WWF Smackdown 7/6/2000

Written by: Adam King

WWF SMACKDOWN
Thursday, July 6th, 2000

Live from the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando, FL

List of WWF Champions at the time:
●  WWF World Heavyweight Champion: The Rock (6/25/2000)
●  WWF Intercontinental Champion: Rikishi (6/22/2000)
●  WWF World Tag Team Champions: Edge & Christian (6/25/2000)
●  WWF European Champion: Eddie Guerrero (4/03/2000)
●  WWF Hardcore Champion: Steve Blackman (6/29/2000)
●  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 into with Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcoming us.

~ Things kick off with Kurt Angle making his way to the ring for our opener with his crown and sceptre in hand. Angle first decides to get on the mic and says he doesn’t do this often but wants to make some apologies tonight. Angle wants to apologize to the Fort Lauderdale fans for living meaningless lives since they don’t show him respect, then apologizes to the old people in Florida because they’ll die soon before they see him win the WWF Title. Angle then tries to apologize to Undertaker for costing him and Kane the tag team titles on Raw, claiming he was just helping out his friends Edge & Christian and that he hopes Taker has more than enough intergrity to forgive him. Chris Jericho then makes his way out and gets on the mic wanting to make his own apologies. Jericho says he wants to apologize to the fans for having to listen to another of “Kirk Angel”‘s long-winded speeches. Jericho then starts to apologize to Stephanie McMahon but decides against it since she is a bottom-feeding tramp. Jericho finally apologizes for putting Triple H through a table last week before mentioning how he really enjoyed it and can’t wait to do it again.

• Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho

So our first match tonight is a rematch of the only worthwhile bout at King of the Ring. Before we get started Stephanie McMahon struts down the ramp probably looking to interfere for her pal Angle at some point. Jericho gets in the first shots and whips Angle into an elbow then goes for a whip when Angle reverses but lowers the head. Jericho kicks the face and charges at Angle who backdrops him over the ropes but Jericho lands on his feet then climbs to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick to get a two count. Jericho hammers Angle with chops and goes for a whip but Angle hot shots him on the ropes. Angle stomps Jericho down in a corner and hits a suplex for a near fall then both men exchange shots when Angle tosses Jericho through the ropes. Angle goes out and rams Jericho into the announce table before tossing him back in as Stephanie looks on. Angle whips Jericho and clotheslines him for a two count then applies a chinlock combined with a bodyscissors. Jericho fights out of the hold and comes off the ropes but runs into a knee to the chest. Angle lays the boots to Jericho and whips him but Jericho comes back with a double-underhook backbreaker. Angle responds with a clothesline for a near fall then elbows Jericho in the head and works him over in a corner before choking him with his boot. Angle goes for a whip, Jericho reverses into the other corner but eats a boot and Angle comes out but runs into a spinning heelkick. Angle goes for another whip but Jericho connects with a flying forearm. Jericho goes for a whip, Angle reverses looking for a leapfrog but Jericho catches him into a powerslam for a near fall. Jericho whips Angle into a corner then goes for the bulldog and misses it but manages to get it on the second try. Jericho covers Angle but sure enough Stephanie hops on the apron distracting the referee from counting the pin. Jericho reaches out for Stephanie when Angle takes a swing at him with his scepter but Jericho cuts him off and takes him down. Jericho then looks for the Walls of Jericho when Stephanie hits him below the belt with the sceptre. Angle then follows up with the Olympic Slam on Jericho and the three count is academic thanks to Stephanie. (5:27) The usual good stuff you’d see from these guys. Angle celebrates his cheap victory while Stephanie heads to the back with a huge smile on her face. ***

~ Back from break we get a replay of Kurt Angle stealing a win from Chris Jericho with an assist from Stephanie. We then find Angle still celebrating backstage at the buffet table while throwing several bowls of foodstuffs and milk over his head … but doesn’t see it land on the Undertaker’s motorcyle behind him. Uh-oh! Once Mideon points it out to him, Angle realizes he may have just angered Taker some more and makes a quick exit. Cole and Lawler comment on Angle’s recent bad luck with Taker as we see Angle hailing a taxi cab outside and taking off.

