WWF WrestleMania XVI 4/2/2000

April 2, 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, California
Attendance: 19,776
Buy Rate: 2.08
Announcers: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

1) Big Boss Man (Ray Traylor) & Bull Buchanan (Barry Buchanan) defeat Godfather (Charles Wright) & D-Lo Brown (AC Conner) when Buchanan pins Brown with a Top Rope Leg Drop at 9:05

Fun Fact: If Bull Buchanan looks familiar to you it is because he wrestled at a pervious Wrestlemania, as well as other big cards. Bull was a member of the Truth Commission and previously went by the name Recon. He wrestled at Wrestlemania XIV as part of the Tag Team Battle Royal.

Fun Fact II: The newest WWF CD, Aggression, which featured rap versions of the wrestlers? music, had just recently been released. To capitalize on some publicity, rap star Ice T raps the Godfather and D-Lo to the ring.

Scott: The opener pits a new tandem with a debut against a combo that has been together for a few months. D-Lo really hasn?t been the same since the tragic accident on Smackdown that paralyzed Droz. He had a fruitful and impressive 1999, winning the Intercontinental and European Titles, and brought it at just about every PPV offering. Since the accident, he hasn?t been the same. Here he?s jobbed out to Boss Man and the new kid on the block, Bull Buchanan. His first PPV match isn?t bad, as he hits the big leg drop off the rope for the win. Boss Man would pretty much float around for most of the year, really to groom the new big dude, the former Recon. Grade: 2.5

Justin: In January, the Boss Man decided that Prince Albert was no longer a worthy lackey, so he decided to break in a promising rookie and show him the ropes. Thus, the Boss Man/Bull Buchanan relationship was born. Here, they square off with another teacher-apprentice combo in the Godfather and D-Lo Brown. Unfortunately, with the huge influx of talent, D-Lo has dropped from top-mid-card dog to the bottom rung of the ladder, as has the Godfather, which was expected, considering he was terrible in the ring at this point. Both men were still pretty popular, but that has more to do with the hot ladies accompanying them to ringside than anything else. D-Lo would stick around for 3 more years, but his PPV exposure would mainly be limited to Heat. The Godfather has his final moment of PPV glory here; as he would be relegated to Heat and low-card Raw matches for the rest of his run. Bull looks impressive here, and the Boss Man picks up his first Wrestlemania victory since ?Mania VIII. Grade: 2

2) Hardcore Holly (Robert Howard) wins a Hardcore Battle Royal by pinning Crash Holly (Michael Lockwood) after hitting him with a candy jar at 15:00.

Rules: Due to the 24/7 rule, everyone who scored a pinfall within a 15 minute time limit won the Hardcore Title; the last man standing with the title at the bell would leave as champion

Contestants: Bradshaw (John Layfield), Faarooq (Ron Simmons), Sho Funaki, Mosh (Chaz Warrington), Thrasher (Glen Ruth), Hardcore Holly (Robert Howard), Crash Holly (Michael Lockwood), Rodney (Leinhardt), Pete Gas(Pete Gasparino), Joey Abs (Jason Arndt), Taka Michinoku (Takao Yoshida), Tazz (Peter Senerca), and Viscera (Nelson Frazier)

Results: Tazz pinned Crash (:26), Viscera pinned Tazz (1:00), Funaki pinned Viscera (7:51), Rodney pinned Funaki (8:11), Joey Abs pinned Rodney (8:24), Mosh pinned Joey Abs (8:46), Pete Gas pinned Mosh (9:29), Tazz pinned Pete Gas (10:17), Crash Holly pinned Tazz (14:20), Hardcore Holly pinned Crash Holly (14:58)

