Written by: Adam King
WWF SMACKDOWN
Thursday, June 8th, 2000
Taped (6/06) from the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY
List of WWF Champions at the time:
● WWF World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (5/21/2000)
● WWF Intercontinental Champion: Chris Benoit (5/08/2000)
● WWF World Tag Team Champions: Too Cool (5/29/2000)
● WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
● WWF Hardcore Champion: Gerald Brisco (5/18/2000)
● WWF Women’s Champion: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (3/30/2000)
● WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (4/27/2000)
~ Smackdown comes on the air and goes right to the intro with Michael Cole welcoming us to the show along with Jerry “The King” Lawler.
Chris Jericho vs. Test (w/Trish Stratus) – King of the Ring Qualifying Match
Jericho gets on the mic before the match and talks about facing Test, calling him the “Jerk-le of the Squared Circle” or something. Test rushes the ring and goes right to work on Jericho then shoves him down. Test whips Jericho but Jericho ducks a clothesline and comes back with a series of chops. Jericho whips Test and connects with a spinning heel kick and Test rolls out to the apron when Jericho knocks him off with the springboard dropkick. Jericho grabs at Test through the ropes but Test pops him with a right hand. Jericho attacks Test as he climbs in and goes for a whip when Test reverses and Jerihco fakes him out but ends up running into a boot anyway. Test works Jericho over in a corner when Jericho starts to fight back and goes for a whip but Test counters into a full nelson slam for a two count. Test whips Jericho and hits an elbow then chokes him on the middle rope. Both men exchange shots and Test gets the advantage then whips Jericho into a corner and charges at him but eats an elbow. Jericho whips Test but Test gets lost and has to back into the corner. Seriously. Jericho gets in his shots then whips Test but lowers the head and Test hits a gutwrench powerbomb for a near fall. Test whips Jericho into a corner and charges but eats a boot and Jericho hops to the middle rope and connects with a missile dropkick. Test starts coming back and whips Jericho but Jericho hits a flying forearm for a two count. Jericho goes for a whip and Test reverses it but Jericho hits an elbow. Jericho goes for the Lionsault but Trish slips off her boot and waffles Jericho in the head with it. Jericho is down as Test crawls over and covers but only gets two! Test whips Jericho and Jericho rolls him up but Trish distracts the referee from making the count. Test sets Jericho up for the pump handle slam but Jericho floats over him and shoves Test into Trish knocking her off the apron. Jericho comes off the ropes with the bulldog although Test is somewhat out of position. Jericho tries the Lionsault again and this time hits it and gets the three to advance. (4:15) Jericho tried but Test’s sloppiness made this a blah contest. *
~ Backstage The Rock is shown arriving at the building when Mosh tries to greet him but Rock blows him off as we go to commercial.
~ Back from break Triple H leads the McMahon Helmsley Regime (or The Faction as it was also referred to by this time) to the ring as balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling. As Kane watches them from the back Triple H gets on mic and says when something great happens, he wants to hold a big party tonight. However Triple H says he’s not partying with the fans, rather he’s doing this to ram it down their throats. Triple H gloats about how there were three #1 contenders on Raw and now there are none because they got rid of The Undertaker and Kane before he pinned Rock in the grand finalie, proving once again he is the undispted WWF Champion and that darn good. Triple H then starts giving the other members of the Regime their props, putting over Gerald Brsico and Pat Patterson as the best stooges ever, thanking Road Dogg and X-Pac for always having his back, calling Shane McMahon the king of brothers and the giant killer, and giving Tori props for keeping the guys in line. Triple H then turns to Stephanie and calls her a great woman and the best and the Regime engages in a group hug.