~ Out in the arena Commissioner Mick Foley heads out to the ring and grabs a mic to take up the next 10 or so minutes. Foley starts with how he had a tremendous time on Monday for the first hour 55 minutes before things went downhill and offers to take some responsiblity. Foley mentions two individuals also share the blame, Shane McMahon and Chris Benoit, then dares either of them to come out and give an explanation and Benoit doesn’t hesitate to make his way to the ring. Foley first tells Benoit about how his good friend Chyna spent three hours before Raw playing with his little daughter then shows footage of Chyna in the Crossface on the Ovaltron, telling Benoit that he tortured a helpless woman. Foley tells Benoit he’s sickened at him after Chyna went from playing with his little girl to having her neck stretched but Benoit shows little emotion. So Foley deicdes to show footage of the Rock/Shane McMahon match later that night, pointing out Rock had Shane dead to rights only for Benoit to come in and attack Rock from behind with a chair. Foley also shows Benoit how he beat Rock down with the chair before putting the Crossface on another helpless victim. Foley tells Benoit that he sees him as one of the best technical wrestlers but he doesn’t see any remorse or compassion then demands Benoit explain why he did it. Benoit responds by saying he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, that he has no compassion or remorse and that he’s the greatest technical wrestler in the WWF today until someone proves him wrong. Benoit says he has the WWF Championship in his sights before promising to go through anyone standing in his way then dares Foley to book him in a title match against Rock tonight, promising his actions will speak louder than words.

Foley tells Benoit he’ll have to think real hard about his request when … Edge & Christian make their way to the ring? Edge gets on the mic and tells Benoit how proud they are of him and that he reeked of awesomeness last Monday while Christian claims he and Edge are filled with maple leaf pride at a fellow Canadian kicking as much butt as him. Edge puts over how he and Christian retained their belts before saying it’s fitting Benoit becomes WWF Champion. Foley responds by saying he likes Canada but points out they’re not in Canada but right here in Fort Lauderdale. Foley feels the three Canadians need to spend some time together while Rock should get a piece of Benoit as well so he books a six-person tag match for tonight with Benoit, Edge and Christian taking on Rock, Chyna and Eddie Guerrero.

~ We then get a shot of Stephanie McMahon pacing around backstage waiting for Triple H’s arrival as we go to commercial.

~ Back from break Stephanie is still waiting backstage when a limo pulls up and Triple H climbs out with Stephanie asking where he’s been. Stephanie then brags about embarassing Chris Jericho by causing him to lose his match but Triple H doesn’t seem as thrilled and tells her she shouldn’t be out where Jericho could attack her. Stephanie tries to assure him that Kurt Angle was out there as well and Triple H seems bothered Angle was with her then demands to find Mick Foley’s office. Hmmm.

• The Dudley Boyz vs. D’Lo Brown & Chaz Warrington

On Heat Chaz and D’Lo started teaming up because they’re both New Jersey guys looking for respect. Either that or they’re just another “we’re not doing anything with these two guys so let’s just sitck them together” tag team. D’Lo gets in the first shots on D’Von then goes for a whip but D’Lo counters it and hammers D’Lo with his shots. D’Von whips D’Lo and hits the jumping elbow followed by a forearm then tags Bubba Ray in to take over. Bubba whips D’Lo and nails him with a sidewalk slam then hammers him in a corner and elbows him in the head. Bubba whips D’Lo again when D’Lo goes for an O’Connor roll but Bubba holds onto the ropes and hits a back suplex. Bubba comes off the ropes with a splash but misses it and D’Lo tags Chaz to get in his shots. Chaz whips Bubba into a corner and charges but eats an elbow. Bubba slams Chaz then hops to the middle rope and hits a senton but Chaz grabs the ropes for the break. D’Von tags in a goes for a whip when Chaz reverses it and leapfrogs over him but then collapses and grabs his knee. The referee tends to Chaz allowing D’Lo to trip D’Von from the floor and pull him by the legs into the ringpost. Chaz’s knee then magically recovers as he stomps away on D’Von before tossing him through the ropes. Chaz distracts the referee while D’Lo works D’Von over on the floor before tossing him back in for his partner. Chaz rolls D’Von out to the apron then tags D’Lo and springs over the ropes clotheslining D’Von along the way. Chaz then holds D’Von on the floor while D’Lo leaps over the ropes and connects with a plancha on D’Von. Chaz rolls D’Von back in the ring and D’Lo nails him with a knee to the chest while trash talking him. D’Lo whips D’Von looking for another knee when D’Von rolls him up for a near fall. D’Lo hits a heel kick then climbs to the top rope and goes for the Lo Down but misses it. D’Lo tags Chaz while D’von makes the tag to Bubba and Bubba chops Chaz then whips him into a backdrop. Bubba whips Chaz into a corner when D’Lo tries to come in but Bubba hits him with the Full Nelson bomb. Bubba then sets D’Lo up while D’Von climbs to the top rope and connects with the headbutt to the groin. Bubba sends D’Lo out to set up a table at ringside while he works over Chaz in a corner and chokes him down. D’Lo pulls D’Von through the ropes while Bubba goes to powerbomb Chaz when Chaz counters into a Sunset Flip but Bubba rolls out of that. Bubba comes off the ropes but he and Chaz end up clotheslining each other while D’Von and D’Lo do the same on the floor and everyone is out. Suddenly a siren sounds as Steven Richards quickly runs down the ramp and folds up the table on the floor then takes it to the back. In the ring the Dudleys set Chaz up for something when they see their table is gone so Bubba goes out for another table while D’Lo and Chaz attack D’Von. D’Lo whip D’Von into a flapjack then slings himself over the ropes into a pescado on Bubba while Chaz legdrops D’Von but only gets two. Bubba whips D’Lo into the ringpost then heads in and helps D’Von plant Chaz with the 3D to snag the pin. (6:57) Even though they got the win the Dudleys still aren’t happy that someone stole their table. Pretty solig tag bout, and Chaz and D’Lo was always an underrated addition to the tag ranks. **½