Scott: A fun little brawl to get the crowd going. The Hardcore division was really becoming a fun part of the shows, particularly when Crash said on an episode of Smackdown that he would defend the title 24/7. Well, the writers took it to heart. This lead to some hysterical hardcore matches that would be fought in airports, at amusement parks, backstage, in ball pits of Chuck E. Cheese?s, and any other places you could think of. Crash Holly was gaining quite a cult following thanks to this storyline, and he is ready to win the match until his mean cousin Hardcore steals a quick pin at the end to win it. My only issue is that I?m bummed that Tazz was pigeon-holed into hardcore matches, that he never could get anything else. He would get involved in some more juicy storylines later in the year, but for now it?s just beat the hell out of each other 24/7. Grade: 2.5

Justin: This was an energetic and brutal, yet entertaining 15 minute time killer. Crash?s 24/7 rule was fresh at this point, and his rendezvous each week on WWF TV were always laugh out loud funny. There seemed to some confusion here at the end, as it looked the ref didn?t finish the 3 count, but Fink and JR announced that Hardcore had pinned Crash just in time. Adding to the rumors of the alleged mix-up is the fact the Crash regained the Championship the following night on Raw. Bizarre ending aside, this was a good concept and allowed a lot of the forgotten mid-card players to get a chance in the spotlight and to pickup a nice little payday. Grade: 2

*** We have a piece on WWE Axxess that took place, which included appearances by both Steve Austin and the Undertaker. ***

3) T & A defeat Head Cheese when Test (Andrew Martin) pinned Steve Blackman with a top rope elbow at 7:05

Fun Fact: Trish Stratus made an inauspicious debut in February of 2000, as she would routinely stand on the top of the ramp and scout various talent to manage as she started her WWF career. A few weeks before this show, the creative team put Stratus with a couple of struggling mid-carders who had sort of been lost in the shuffle. Ever since he was jilted at the altar by Stephanie McMahon, Test?s pops had been dwindling, as had his push. Finally, he turns heel and joins up with Albert, who had also been jilted a few weeks earlier, to add yet another tag team to the blossoming tag division. At first, Trish was nothing but another set of?T & A?who had no promo or wrestling ability. Over the next two years, however, she would study and train diligently and she would eventually become one of the greatest women?s characters of all time.

Fun Fact II: Continuing the mismatched tag partner game, Al Snow had befriended the bland and boring Steve Blackman, and was now trying his best to get the Lethal Weapon to show so charisma. This storyline led to a lot of hilarious backstage vignettes where Snow would setup Blackman with a chance to show off his personality, but in the end Blackman would always do something stupid and screw it up. One week they went to a farm to milk cows, but Blackman ended up slaughtering the cow; another week Snow set Blackman up to do stand up comedy at a retirement home, but he ended up being heckled off the stage (?You Suck, Black Man!?); but one of the funniest was when Snow took Blackman out on a blind date with one of the girls from his therapy class. As Blackman, sporting a Hawaiian shirt, is trying to have a conversation with the insane lady, Snow is standing behind him doing karaoke and signing ?You?ve Got Personality.? Finally, Snow claimed that since Blackman was such a fan of cheese (who knows) and the Snow was known for Head, that they should be called Head Cheese. The skits stayed funny for a while, but around the time of Wrestlemania, the joke ceased to be humorous and died a slow death on the biggest stage of them all.

Scott: I don?t really know what to say about this one. It was fairly bad. Al Snow had been trying to get a personality for the ?Lethal Weapon?, including giving their tag team various nicknames. The one they had going into this match was ?Head Cheese?, including foam cheese hats and a mascot, a midget wearing a cheese suit named Chester McCheeserton. Our good friend Oscars2008 is smiling right now as he is reading this. I am laughing at the fact he may give this 5 stars. However you know you?ve screwed the pooch when JR says on air it was ?Bowling Shoe ugly?. The match was painfully bad, as was the gimmick. Grade: 1.5

Justin: I remember feeling really bad after this match, because I really enjoyed the Head Cheese team and gimmick, but they just blew it on the big stage. Sure, T&A were young, but Snow is veteran enough to carry the load at such a big event. When even JR calls the match ugly, you know that you really screwed up. T&A would actually last for a while as a team, but Head Cheese would go their separate ways over the upcoming weeks. They may not have lasted long as a team, but the antics Blackman and Snow provided over two months of TV were well worth having to watch this dog. Grade: 1

