May 21, 2000
Freedom Hall
Louisville, Kentucky
Attendance: 16,827
Buy Rate: 1.05
Announcers: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
1) Rikishi & Too Cool defeat Edge, Christian & Kurt Angle when Rikishi (Solofa Fatu) pins Edge (Adam Copeland) after Grandmaster Sexay (Brian Lawler) hits the Hip Hop Drop at 9:47
Edge & Christian 5 Second Pose of the Month: Kentucky Jug Band
Scott: A very hot opener to what will be another gem of a show. Angle is slowly building his character and his ring work, but the best is yet to come from him. This was just another holdover match for him, and Rikishi for that matter. This was really a chance to see another tag team challenge the champs. Edge & Christian have been fighting champs, and this was another stage for their talents, even if the gold wasn’t on the line. Rikishi continues to grow as a fan favorite, one who will quickly become the focus of a bigger storyline, but that’s for later in the year. The crowd is very hot for this opener and they rarely stray. Grade: 3
Justin: After months of waiting for them to catch up, Edge & Christian finally made the leap in May of 2000. They found their niche and began gaining more and more momentum. They would verbally assassinate people with their quick witted jabs and tear apart fans by mocking their local sports teams and ways of life. They also began implanting a five-second pose for the “benefit of those with flash photography.” Soon after unleashing this personality, they befriended Kurt Angle to make a lethal threesome of excellent in ring action and provided some of the funniest moments in wrestling history. Team ECK (Edge, Christian, Kurt) were taking over and making a statement, but at this show they are quickly stopped in their tracks by three equally over upper-mid-carders in Rikishi and Too Cool. The face threesome’s dance routine was still wildly over, and the three of them were about to experience the most success of their careers in June, so they pick up a solid win here in a very exciting and super hot ten minute affair. As is usual for Team ECK the loss hurts neither of the three, as they, along with Chris Jericho, are entering a bulletproof zone where they remain extremely over no matter how much they lose. Grade: 3
2) Eddie Guerrero defeats Dean Malenko (Dean Simon) and Perry Saturn (Perry Satullo) in a Triple Threat match to retain WWF European Title when Guerrero pins Malenko with an Oklahoma Roll at 7:56
Scott: The Radicalz mates get together for a little European title scrum. Deano still has the Light Heavyweight Title, longer than anybody realizes. Eddie is with his Latino Heat, Chyna, who is a heel but not really and is basically now the Big Show of women: you’re not sure which side she’s on. All three men pull all sorts of crazy moves on each other, from Ranas to Ligerbombs to the Texas Cloverleaf. Finally, Chyna trips Deano, and he lands on her dozen roses, which coincidentally are loaded with a pipe. Eddie rolls him up, and he retains the title. Since his dislocated Elbow has healed, Latino Heat has kicked ass and taken names. This match was no different. Grade: 3
Justin: Ever since getting together, Chyna and Eddie have become the first couple of the WWF. They were tweeners with attitudes and everyone loved their shtick. It was also around this time that Eddie began focusing on his “cheat to win” theory from WCW, and he came prepared here by loading Chyna’s roses with a nice lead pipe. The Radicalz were still meant to be tight here, and this was more a friendly competition thing, but they do tease some tension in the locker room before the match. These three always gelled well, and bring it once again here in an interesting match-up. One of the highlights from the match was the triple German suplex where all three men go up and over. This is a solid match with innovative moves and firmly establishes Eddie as the cream of these three Radicals. Grade: 3
*** Hardcore Champion Gerald Brisco is hiding in the bathroom after being attacked by the Headbangers earlier in the night. He’s even afraid of his own reflection. ***
3) Shane McMahon defeats the Big Show (Paul Wight) in a Falls Count Anywhere match after he hits Show in the head with a cinder block at 7:10
Fun Fact: Following his embarrassing performance at Wrestlemania and his bizarre antics in the ensuing weeks, Shane McMahon began berating the now-friendly giant for becoming so weak and distracted. Shane convinced Show to regain his killer instinct and even insisted that they reunite so Shane could help him. Well, this lasted a week or so until G-TV revealed Shane mocking Show with the rest of the fac-gime and landing his now infamous “which way did he go?” line. Show was furious and let it be known that he was now focused on kicking Shane’s ass.