Usually when that happens it’s time for The Rock to come out and get this segment going and that’s what he does. Rock gets on the mic and says he’s going to throw his own kind of party in Buffalo but instead of cake and streamers and balloons, he’s going to serve payback. Rock challenges Triple H to a non-title match saying it doesn’t matter what type of match it is but Triple H tells him if it’s payback he’s looking for, he’s staring in the wrong direction. Triple H says he knew Rock was going to come out so he invites him to look at some footage he’s preparedon the OvalTron. Triple H first shows Undertaker getting involved in the Ironman match at Jugment Day and chokeslaming him which got Rock DQ’ed, costing him the WWF title. Triple H next shows Taker chokeslamming Rock during their title match on Raw saying lightning strikes twice in the same place. Just then Undertaker rides out on his motorcycle and exchanges words with Rock before heading down to ringside. Taker gives Rock a look and starts to move toward him before charging in the ring and taking out everyone in it. Eventually the Regime starts to overwhelm Taker as Rock looks on from the stage and Kane continues to watch from the back. Once Taker starts fighting back Rock decides to get him some and joins the fray in the ring. Eventually Rock gets double-teamed in a corner while Shane brings in a chair but Taker decks him with a right hand and throws him through the ropes. X-Pac grabs the chair and charges but Taker boots it into his face. Taker then grabs the chair and swings at X-Pac but misses him and nails Rock by mistake. Taker chases the Regime out of the ring with the chair but does get in a shot at Triple H while Rock is left laying in the ring. They could have done this without taking up 18 minutes.
~ Back from break we get a replay of Rock crashing Triple H’s party but getting nailed with a chair by Undertaker. We then find Rock storming through the back and coming across Taker’s lockerroom. Rock charges in there but finds Kane instead and demands to know where Taker is. Kane offers to give Rock his beating instead of Taker and before long the two of them are going at it as several referees try to separate them.
WWF World Tag Team Titles: Too Cool © vs. The Godfather & Dean Malenko (w/the ladies)
I don’t get why are Godfather and Malenko getting a title shot when they have yet to win a match as a tag team. Godfather and Malenko rush the ring and go right to work on the champs and Godfather whips Scotty 2 Hotty but Scotty fakes him out. Godfather charges at Scotty but gets backdropped over the ropes and Scotty and Grandmaster Sexay whip Malenko into a double flapjack. Malenko rolls out to the floor andthe Too Cool guys bust a move when Godfather come back in and goes for the Ho Train and Sexay dodges it but Scotty isn’t so lucky. Sexay connects with a savant kick and both men hit a double clothesline followed by a double elwbodrop. Godfather comes back with a clothesline on both men then whips Scotty into a backdrop. Malenko tags in and comes off the ropes but misses a clothesline and Scotty blocks a hiptoss then goes through several moves but Malenko interupts that with a clothesline. Malenko tees off on Scotty and hits a snap suplex for a two count then whips him and hits a knee to the chest. Godfather tags in and both men whip Scotty into a double elbow then Godfather follows up with an elbowdrop but Sexay breaks up the pin. Godfather hits a back suplex for a near fall then tags in Malenko back in and Malenko whips Scotty but lowers the head and Scotty gets a Sunset Flip for a two count. Malenko hits a forearm followed by a series of knees to the face then whips Scotty into a corner and clotheslines him there. Malenko goes for a suplex but Scotty floats over and hits a gordbuster then makes the tag to Sexay. Sexay dances before hitting a clothesline then whips Malenko into a backdrop. Sexay whips Malneko into a corner and charges but eats a boot and Malenko comes out but runs into a powerslam. Godfather breaks up the pin and hammers Sexay in a corner when Scotty comes in and whips Malenko into a corner. Scotty comes off the ropes with the bulldog on Malenko and follows up with the Worm. Godfather knocks Scotty through the ropes and Scotty lands in front of the Godfather’s women but Godfather isn’t having it and throws him back in. Sexay whips Malenko into a corner and charges but Malenko backdrops him over the ropes with Sexay landing on his feet on the apron. Scotty plants Malenko with a suplex while Sexay climbs to the top rope and connects with the Hip Hop Drop to put this match to bed. (4:58) The Too Cool guys celebrate while Godfather isn’t too happy with his women. Okay for what it was, though I would have liked to see Too Cool get a clean defense against a real tag team. **
~ Backstage Shane McMahon is speaking with the Faction/Regime on what’s been happing so far tonight, expessing his delight at The Rock, Kane and Undertaker being at each other’s throats. Triple H suggests they pick them apart tonight and Road Dogg tells X-Pac they could take them then asks Triple H to join them. Shane decides to book a six-man tag and everyone gets excited but Triple H doesn’t look too thrilled as we go to commercial.