~ Backstage Kevin Kelly catches up to Steven Richards and asks if he has a death wish after what he just did. Richards says he’s out to censor vulgarity as well as gratuitously violet actions like putting people through tables. Richards says the public embraces such activity but he will censor them because he knows what’s good for the fans.

~ Back from break we get an exterior shot of the building as we see Dolphins player Zach Thomas in the crowd. We also get brief clips of another XFL press conference announcing Orlando as the latest addition to the league.

~ Backstage the Helmsleys barge into Commissioner Mick Foley’s office demanding a match with Chris Jericho tonight and threatening to make the match himself. Foley informs Triple H and Stephanie that he has all the authory with Vince away being a genetic jackhammer and therefore their days of making matches are over. Triple H then threatens to beat Foley up when Foley warns him that every punch will cost him five grand so Triple H tells Stephanie to get his wallet. Foley tells Triple H go ahead but he’ll hurt his wallet and his pride by making sure his days of main eventing are over. Foley tells Triple H he’s not bigger than the WWF and while he wants him on the shows, the fact is he doesn’t need him. Foley threatens to book Triple H in gymnasiums and sideshows and that no one will know who he is if he throws one punch. Foley then tells Triple H he’ll get his match with Jericho on Monday, if he can win an elimination handicap match tonight. Triple H accepts the match but warns Foley not to screw with him or he’ll get every penny’s worth out of his money.

• Dean Malenko © (w/the ladies) vs. Ivory & Jacqueline – Non-Title Intergender Handicap Match

So this is where Malenko’s WWF run has come to, from debuting with the Radicals and revitalizing the Light Heavyweight divison to feuding with these two women. Ivory and Jackie double-team Malenko as he climbs in the ring and whip him but they lower their heads and Malenko knocks Ivory aside then rams Jeckie into the mat to take control. Malenko tosses Jackie through the ropes then puts Ivory in a facelock but Ivory counters into a hammerlock and snampares him to the mat. Ivory goes for a chinlock but Malenko slips out and lays the boots to her then whips her into a corner. Malenko scoops Ivory up floats Ivory floats over him looking for a Sunset Flip while Jackie climbs to the top rope and hits a crossbody that knocks Malenko over for a two count. Malenko tosses Ivory through the ropes when Jackie jumps on his back but Malenko shrugs her off to the mat and jabs her eyes. Malenko goes for a whip but Jackie reverses it and Ivory grabs his ankle from the floor. Jackie heads out to pull Malenko out of the ring and she and Ivory wail on him before suplexing him onto the floor. Jackie and Ivory roll Malenko back in and whip him but Malenko comes back and clotheslines both women. Malenko sets Ivory and Jackie up for something when they take him down with a legsweep and make a wish. Ivory and Jackie hit a double elbow and whip Malenko into a corner then Ivory whips Jackie into Malenko but Malenko dodges her shot and clotheslines Ivory. Malenko plants Jackie with a sidewalk slam then knocks Ivory out to the apron with an elbow. Malenko looks to suplex Ivory back in when Crash runs out and trips Malenko causing Ivory to fall on him then holds him down while Ivory and Jackie get the three! (2:48) Yes, Malenko actually jobbed to two women, even though it was a surprisingly decent match. Malenko goes out and beats on Crash on the ramp while Jackie poses with Malenko’s Light Heavyweight belt. Malenko heads back in but Jackie and Ivory clock him in the head with the belt and leave him laying in the ring. Is Malenko a trooper for doing this or what? **

~ We then see Val Venis and Trish Stratus heading to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.