Scott: This stems from the fact that Big Show was harmlessly booted after four minutes at Wrestlemania. Shane doesn’t like that Big Show became funnier and less serious. So, he kicked him to the curb. Wow, now all McMahons are heels. Well except Linda, but she doesn’t really matter. This would make the first of consecutive years that Shane and Big Show would meet in a post-Wrestlemania PPV match. This would have typical run-ins, from Trish to T&A, to Big Boss Man, to Bull Buchanan. No crazy bump from Shane-O-Mac, but he does use a cheesy fake cinder block for the win. Not awful, but why does Shane have to win this match? What’s the point? More heel heat? How much heat does a McMahon need? Grade: 2
Justin: A decent little big man-little man match that sees some fun bumping from Shane-O, who was always willing to kill himself to make the match look good. During this period, a lot of the heels were trying to get in with the fac-gime, so Shane enlisted a few of them to assist him against Show in this match. The interference doesn’t really help too much, but it does provide enough distraction so Shane could push a speaker on Show’s leg, trapping him which allowed Shane to pummel Show with the cinder block. An OK match that Show should have won and re-established him as a dominant player, but I believe they did this ending so Show could take some time off and rest up his knees. At least Shane didn’t win clean. Grade: 2
*** Gerald Brisco tries to hide in the officials’ room so no one tries to take his Hardcore Title, and even the refs try to take it from him. ***
4) Chris Benoit defeats Chris Jericho (Chris Irvine) in a Submission Match to retain WWF Intercontinental Title when Benoit makes Jericho pass out with the Crippler Crossface at 13:27
Scott: Round Two of the war that is the Canadian Chrises. Last month, we saw a clinic in beating the shit out of someone ending in a dopey schmozz. Here, it’s simply making your opponent submit. It’s awesome that they both trained in the Hart Dungeon, and that they wrestled each other in Japan and WCW. That means they can chop, chop, chop and other moves so stiff, you’ll feel the pain just watching. They beat the hell out of each other, and in the climax Jericho slaps on the Walls for a submission. However, Benoit reverses it by whacking him with his knee brace, and slaps on the ol’ Crossface. Twice Jericho battles out of it, but the third time Benoit quietly drops it under the throat, and Jericho is choked out. The fact he won the match that way very much legitimized Benoit as a definite no-nonsense performer and a solid upper mid-card player. He’ll be elevated shortly to a higher status. Many praise this match, and yes it was very good. I however, thought it was a little choppy, and that the match at Backlash was better. This was a better ending, but that was a better match. Grade: 3.5
Justin: The war between the Chrises continues to rage on to another month. During the weeks between PPVs, Jericho continued to berate Benoit on the mike, and Benoit continued to do his talking in the ring. The match itself actually tells a good story as well, as it establishes two things: a) Benoit is nasty, and with a slight movement can dominate anybody and b) Jericho is a tough SOB who refused to tap despite great pain and ended up passing out instead. The two continue to beat the living shit out of each other and enjoy it, because it makes their characters that much more legit. The two Chrises seemed poised to move into the Main Event picture, and over the next two months they would, but the move would end up mired in controversy. For now, they continue to wage war with each other in the ring and out of it. Grade: 4
*** Michael Cole is interviewing Gerald Brisco until the concession guys look to sneak up on them and he attacks them. ***
5) Road Dogg & X-Pac defeat the Dudley Boys in a Double Tables match
Eliminations:
Road Dogg (Brian James) puts D-Von (Devon Hughes) through a table
Bubba Ray (Mark Lomonica) puts X-Pac (Sean Waltman) through a table
X-Pac puts Bubba Ray through a table at 12:07
Fun Fact: The feud between these teams started on the 5/8 Raw, when the Dudleys were facing Test, Albert, and Gerald Brisco in a Tables Match. While the Dudleyz prevailed in the match, towards the end of the encounter, D-X ran to the ring, and Road Dogg and X-Pac laid Bubba on the table and allowed Brisco to dive off and put Bubba through the table.