WWF Intercontinential Title: Chris Benoit © vs. Jeff Hardy
Both men lockup to start and Benoit forces Jeff into a corner when the referee forces a break but Benoit stars laying in some chops and kicks. Benoit whips Jeff into a corner but Jeff runs up the turnbuckle and connects with a corkscrew moonsault. Jeff charges at Benoit and gets backdropped over the ropes but lands on his feet on the apron and pulls Benoit down by the hair. Jeff springs off the top rope into a moonsault for a two count then slams Benoit to the mat. Jeff climbs to the top rope and goes for a 450 splash but misses it. Benoit whips Jeff into a knee to the chest twice then whips Jeff into a corner and Jeff flips up and down the ropes, ending up in the Tree of Woe as Benoit stomps away at him. Benoit suplexes Jeff onto the top rope then pops him off the apron to the floor. Benoit throws Jeff back in the ring and lays the boots to him before whipping him hard into a corner for a two count. Benoit whips Jeff again but this time Jeff comes back with a headscissors. Jeff charges at Benoit but Benoit sidesteps and pounds away on him in a corner. Benoit goes for a powerbomb but Jeff counters into a rollup for a two count. Benoit chops Jeff down then whips him but Jeff slides under the ropes and Jeff flips over him back in the ring. Jeff connects with an enzuigiri and Benoit rolls out to the floor when Jeff leaps over the ropes and nails him with a plancha. Jeff rolls Benoit back in the ring then climbs to the top rope and connects with the Swanton Bomb! Jeff covers for the upset and the referee counts 1..2.. but Benoit gets his foot on the bottom rope. Jeff goes for a whip, Benoit tries to counter it when Jeff grabs him with a waistlock but Benoit counters that with an armbar takedown then goes into the Crippler Crossface and Jeff quickly taps out. (5:32) Pretty good stuff for a five-minute bout. After the match Benoit offers a hand and Jeff shakes it then turns around …. when Benoit clocks him with the Intercontinential Belt. Benoit then grins as he leaves Jeff laying in the ring. That didn’t seem very nice. ***½
The Dudley Boyz vs. Kurt Angle, Edge & Christian – 3-on-2 Handicap Match
Before the match Angle gets on the mic and talks about the lack of sportsmanship saying if you lose, you shake the hand of the winner or vow to do better next time. Angle says millions of kids were distraught after seeing the Dudleys put him through a table on Raw then brings up how a midget cots his friends the tag team titles. Christian takes the mic and calls Buffalo the capital of sore losers with all the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup losses, not to mention OJ. Team ECK then unveil their latest 5-second pose, re-enacting the ending to Super Bowl XXV where Angle dons a Scott Norwood jersey and acts like he missed a field goal while E&C act as the goalpost. The Dudleys then enter as we see a number of the then-current Buffalo Bills in the crowd. Angle starts off with D’Von Dudley and whips him into a clothesline then Edge tags in just D’Von starts fighting back. D’Von whips Edge into a corner and charges at him but eats a boot. Edge hops to the middle rope and leaps off but D’Von catches him in mid-air with a right hand. Bubba Ray Dudley and Christian both tag in and Bubba hammers him with rights then catches Angle with a backdrop. Bubba plants Edge with a Samoan Drop then slams Angle and sets him up while D’Von climbs to the top ropes. However Edge pulls D’Von onto the turnbuckle then knocks Bubba through the ropes and Angle works him over on the floor. Christian goes up and sits on Edge’s shoulders while hitting a superplex on D’Von. Christian covers D’Von but the referee is too busy with the melee on the floor to count. Bubba pulls Edge out of the ring but Angle and Edge take turns getting in shots on him. Edge then goes for a Spear but Bubba sidesteps and Edge takes out Angle. Christian goes for a whip but D’Von reverses it and the Dudleys hit a 3D for the win! (1:49) Okay match but, were they pressed for time or something? Because this match should have gone a lot longer. *½
~ Backstage Johnathan Coachman intreviews Stephanie about the women’s battle royal for a title shot later tonight. Stephanie talks about how she will defend her Women’s title against the winner of that battle royal tonight as well when Coach points out she doesn’t even know who’s in the battle royal. Stepahie asks who would want to face her then invites Coach into the women’s lockerroom where Lita and Jacqueline are shocked at this latest stunt. Coach tries to excuse himself but Stephanie closes the door behind him and he gets yelled at.