• WWF Intercontinential Title: Rikishi © vs. Val Venis (w/Trish Stratus)

This is another King of the Ring rematch that continues the feud between these two. Rikishi goes right to work on Val with rights then whips him into a corner and tosses him through the ropes. Rikishi goes out and tosses Val into the ringsteps then grabs a chair but the referee takes it away from him so Rikishi throws Val back in. Val greets Rikishi with a DDT then climbs to the top rope but Rikishi cuts him off and throws him off to the mat. Rikishi slams Val then follows up with the massive ledrop but it only gets a two count. Rikishi whips Val but ends up throwing him into the referee in a corner. Rikishi plants Val with a Samoan Drop and covers him but the referee is out. Trish waves for backup and Test and Albert charge in but Rikishi decks Albert with a right hand and superkicks Test. Albert comes back with a clothesline from behind and Test climbs to the top rope and connects with the flying elbowdrop on Rikishi. He and Albert quickly depart and Val manages to crawl over and cover Rikishi while the referee revives to count it … but only gets a two count. Test and Albert are shocked by this on the ramp when Too Cool jump them from behind and those four go at it. In the ring Val goes for a whip, Rikishi reverses it and Val goes for a Sunset Flip but Rikishi sits down on him. However the referee is out of it and can’t count it so Rikishi nails Val with the running butt splash in a corner. Now Tazz runs in the ring for whatever reason and grabs a camera from a cameraman then bashes Rikishi in the head with it. Tazz heads to the back while Val climbs to the top rope and hits the Moneyshot for the three and his second IC title! (4:19) Trish helps the new champion to the back while Too Cool tend to the fallen Rikishi in the ring. Half the match was run-ins plus why kill off Rikishi’s title reign after just two weeks, especially since Val wasn’t over anymore at this point and there was little heat for the title change. *½

~ Back from break we get a replay of Tazz helping Val Venis beat Rikishi to take the Intercontinential Title. We then cut backstage and find Val celebrating his big win with Trish and her crew as they let the champagne fly. Val then turns and tells Test and Albert that they’ll be holding gold as well in due time, all thanks to Trish Stratus.

• WWF Hardcore Title: Steve Blackman © vs. The Big Bossman

Blackman comes out with his bag of weapons when Bossman works him over with his nightstick on the ramp but Blackman comes back with a chopblock to the knee. Bossman goes for Blackman’s bag and pulls out a kendo stick but Blackman blocks a swing and breaks the stick in half then grabs the pieces and chases Bossman into the ring. Bossman goes out and grabs a fire extinguisher then sprays CO2 in Blackman’s face and covers for a two count. Bossman brings a trash lid in the ring and clocks Blackman with it but Blackman kicks it back in Bossman’s face. Blackman whips Bossman and whacks his knee with the lid then hits him in the back of the head for a near fall. Bossman grabs a stick and hits Blackman below the belt then chokes him with it while pinning him on the mat for a two count. Bossman tosses a trash can in the ring and takes a swing but Blackman avoids it and rams Bossman into the can for a near fall. Bossman comes back with a trash can shot of his own then knocks him through the ropes and rams him over the barricade with the can. Bossman grabs his nightstick when Al Snow appears in the crowd and whacks Bossman with a vendor carrier. Snow then disappears into the crowd while Blackman hits Bossman in the head with a kendo stick and grabs the win. (3:40) Standard hardcore stuff, though Blackman’s reign would give the belt some much-needed stability. *½

~ Backstage The Undertaker surveys his messed-up motorcycle while Mideon reports to him that Kurt Angle did it and he tried to stop him. Taker glares at Mideon in response then turns back and continues to curse Angle.