4) Edge & Christian defeat the Dudley Boys and Hardy Boys to win a Triple Threat Ladder Match and the WWF Tag Team Titles when they grab the titles at 22:29

Fun Fact: The Dudley Boys had really been making a statement since their Table Match loss in January. Since then, they have ended the run of one of wrestling?s greatest tag teams, put Terri through a table and wreaked havoc on the tag division. But, on the 3/6 Raw, they upped the ante when they put the 70+ year old Mae Young through a table. The next week on Raw, Mark Henry faced the Dudleys in a handicap match, but a few minutes in, Bubba Ray disappeared to the backstage area, and moments later, Bubba Ray was seen pushing Mae Young in her wheelchair and trying to soothe her nerves. Moments later, Mae was loaded up again and eventually powerbombed from the Raw stage onto the floor and through a table. It was a great moment, and it really should have just ended Mae Young?s run as a weekly performer, but sadly her and Moolah would stay around for a while.

Scott: The crown jewel match of this PPV pits the three hottest teams in the federation going for the world titles in a ladder match. Six risk takers who were willing and able to leave it all in the ring for the richest prize in tag team wrestling. The Dudleyz make things a little more interesting by bringing tables into the mix. A couple of things made this match great to watch. First, all three teams are young and hungry. They really understood what being in a big match at Wrestlemania is all about. Edge and Christian were 14-year olds with a gleam in their eye ten years earlier at Skydome watching Wrestlemania VI live. Second, because all three teams are so close in the fans? eyes, there was really no definite choice as to who would win the match. Two big spots of many I remember: Jeff Hardy does his rail run on the outside, but Bubba Ray smacks him in the face with a ladder shot. That looks like it hurt. The other is the now legendary Senton Bomb Jeff does off the highest ladder onto Bubba Ray lying on a table. This passes Bulldogs/Dream Team as the greatest Tag Team Title match in Wrestlemania history?to this point. These three teams spend the rest of the year beating the shit out of each other for those titles. Grade: 5

Justin: If the No Mercy ladder match put the Hardys and Edge & Christian on the map, this ladder match established them, and the Dudleys, as true superstars. All three teams were basically faces in this match, which leads to a pretty divergent crowd, but that doesn?t really matter, because they are completely in awe of all the spots they are seeing, and end up cheering more out of respect than allegiance. Edge & Christian pick up the huge victory here, which ends up being the biggest of their tag team career, since winning the gold leads to a major character change that allows them to fully showcase their personalities and abilities. This match is an unbelievable spot-fest that truly steals the show and makes 6 stars shine brightly on wrestling?s biggest stage. Grade: 5

5) Terri (Terri Runnels) defeats the Kat (Stacy Carter) in a Cat Fight when she throws Kat over the top rope at 2:25

Val Venis (Sean Morley) was the special guest referee

Fun Fact: In this match, Mae Young was in the Kat?s corner and Fabulous Moolah was in Terri?s corner. The reason for this was a Fabulous Moolah heel turn the week after Mae Young was put through a table. When asked if Mae was doing better, Moolah ripped off the line of her career when she claimed she didn?t care about Mae or her antics and that she hoped ?the bitch never comes back!? We also had an Austin Powers-esque vignette in the locker room as a naked Kat prepped for this match, but Mae would keep covering her naughty bits with various objects intended as double entendres.