~ Back from break we get an exterior shot of the HSBC Arena.
~ Backstage Kane is pacing when the Undertaker walks up demanding his attention about how he’s been watching TV in the back while DX was stomping him down. Kane says he did watch him get beaten up earlier from the back and enjoyed it but does promise to have Taker’s back in the six-man tag later.
Lita vs. Terri Runnels vs. Jacqueline vs. The Kat vs. Ivory – #1 Contender’s Battle Royal
Eliminatons can occur either by pinfall or by being thrown out of the ring and touching the floor. However Stephanie appoints Tori as the special guest referee before joining the announcers for commentary. Not a good sign. Ivory and Jackie attack Lita as she climbs in the ring while Kat takes down Terri to start us off. Ivory and Jackie both whip Lita and hit a double-hiptoss and Ivory covers Lita but Jackie pulls her off and goes for the cover only to get pulled off as well, even though this is an elimination match. Ivory and Jackie then start aruging which will lead to them going at it soon. Ivory then turns and bodyslams Kat before throwing her through the ropes for the first elimination. Terri celebrates her rival being taken out when Lita tosses her through the ropes as well. Jackie slams Ivory then nails Lita from behind with a forearm. Jackie whips Lita and Lita ducks a clothesline and nails Ivory with her own clothesline. Jackie clotheslines Lita and throws her over the ropes but Lita slides back in the ring. Lita nails Jackie from behind then goes for a whip but Jackie reverses her into a corner. Jackie goes for a slam but Lita counters with a headscissors that sends Jackie rolling out to the floor. Ivory pounds on Lita and slams her to the mat then climbs to the middle rope but misses a splash. Lita hits a snap suplex then climbs to the top rope and connects with a moonsault for the three and the title shot. (2:44) It was what it was. Lita then turns to Stephanie and tells her she wants the belt when Tori nails Lita from behind and plants her with a gourdbuster. Stephanie decides to have her title defense now and orders the bell to be rung.
WWF Women’s Title: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley © vs. Lita
Lita is out cold as Stephanie covers her and Tori counts the three giving Stephanie her first title “defense”. (0:03) Stephanie and Tori then celebrate as we go to commercial. NR
~ Back from break we get a replay of Lita winning a Women’s title shot but getting knocked out and pinned in three seconds. Kevin Kelly then interviews Lita on how she feels about what just went down. Lita says she worked her whole life for this and that she defeated everyone to get a legitimate title shot only to have it taken away from her. Lita says Stephanie may think this is a big game but it’s not a game to her and promises this is not over. To think Lita’s the one getting an angle while her former friend Essa Rios is the one toiling on the weekend shows.
