. The Regime celebrates its win and walks off with Rock staring after them as Raw goes off air.

Overall: Pretty good episode of Raw, they really did a good job building for the PPV. Most of the matches did a decent job advancing the angles for the Backlash undercard, which is getting some good build unlike at Wrestlemania. Also the main event was pretty fun, although this is the third show in a row that saw the DX Regime come out on top. You’d think The Rock and Chris Jericho would be able to get one back on them but so maybe it'll happen on SD. Other that that a solid episode to start the final build to Backlash. 7/10