Scott: The match itself doesn?t really annoy me because of how bad it was. Considering the classic we just witnessed, something needed to spell the crowd before we continue with the more important matches on the card. What annoyed me was that this was the only singles match on the entire card. Every other match was a tag team, 6-man, or a multi-person match. Strange way to book things, but in the long run it worked out, as the chemistry in the multi-person matches was stellar. This match was not stellar. Grade: 1.5

Justin: A time filler and palate cleanser that actually had some back story, but nothing too important. The Kat is the diva du jour, but does the quick job to Terri. Another notable point is how Val has quickly fallen off the map, as he is stuck refereeing nonsense like this. Grade: .5

6) Too Cool & Chyna (Joanie Laurer) defeated the Radicals when Chyna pinned Eddie Guerrero with a drop sleeper at 9:38

Fun Fact: We can officially do a debut piece on the final man to spurn WCW for greener pastures. Eddie Guerrero, like his counterpart Dean Malenko, is from wrestling royalty. The Guerrero family is famous all over the world, in particular Mexico. From his father Gory to his brothers Hector, Mando, and Chavo, the Guerrero family won titles all over North America. Eddie started in early 1993, teaming with Art Barr in the AAA promotion. He gained a following with his high flying style and was a favorite among Indy fans which was similar to how Chris Benoit gained his early following. He moved to ECW and won the TV Title, which included an awesome feud with Dean Malenko which had a series of well-wrestled matches that were contrary to the usual car wreck hardcore matches ECW was doing. He went to WCW in the fall of 1995 and for the next four and a half years would dazzle audiences with his biting humor, awesome facial expressions, but more importantly, his excellent mat wrestling. His feuds with Rey Mysterio, including a five-star classic for the Cruiserweight Title at Halloween Havoc 1997, made him a hot commodity. However like the other 3 radicals, he was treated like shit by Eric Bischoff and the NWO machine. So he bolted in early 2000 and made his debut the same Raw as Saturn, Benoit and Malenko. As mention in the No Way Out 2000 review, Eddie dislocated his elbow on a Smackdown, so he wasn?t in the February PPV match. Vince was smart and already started using Eddie?s charisma to work as he began making flirtatious overtones to Chyna in the weeks leading up to this match.

Scott: Not a bad little six-man tag, as it was a chance to do 2 things: Give the other three newcomers (Malenko, Guerrero, and Saturn) something to do, and it continues the storyline between Chyna and Eddie, ?Latino Heat?. This is actually Eddie?s PPV debut, as a dislocated elbow forced him to miss No Way Out. This was Chyna?s peak as a celebrity, as JR actually called her ?hot?. Never would hear that out of him. The storyline between the two of them would lead to some interesting moments, and matches. Unfortunately, just as what happened to Sable, once Chyna hit Playboy she became unbearable to deal with. We won?t slam her just yet. For now, she continues to give her all, as does everyone else in this match. Grade: 3

Justin: While they haven?t taken the Federation completely by storm, the Radicals have definitely made their presence known as world-class shit stirrers. It was obvious from the beginning that Benoit was the true breakout star of the four, which is why he immediately put above the group into higher profile matches, but since their debut, a second Radical also began solidifying his character and making waves: Eddie Guerrero. While on the sidelines with his elbow injury, Eddie began cultivating and perfecting his scummy Latino ?ladies man? gimmick, which he entitled Latino Heat. Over the preceding weeks, Eddie had begun making passes at Chyna and trying to woo her with his Heat, but Chyna, while amused, wanted nothing to do with Eddie. Here, Chyna teams up with Too Cool (still feuding with the Radicals since No Way Out) to take her angst out on her admirer. The match is actually pretty good and moves at a quick pace, as you would expect from this group of combatants. Chyna gets the big win here over her wanna-be lover, but the story would take a strange twist the next night on Raw. Grade: 3

7) Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho (Chris Irvine), and Chris Benoit wrestle in a two-fall Triple Threat match for the European and Intercontinental Titles

Pinfalls:
Benoit pins Jericho with a flying head butt at 7:54 to win WWF Intercontinental Title
Jericho pins Benoit with a Lionsault at 13:35 to win WWF European Title

Fun Fact: In the weeks leading up to this show, Kurt Angle had taken on former World Champion Bob Backlund as a special advisor and occasional tag team partner, which, as you could imagine, led to some very interesting promo work, with on of the best being Backlund calling Kurt ?Mr. Engles.? Once Kurt found out that both his titles were on the line at this show, he began crying conspiracy and saying the powers that be were out to get him, but it was soon revealed that Mr. Backlund made the decision in order to truly test Kurt?s ability. Well, this didn?t sit well with Mr. Engles, who proceeded to lock Backlund in the Cross-Face Chicken Wing and dump him from his role.