Eddie Guerrero (w/Chyna) vs. Matt Hardy – King of the Ring Qualifying Match
Both men feel each other out to start and Eddie applies a hammerlock then goes into a front facelock but Matt counters into an arm wringeer. Eddie flips out of it and gets his own arm wringer but Matt kicks him away. Eddie hits a legsweep for a one count and Matt goes for his own legsweep but Eddie leaps over it. Matt snapmares Eddie to the mat and applies a hammerlock and Eddie tries to flip out of it but Matt keeps the hold on. Eddie finally fights out of it and comes off the ropes with a shoulderblock. Eddie comes off the ropes again but runs into a Mexican armdrag. Matt hits a tilt-o-whirl slam then whips Eddie and hits a gutbuster. Matt goes for the Twist of Fate but Eddie counters it into a backslide for a two count. Eddie hits a European uppercut and goes for a whip, Matt reverses it and lifts Eddie up but Eddie counters it with a huricanrana. However Matt counters that into a rollup and both men exchange pinfall counters several times. Eddie hits a neckbreaker then climbs to the top rope but Matt cuts him off then goes up and hits a superplex for a near fall. Eddie comes back with a Northern Lights suplex then climbs to the top again and goes for the Frogsplash when Matt avoids it but Eddie rolls out of it to his feet. Matt tosses Eddie onto the top turnbuckle then charges at him but eats an elbow. Eddie hops to the middle rope and hits a huricanrana that gets the three! (4:10) Another short but good match as Eddie earns his way into the tourney. ***
~ Backstage Val Venis is doing push-ups walks Trish Stratus is walking around complaining about the stinkface she received on Raw. Trish says her face is still not clean but Val doesn’t seem to care what she says so Trish spills water on him to get his attention. Val stops his push-ups as Trish tells him to make Rikishi pay for what he did to her but Val says the only thing they have in common is they both want championship gold. Val says he’ll do the job as long as she holds up her end of the bargain.
Rikishi vs. Val Venis (w/Trish Stratus)
Val has a new remixed entrance theme to reinforce his newfound heelness. Val attacks Rikishi as he climbs in the ring and pounds on him in a corner. Val whips Rikishi and hits a clothesline that actually knocks Rikishi off his feet. Val comes off the ropes for another clothesline for a two count then goes for a whip but Rikishi reverses him into a corner and Val staggers into a Samoan Drop. Rikishi pops Val with a pair of rights then whips Val into a corner and hits a clothesline. Rikishi whips Val into the opposite corner then hits the running butt charge and Val slumps to the mat. Rikishi readies for the stinkface when Trish comes in and throws powder into his eyes, drawing a DQ to end this one. (1:24) Val comes out of the corner with a clothesline and hammers Rikishi through the ropes then goes out and rams Rikishi into the ringsteps. Val grabs the steps and rams then into Rikishi’s face busting him open. Val tosses the referee into the crowd then rolls Rikishi in the ring and hammers away on the injury as several referees try to separate them. Val then brings in the ring bell and clocks Rikishi in the head with it twice then celebrates and starts to leave up the ramp. NR
However we’re not done yet as Val looks back and sees Rikishi coming after him on his feet. Rikishi starts to fight back and rams Val repeatedly into the stage floor then grabs Trish but Val makes the save allowing Trish to escape. Rikishi knocks Val down then hits a legdrop before superkicking him off the stage! Val is down on the floor when Rikishi leaps off the stage and splashes Val!! While this was a nice spot they didn’t need to do both things on the same night; they could have have Val bloody Rikishi then have Rikishi do the revenge splash off the stage on Raw.
~ Back from break we get footage of Val being stretchered out of the arena during the break as well as replays of Rikishi splashing Val from the stage.
~ Cole and Lawler then give us the King of the Ring tournament update. On Heat Chyna made short work of The Godfather while Val Venis advanaced over Al Snow. On Raw Chris Benoit advanced over Road Dogg and Hardcore Holly defeated Faarooq. Earlier tonight Chris Jericho beat Test and Eddie Guerrero pinned Matt Hardy. Cole then mentions two more qualifying matches will take place on Sunday Night Heat with Perry Saturn facing D’Von Dudley and The Big Bossman taking on Bubba Ray Dudley.
~ Backstage Chris Benoit is walking when Kevin Kelly catches up to him for a quick interview asking about him laying out Jeff Hardy. Benoit asks when does he need to explain himself then says he did it simply because he wanted to and walks off.
~ The Undertaker, Kane and The Rock are all shown heading to the ring for the main event as we go to commercial.