Scott: Typical tables match with the Dudleys. Road Dogg and X-Pac were still DX, but by now the novelty had severely worn off. With the X-Pac/Kane storyline over, Tori’s presence in DX is unnecessary. Another match where you just kind of sleepwalk through it, there just isn’t much going here. Soon, Road Dogg and X-Pac have their own little feud. The Dudleys will jump back into the title mix soon, which is good because the more the merrier. This has become one of the most competitive tag team years in recent memory. Not too much here, so we move on. Grade: 2
Justin: For the weeks leading in, the Dudleys had tried their best to get their hands on Tori to add her to their “women through tables” checklist, but she kept managing to elude them. In fact, on the 5/18 Raw, she even managed to give Bubba Ray a splash from the top rope and put him through the table, which was the ultimate insult to a Dudley. The Dudleys were pissed off and wanted revenge here, but once again, Tori managed to escape and Bubba again eats a table, this time at the hands of X-Pac. The feud would last for another month and come KOTR we will see if Tori finally gets some wood. Grade: 2
6) Triple H (Paul Levesque) defeats the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in a 60-minute Iron Man match to win the WWF World Title
Falls:
Rock pins Triple H with a Rock Bottom at 10:43 (Rock 1, Triple H 0)
Triple H pins Rock with a Pedigree at 25:26 (1-1)
Triple H pins Rock with a small package at 26:25 (Triple H 2, Rock 1)
Triple H pins Rock with a Piledriver at 32:31 (Triple H 3, Rock 1)
Rock pins Triple H with a DDT at 40:33 (Triple H 3, Rock 2)
Rock wins fall by disqualification at 43:44 (3-3)
Triple H pins Rock after hitting him with a chair at 44:11 (Triple H 4, Rock 3)
Triple H wins fall after Rock is out with a sleeper at 47:30 (Triple H 5, Rock 3)
Rock wins fall by countout at 56:09 (Triple H 5, Rock 4)
Rock pins Triple H with a People?s Elbow at 58:04 (5-5)
Triple H wins fall by disqualification at 60:13 (Triple H 6, Rock 5)
Fun Fact: On the 5/15 Raw, the show opened with the return of Commissioner Shawn Michaels, who had last been seen superkicking the Rock on Smackdown in August, 1999. Shawn had two major announcements: 1) he had officially resigned as Commissioner and 2) he had been appointed by Linda McMahon to be the official referee in the Iron Man match. This added some intrigue to the match, because no one knew for sure what side Shawn would be on. Sure, he pushed down Vince McMahon and seemed to be pro-Rock, but last August he seemed so as well but he turned his back and allowed Triple H to keep his newly won title.
Fun Fact II: In the weeks leading up to the show, bizarre Judgment Day promos began running. They featured dark images and little girls playing hopscotch and chanting “Judgment Day is near” and other cryptic messages.