Scott: Now, before I get into this workrate party, a slight apology. I was a little harsh in my reviews of the last five PPVs of 1999. I said the undercard was completely useless and devoid of any character or interest. True the workrate and qualities of the matches were substandard most of the time, but truly the characters were a lot better than I gave them credit for. Having said that, I will say this match is the complete opposite. We have three guys who aren?t pimps, women haters, or fat bastards making millions doing nothing. They?re only the 3 most talented men you?ll see anywhere in wrestling. This match was for Angle?s two titles, and he?s not pinned for either. This begins a juicy, exciting war between the Canadian Chrises. Angle only held these two titles for a short time, but is quickly moving up the ladder. He?s muddled in a couple of other feuds until his next big moment in June. As for Jericho and Benoit, they begin a war the likes of which we haven?t seen in quite a while. Grade: 3.5

Justin: A really fun match between the three assumed can?t-miss stars of 2000. At the time, this sort of match wasn?t a regular occurrence, as triple threat matches may have happened all the time, but not with this caliber of wrestlers, so the normally laid-back and lethargic Anaheim crowd had a hard time getting into this one. These three pulled out a lot of innovative moves and worked the style of match quite well. Angle would go on to lose both of his belts here without getting pinned, just adding to his ?conspiracy theory? views. However, he would be moved away from the title picture for a while, as Jericho and Benoit would continue that war throughout most of the year. All in all, this was a good match here that never really slows down, and showcases the hot young talent that has poured into the Federation since January. Grade: 3.5

8) Kane (Glen Jacobs) & Rikishi (Solofa Fatu) defeat X-Pac (Sean Waltman) & Road Dogg (Brian James) when Kane pinned X-Pac after a Tombstone at 4:16

Scott: This was a short, painless match to spell the crowd between the 3-way and the main event. The Kane/X-Pac storyline was getting a little stale here, so it was nice to see it finally end. The show was starting to run a little long, and with the main event needing a good chunk of time, the duration is no surprise as well. The moment most remembered is at the end. With Kane in the match, there was little doubt we?d see Pete Rose hovering around somewhere. Well, Too Cool comes out dance with Rikishi, which by the way was becoming one of 2000?s highlights, as does the San Diego Chicken. Well, Kane remembered last year, when Rose dressed as the chicken. So, as Kane goes after the mascot, Rose runs down the ramp and attacks with a bat. Well, that won?t matter, as Charlie Hustle gets his annual tombstone, with a Rikishi stinkface for dessert. Nice bit of comedy to relax the crowd before the drama of our main event. Grade: 2

Justin: A quick little affair here that was necessary to get Kane the big win in his feud with X-Pac. Since October, Kane has been beaten and humiliated every step of the way. Sure, he picked up a couple of wins, and scored some victories on TV, but all of the major blows have come from D-X, as his best friend betrayed him and his girlfriend stabbed him the back. Now, he is reunited with his father, and finds a new partner to help gain revenge on the black and green. With Billy Gunn out of action for a while, Road Dogg and X-Pac start teaming up and actually turn into a pretty solid unit until D-X finally shuts down for good in late 2000. After this match, Kane would float around aimlessly for a bit before finally getting back into the title picture in June, while Rikishi was set to embark on the biggest push of his career, as his dancing and in-ring ability have skyrocketed his popularity to unthinkable levels. Grade: 2

9) Triple H (Paul Levesque) defeats the Rock (Dwayne Johnson), the Big Show (Paul Wight) and Mick Foley in a fatal four-way elimination match to retain WWF World Title

Eliminations:
Rock pins Big Show with a Rock Bottom at 4:41
Triple H pins Mick Foley with a Pedigree at 19:41
Triple H pins Rock after two Vince McMahon chairshots at 36:28

Fun Fact: To make things somewhat unpredictable, when Linda inserted Foley into the match, she also made sure to announce that if he won, he would remain retired and the title would be vacated and a new champion would be crowned via a tournament. This led to a lot of people assuming Foley would get his big win and retire as champion, because why else would they go through the trouble of coming up with an intricate tournament idea.