The Rock, The Undertaker & Kane vs. Triple H, Road Dogg & X-Pac (w/Stephanie and the rest)
The DX Faction/Regime heads to the ring as a unit while Kane, Taker and Rock are coming out separately. Kane is out first and the DX’ers swarm all over him while he’s alone with Kane trying to fight them off. Kane gets triple-teamed just as Taker makes his way to the ring and takes on the DX’ers one at a time. Taker soon starts getting overwhelmed when Rock finally comes out join the fray and goes right after Triple H, knocking him out of the ring. Soon the faces clear the ring of the DX’ers and Rock goes out and rams Triple H into the steps. Kane goes out to get him some while Taker is left in the ring and hits an elbow on X-Pac. Kane throws Road Dogg in the ring and Taker drops him with a right hand then hammers him in a corner. Taker whips Road Dogg into the opposite corner and charges but eats a boot and Road Dogg comes out but runs into a big boot. Taker throws Road Dogg into the corner and works him over then slaps Kane to tag him in. Kane uppercuts Road Dogg then whips him and grabs him by the throat. X-Pac comes off the top but Kane grabs him with his other hand and Triple H comes in but runs into a boot. X-Pac fights out of the choke and the DX’ers go for a suplex but Kane counters with a suplex on both men. Kane press slams X-Pac when Rock tags himself in and plants Road Dogg and X-Pac with spinebusters then pops Triple H off the apron. Rock DDTs Road Dogg for a two count then goes for the ropes but tumbles to the floor after Triple H pulls down the top rope. Triple H and X-Pac double-team Rock on the floor while Road Dogg distracts the referee and Lawler points out Kane and Taker are making no attempt to help Rock. Triple H and X-Pac ram Rock into the steps before throwing him back in the ring and Road Dogg covers Rock for a two count. Road Dogg applies a chinlock and Rock fights out of it then comes off the ropes but Triple H nails him from behind on the apron. Triple H tags in and pummels Rock in a corner when Rock starts fighting back and goes for a whip but lowers the head and Triple H hits a facebuster. Triple H follows up with a clothesline but only gets two and X-Pac tags in and hammers Rock before wrenching his arm. Rock battles back again and goes for a whip but X-Pac reverses and hits a spinkick for a near fall. Road Dogg tags back in and works Rock over then whips him and hits the juke ‘n jive punches but Rock blocks the big right. Rock gets in his own shots and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Road Dogg tags Triple H but Rock manages to tag in Taker who whips Triple H into a big boot. Road Dogg and X-Pac both come in but both get dropped with right hands. Kane comes in and clotheslines Road Dogg over the ropes then goes out after him while Taker whips X-Pac and hits a backdrop. Taker scoops X-Pac up for a Tombstone when Triple H breaks it up and looks for a Pedigree but Taker counters it with a backdrop. Rock knocks Triple H over the ropes while Taker chokeslams X-Pac and manages to score the pin. (8:44) Rock goes out and gets in some shots on Triple H while Kane rams Road Dogg into the ringsteps. Rock and Kane then walk up the ramp while they exchange glances with Taker in the ring. **
Oh, but we’re not done as Triple H and the DX’ers attack Taker from behind, prompting Rock and Kane to run back in the ring to continue the fight. Shane then decides to get involved by bringing a chair in the ring but Rock cuts him off with a right hand. Rock then grabs the chair himself and you can probably guess what’s going to happen next. Sure enough Rock swings the chair at Shane but Shane ducks and Rock takes out Kane by mistake. Triple H nails Rock from behind but Taker pops Triple H through the ropes. Rock turns around to see who hit him and only sees Taker so he clocks him with the chair as the Regime quickly beat a retreat. Rock chases them to the back then turns and finds Taker and Kane glaring at him from the ring. It looks like more trouble is brewing as Smackdown goes off the air.
Conclusion: If you can get past the first 30 minutes which are nothing notable, then this was a pretty decent show. The main angle continued along at a pretty predictable pace with the faces getting one back on the DXWo but also showing dissention. On the other hand there was some good in-ring action with Chris Benoit/Jeff Hardy and Eddie Guerrero/Matt Hardy as the standouts and the WWF also tried to get some other things going with Val Venis and Rikishi along with Stephanie and Lita. So overall, while it’s not a show to go out of your way to see, it does have some stuff worth checking out.