Scott: Wow. Just when you thought their tussles over the past two months were good, the Game and the People’s Champ go balls to the wall with this. Now normally when you think of an iron man match, you think Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII: two mid-sized tacticians who have the stamina and workrate to go sixty minutes. With Rock and Triple H, two great entertainers with average to good skills, many thought this may be a stretch. Well, not only did they both hold their ends of the bargain, this could easily be a Match of the Year candidate. Speaking of the Heartbreak Kid, he was the special ref in this match. Continuing his being on camera every once in a while, he makes a classic quote before the match, saying about reffing the title match: “Tonight, I’ll do that job.” Huh? Why couldn’t he say that in 1997? Actually his refereeing was very good here, but back to the competitors. They were pulling some crazy shit here, from sleepers to Piledrivers, to great psychology. A couple of examples: Rock actually Pedigreed Triple H on the table. When the hell do you see Trips take that? The other example is perfect psychology when Hunter pastes Rock with a chair to take the DQ. What does he do? Well, since Rock’s out, simply lie down, get the pin, and re-take the lead. Awesome psychology. The brawling was top notch, and the off the charts run-ins were insane. Oh, and let’s not forget the ending. With the score tied at five, Michaels is bumped and out on the floor. As DX runs-in to take the Rock out, the nursery rhyme that’s been playing the past few weeks starts up again. Then, Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass” plays, and who comes out on a Harley? The Undertaker! But, not the Deadman; instead he has longer hair, bandanna, and long leather trench coat. A complete change from the Undertaker we’ve known since 1990. He comes in, chokeslams absolutely everybody, and the crowd is eating it all up. Unfortunately for Rock, HBK wakes up to see Taker about to tombstone Triple H. He pleads with him and warns him it would be a DQ, and it is. So, after sixty-plus minutes of absolute insanity, Triple H regains the title he lost at Backlash. Holy shit what a great match. Triple H is proving all the doubters wrong who thought he couldn’t be a top level heel. Rock is also gaining more respect as one who’s more than eyebrows and elbows. The awesome main event run of 2000 takes a wrong turn next month, but this one is pure gold. Grade: 4.5
Justin: Man. What an amazing match. No one thought these two could pull this off, but they did and managed to put on a classic in the process. They truly busted their asses and the match featured some of the most creative booking ever. There is just such a fun, chaotic feeling to the match due to all of the extra circumstances, especially with Shawn out there. They just did so many unique falls that really added to special feel, such as Triple H winning falls with a sleeper, a piledriver and a small package. The match had such an old school feel to it, and has so much more action than Wrestlemania XII, so in that regard, I would prefer this one over that one any day of the week. After fifty-eight minutes of solid, great action, all hell broke loose and all of the facgime runs into the ring, causing Michaels to bump out of the ring. Then, the moment many people had been waiting for since the rumors started in January: the return of the new-look Undertaker. The crowd goes absolutely batshit for the whole ordeal and Taker’s return was a hit. Right before Taker accidentally costs Rock the match, one of my favorite comedic Vince McMahon moments occurs. As Taker is clearing house, Vince charges him from behind with his power walk, but Taker turns around in time to see him, and he does this ridiculous spin and duck-like walk and then spins again right into Taker, who lays him out. Classic Vince. Now, as fun as the ending was, it did seem a little contrived, and because of everything that was going on, the timing got screwed up, and it seems like Shawn actually calls for the DQ after time would have run out, but a quick thinking producer pulled the clock off the screen as time was winding down so it wouldn’t be as obvious. Screwed up ending aside, the match is still quite awesome and had a true Main Event feel to it. Grade: 4.5
Final Analysis:
Scott: A fifth straight show that top to bottom is consistent, at times brilliant. The undercard continues to impress, with great workrate, awesome storylines, and great time management. There hasn’t been one show this year with any dead spots, they just move things along. There’s no doubt we’re all missing Stone Cold, but at least the product isn’t stale without him. We hit a bump in the road next month as all the things that have made 2000 PPVs absolute gems just don’t work in June. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit are making the Intercontinental Title special again. Edge and Christian are making the tag titles special again as well. This was almost the first non-Wrestlemania perfect grade. For now, go out and watch this one, as everything is clicking and the main event is a classic. Final Grade: A
Justin: Just a great top to bottom show, and there isn’t much else to say. It all started with the great opening video package, detailing everything that can happen in just sixty minutes. The undercard delivered in spades, and due to the length of the Main Event, there are no extraneous matches with sub-par workers like last month had. All the right guys went over, and Guerrero, Benoit and Rikishi were made to look strong, which was necessary for where they were going. Jericho looked like a warrior for surviving a war with Benoit, Big Show looked good until the numbers put him out and Team ECK didn’t lose any heat with their loss. The Main Event was a wild affair that left tons of possibilities such as: a possible Rock rematch, controversy with Shawn Michaels, a fresh Main Eventer in Undertaker and the question of what will Triple H do next to keep his precious title? This was just a fabulous show on all ends. Final Grade: A (so, so close to an A+, though)
MVP: Main Event
Runner Up: Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho
Non MVP: The miss-timed ending
Runner Up: Shane McMahon
All Time PPV Active-Wrestler Roster
Tito Santana
Buddy Rose
?Special Delivery? Jones
King Kong Bundy
Ricky Steamboat
Matt Borne
Brutus Beefcake
David Sammartino
Greg Valentine
Junkyard Dog
Barry Windham
Mike Rotundo
Iron Sheik
Nikolai Volkoff
Andre the Giant
Big John Studd
Leilani Kai
Wendi Richter
Paul Orndorff
Roddy Piper
Mr. T
Hulk Hogan
Corporal Kirschner
Adrian Adonis
Dynamite Kid
Randy Savage
Ivan Putski
Davey Boy Smith
Moondog Spot
Terry Funk
Don Muraco
Bob Orton
George Steele
George Wells
Jake Roberts
Fabulous Moolah
Velvet McIntyre
Ted Arcidi
Tony Atlas
Brian Blair
Jim Brunzell
Bret Hart
Jim Neidhart
Hillbilly Jim
King Tonga (Haku)
Pedro Morales
Bruno Sammartino
Danny Spivey
Jim Covert
Russ Francis
Bill Fralic
Ernie Holmes
Harvey Martin
William Perry
Hercules
Uncle Elmer
Dory Funk, Jr.
Rick Martel
Tom Zenk
Billy Jack Haynes
Hillbilly Jim
Haiti Kid
Little Beaver
Lord Littlebrook
Little Tokyo
Harley Race
Jacques Rougeau
Raymond Rougeau
Danny Davis
Butch Reed
Koko B. Ware
Honky Tonk Man
Jim Duggan
Ron Bass
Judy Martin
Dawn Marie
Donna Christanello
Sherri Martel
Noriyoi Tateno
Itsuki Yamazaki
Rockin? Robin
Ax
Smash
Tama
Boris Zhukov
Jim Powers
Paul Roma
One Man Gang
Rick Rude
Ken Patera
Bam Bam Bigelow
Ultimate Warrior
Sam Houston
Sika
Bobby Heenan
Barbarian
Warlord
Big Boss Man
Marty Jannetty
Shawn Michaels
Arn Anderson
Tully Blanchard
Conquistador Uno
Conquistador Dos
Blue Blazer
Mr. Perfect
Scott Casey
Akeem
Red Rooster
Ronnie Garvin
Bushwhacker Butch
Bushwhacker Luke
Mr. Fuji
Dusty Rhodes
Jimmy Snuka
Zeus
Earthquake
The Genius
Sapphire
Sato
Tanaka
Kerry Von Erich
Crush
Hawk
Animal
Undertaker
Tugboat/Typhoon
Sgt. Slaughter
Kato
Mountie
Virgil
Dustin Rhodes
Shane Douglas
Brian Knobbs
Jerry Sags
Genichiro Tenryu
Koji Kitao
General Adnan
Irwin R. Schyster
Ric Flair
Berzerker
Skinner
Blake Beverly
Beau Beverly
Repo-Man
Owen Hart
Tatanka
Nailz
Kamala
Samu
Fatu
Razor Ramon
Yokozuna
Rick Steiner
Scott Steiner
Bob Backlund
Papa Shango
Jerry Lawler
Max Moon
Carlos Colon
Doink
Lex Luger
Giant Gonzalez
Mr. Hughes
Billy Gunn
Bart Gunn
Jimmy Del Ray
Tom Pritchard
1-2-3 Kid
Ludvig Borga
Diesel
Adam Bomb
Keith Hart
Bruce Hart
Black Knight
Blue Knight
Red Knight
Robert Gibson
Ricky Morton
Mabel
Mo
Bastion Booger
Pierre
Kwang
Great Kabuki
Bob Holly
Luna Vachon
Dink
Alundra Blayze
Bull Nakano
Ted DiBiase?s Undertaker
Wink
Pink
Queasy
Sleazy
Cheesy
Eli Blu
Jacob Blu
Duke Droese
Timothy Well
Stephen Dunn
Mantaur
Aldo Montoya
Henry Godwin
Dick Murdoch
Lawrence Taylor
Hakushi
Roadie Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega
Kama
Hunter Hearst-Helmsley
Barry Horowitz
Skip
Bertha Faye
Isaac Yankem
Waylon Mercy
Dean Douglas
Goldust
Rad Radford
Aja Kong
Tomoko Watanabe
Lioness Azuka
Sakie Hasegawa
Kyoko Inoue
Chaparrita Asari
Ahmed Johnson
Buddy Landel
Takao Omori
Doug Gilbert
Squat Team #1
Squat Team #2
Vader
Steve Austin
Phineas Godwinn
Marc Mero
Mankind
Leif Cassidy (Al Snow)
Bradshaw
Jose Lothario
Jim Cornette
Mark Henry
Doug Furnas
Phil Lafon
Rocky Maivia
?Diesel?