Fun Fact II: When we left No Way Out, the main event for Wrestlemania was Triple H vs. Big Show for the WWF Title. Rock had been exhausted of his chances to get back in until, finally, on the March 13 Raw Rock challenged Big Show to a final match for the #1 contender spot. If Rock won he got the spot, and if he lost he would leave the WWF. That night saw the return of Vince McMahon, who was off camera since the night after Armageddon. He pasted guest referee Shane with a chair, and counted the 3 count to give Rock the spot back he lost at No Way Out. Well Shane-O-Mac pulled some strings and got Big Show back into the match to make it a Triple Threat match. The following week on Raw in Chicago they decided to have the Triple Threat match at the end of the show, which Triple H won. After the match Linda McMahon came out and un-retired Mick Foley, saying he would wrestle in one final match to fulfill his dream of being in the main event of Wrestlemania and make it a Fatal Four Way.

Scott: Well, where do we begin? Triple H ended Mick Foley?s career at No Way Out. Big Show took the #1 contender spot from Rock at No Way Out. Rock spends the next few weeks trying to get that shot back. He does get it in a match on RAW thanks to the returning Vince McMahon, who hadn?t been on camera since the night after Armageddon. Then, after Triple H wins a triple threat match against the other two competitors on an episode of RAW, Linda McMahon comes out, and adds Mick Foley to the Wrestlemania match as a fatal four-way. So the match billed as ?A McMahon in every corner? is now set. Big Show is out after only a few minutes, and his main event push is squashed for the next two years. Foley?s participation in the match made many believe he was going to win. It had been said that if Foley won the title, he would retire the next night on RAW and a tournament would be set to fill the vacated title. That would have been sweet. Alas, he?s pinned by the Game, which then bodes the question: Why put him in the match in the first place? Then, the most ridiculous ending to a Wrestlemania main event ever, as Vince McMahon, in the corner of the Rock, heels out and decks Rock twice with a chair, making Hunter the first heel in Wrestlemania history to come in and leave as champ. Why? For a usually subdued Anaheim crowd, they sure threw a lot of trash in the ring. Not at the 1996 Bash at the Beach levels, but enough of a reaction to know that this was not what everybody wanted (?well I didn?t mind, being the Triple H disciple that I am.) First of all, all Wrestlemanias need happy endings. That?s just the way the formula is supposed to be played. Vince wants to play the swerve, and the Pond crowd is pissed. The rumor going around was that they wanted Steve Austin to do a run-in and cost Triple H the title, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, but doctors said Austin wasn?t ready for any physical activity, so they chose to save that nugget for the next show, but it still doesn?t excuse Hunter winning the title. I?m not sure how many agree with me on this, but for as long as the WWF has been in business in the modern era, three things have been certain: Death, Taxes, and the babyface wins the main event at Wrestlemania. The brawl was fun, but the logic was off on many levels. Grade: 3

Justin: Well, have we come quite a way from February or what? When No Way Out came to a close, the Main Event for this show was Big Show vs. Triple H, yet when April 2 rolled around, the Rock was back in the mix, as was the retired Mick Foley. A lot of people were pissed about Foley coming back, and even he initially refused, since he was adamant about adhering to his retirement, but in the long run, one more match didn?t really matter, and when we look back, we can see Mick Foley in the Main Event of Wrestlemania and be glad that he made it to that point. Now, the other argument was that this should have been a straight up one-on-one with Triple H and Rock, with Rock taking home the gold he lost exactly one year ago. However, the thinking was this: everyone is going to order Wrestlemania no matter what, as the product was so hot, a huge buy rate was inevitable, so why blow a huge money match here, when they can save it, build for one more month and pop a huge buy rate for Backlash. Plus, by the time that show rolls around, Steve Austin would be ready to get involved, so that would just add to the interest there. It was a shrewd move, because it did work, and the Backlash match was awesome, and it did a good rating, but they jeopardized their biggest show of the year to do it. Maybe one route they could have gone was to do Mick Foley vs. Triple H one more time, and have Rock battle for the #1 contender shot, or they could have had Mick win the title and do the tournament, with Rock winning the finals at Backlash. I guess in the long run it didn?t matter, but Triple H and Vince celebrating here after trying to kill each other in December is a little hokey and is quite the buzz kill to end an anticlimactic Wrestlemania. Grade: 3

Final Analysis:

Scott: After watching this show again, it definitely continued the trend of solid top to bottom shows for 2000. There were a couple of dogs, and the ending to the title match was very lame. However, I?m not as hung up about there not being any real singles matches as I used to be. The tag title match was awesome, and the triple threat double title match with Angle, Benoit, and Jericho was a ?workrate buffet?. Even some of the not-as-remembered matches in the undercard were entertaining. This was the first Wrestlemania without Undertaker since 1994 and first without Steve Austin since 1995. With the two of them together the Federation took the next step to sports-entertainment supremacy with the Attitude Era. Now in the first Wrestlemania without either of them in over a decade, would it succeed? No doubt. The new blood that has been injected into the Federation since late-1999 paid huge dividends here, as the undercard was loaded with solid talent and great in-ring work. The main event was solid, but again I?m of the belief that there should be a happy ending at every Wrestlemania. This one didn?t and it knocks the grade down a little. Next month would be a long awaited blow-off, but for now a great show ends with a sour taste in your mouth. Final Grade: B-

Justin: This show is so baffling that it is hard to accurately describe it. The roster was so stocked with talent, so the bookers were forced to shoe-horn everyone in to multi-wrestler matches, thus leaving just one singles match on the card in Terri vs. Kat. Now, if you trim a few people off, like Boss Man, Buchanan, Snow and Blackman, and present a tighter card with a better flow, this show quickly improves, but as it is, the show struggles to find an identity due to all the guys jam packed into these matches. The Main Event, which seemed like a given as far back as November, turned to a major clusterfuck by the time the show hit, and it really puts a damper on things. I?m guessing that if Austin was still healthy, they would have ran him vs. Show and Rock vs. Triple H for the belt, but, alas, things did not unfold like that. In addition to the chaos, rumors were flying heavily that Austin, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker would all be at the show as surprise guests as they were all featured in a Fan Fest recap segment during the show, so they were in town, but none of the three showed up, which led to some disappointed fans in the already lethargic Anaheim crowd. One final point is the McMahon overload. We had a nice break from December to February, as only Stephanie was featured on TV, but as this show closes, we are left with McMahon madness, and Steph, Vince and Shane would be the heavy focus on TV throughout the rest of 2000, which would turn a lot of viewers off, as the WWF has arguably the greatest talent roster ever assembled, but we are still focusing on 3 non-wrestlers. All in all, everyone except the Dudleys, Hardys, Edge, Christian, Benoit, Angle and Jericho just seemed?off. Even Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross seemed out of sorts, as they made numerous errors throughout the night in a time then it was quite rare for them to do so. All that said, however, the show was still a big success, as would be the rest of 2000, but Vince and crew need to get their priorities straight, or else things could tumble in a hurry. Final Grade: B

MVP: Hardyz, Dudleyz and Edge & Christian
Runner Up: Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho
Non MVP: Main Event
Runner Up: Head Cheese and T & A

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

PPV Rest in Peace List

“Playboy” Buddy Rose (Wrestlemania I)
“Special Delivery” Jones (Wrestlemania I)
Uncle Elmer (Wrestlemania II)
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: Backlash 2000