?Razor Ramon?
Flash Funk
Executioner
Perro Aguayo
Canek
Hector Garza
Jerry Estrada
Fuerza Guererra
Heavy Metal
Pierroth
Sultan
Mil Mascaras
Cybernetico
Latin Lover
Mosh
Thrasher
Ken Shamrock
Great Sasuke
Taka Michinoku
Chainz
Miguel Perez
Jose Estrada
Jesus Castillo
Brian Christopher
Scott Putski
Max Mini
El Torito
Patriot
D-Lo Brown
Nova
Mosaic
Tarantula
Kurrgan
Sniper
Recon
Jackyl
Steve Blackman
Kane
Butterbean
Battalion
Tom Brandi
Pantera
Ricky Morton
Robert Gibson
Scott Taylor
Aguila
Sable
Sho Funaki
Dick Togo
Mens Teioh
Dan Severn
Head
Val Venis
Golga
Giant Silva
Jacqueline
Edge
Gangrel
Paul Ellering
Christian
Duane Gill
Steven Regal
Vince McMahon
Tiger Ali Singh
Blue Meanie
Test
Chyna
Big Show
Tori
Shane McMahon
Nicole Bass
Debra
Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy
Michael Hayes
Crash Holly
Albert
Ivory
D-Von Dudley
Bubba Ray Dudley
Chris Jericho
Kurt Angle
Shawn Stasiak
Pete Gas
Rodney
Joey Abs
Mae Young
Terri Runnels
Prince Albert
Miss Kitty
Barbara Bush
Tazz
Chris Benoit
Perry Saturn
Dean Malenko
Eddie Guerrero
Essa Rios
PPV Rest in Peace List
“Special Delivery” Jones (Wrestlemania)
Adrian Adonis (Wrestlemania III)
Haiti Kid (Wrestlemania III)
Little Beaver (Wrestlemania III)
Junkyard Dog (Summerslam 1988)
Big John Studd (Wrestlemania V)
Sapphire (Summerslam 1990)
Bad News Brown (Summerslam 1990)
Dino Bravo (Wrestlemania VII)
Andre the Giant (Summerslam 1991)
Texas Tornado (Royal Rumble 1992)
Hercules (Royal Rumble 1992)
Elizabeth (Wrestlemania VIII)
Sensational Sherri (Wrestlemania IX)
Ludwig Borga (Survivor Series 1993)
Captain Lou Albano (Royal Rumble 1995)
Dick Murdoch (Royal Rumble 1995)
Rad Radford (Survivor Series 1995)
Bertha Faye (Survivor Series 1995)
Bam Bam Bigelow (Survivor Series 1995)
Chris “Skip” Candido (Summerslam 1996)
Yokozuna (Survivor Series 1996)
Terry “Executioner” Gordy (IYH: It?s Time)
Brian Pillman (IYH: Ground Zero)
Rick Rude (IYH: Bad Blood)
Hawk (Judgment Day 1998)
Gorilla Monsoon (Wrestlemania XV)
Owen Hart (Backlash 1999)
Davey Boy Smith (Royal Rumble 2000)
Luna Vachon (Royal Rumble 2000)
Next Review: King of the Ring 2000