• The Undertaker & Kane vs. T & A (w/Trish Stratus)

With his bike all messed up Taker actually has to walk to the ring like everyone else. All four men go at it and pair off to start with Taker pummeling Test while Kane pops Albert through the ropes. Taker whips Test into a corner and clotheslines him then follows up with an elbowdrop that gets a near fall. Taker whips Test but lowers the head and Test kicks the face then gets his own clothesline for a two count. Test goes for a whip when Taker reverses it and plants Test with a sidewalk slam. Albert makes the save and Taker gets in a shot on him as he heads back to the corner but turns into a big boot from Test for two. Test continues wailing away on Taker who starts fighting back until Test stops that with a knee to the chest. Test whips Taker but lowers the head and Taker drills him with a DDT for two. Kane and Albert both get the tag and Kane goes to whip him when Albert reverses it but Kane pops him with an uppercut. Albert comes back with the bicycle kick and hits a suplex for a two count. Albert stomps Kane down in a corner and shoulderblocks him before whipping into the opposite corner but Kane comes out with a clothesline. Kane goes for a whip but Albert reverses it and Kane tumbles to the floor after Test pulls down the top rope. However Kane lands on his feet and decks Test when Albert moves in but Kane snaps his neck on the ropes. Kane climbs to the top rope but Test pulls his leg and Kane straddles the turnbuckle. Kane slumps to the mat and Albert hits the Avalanche before Test boots Kane down. Taker knocks Test through the ropes then goes and dukes it out with him on the floor. Kane whips Albert into a corner and clotheslines him then whips Albert again and plants him with a back suplex. Taker helps Kane whip Albert and hit a double boot and Kane finishes Albert with a chokeslam to end this one. (4:29) That was actually a decent match for what it was. Test comes in but Taker takes him out with the Last Ride powerbomb. Trish then gets in Taker’s face when Kane pulls her in the ring by the hair. Kane grabs Trish looking for a chokeslam but before he can hit it Val Venis runs in and clocks him from behind with his Intercontinential belt for the save. **

~ Back from break Triple H and Stephanie make their way to the ring for his big handicap elimination match as Cole and Lawler speculate who his opponents could possibly be. Triple H waits intently when out comes … Kaientai? Triple H has a huge grin on his face when Taka and Funaki are joined by … the Brooklyn Brawler? Not exactly an imposing threesome, thought Taka did take Triple H to the limit a few months back.

• Triple H (w/Stephanie McMahon) vs. The Brooklyn Bralwer & Kaientai – Handicap Elimination Match

Anyway if Triple H survives this trio, he gets Chris Jericho in the ring on Monday instead of having to wait until Fully Loaded. Taka, Funaki and Brawler triple-team Triple H to start and they even manage to stomp him down in a corner. Funaki takes over and goes for a whip and Triple H reverses it when Funaki comes back and hits a huricanrana. Brawler follows up with a neckbreaker for a two count while Taka climbs to the top rope and connects with a missile dropkick that also gets a near fall. The Kaientai guys whip Triple H but lower their heads giving Triple H his opening. Triple H kicks Taka’s face and pops Funaki through the ropes when Brawler clotheslines him over the ropes as well. Taka heads out to the apron and goes for an Asai moonsault but misses Triple H and wipes out Funaki instead. Brawler attacks Triple H as he climbs back in and chops him then whips him but Triple H hits the facebuster. Triple H covers Brawler when Taka makes the save with a dropkick to the face and gets in a few karate chops. Taka charges but Triple H tosses him over the ropes then turns to Funaki in a corner but eats a double boot. Funaki goes for a tornado DDT but Triple H shoves him off and hits the Pedigree to get the first elimination. (2:16) Taka climbs to the top rope and goes for a flying crossbody but Triple H ducks it and Taka splats on the mat. Triple H then nails Taka with the Pedigree and gets the second elimination making the match one-on-one. (2:31) Brawler tries to get in his shots but Triple H quickly stops that before he stomps Brawler down in a corner. Triple H chokes Brawler with his boot as referee Earl Hebner orders a break then pulls Triple H off by the hair so Triple H gets in Hebner’s face and shoves him down in a conrer. Triple H sets Brawler up for a Pedigree when Chris Jericho runs in and nails Triple H with a bulldog followed by the Lionsault. And the funny thing is this is all happening in full view of Earl Hebner. Jericho departs and Brawler covers Triple H and Hebner the counts 1..2..3!! The Brooklyn Brawler wins!! (3:21) It’s been forever since we’ve seen the Brawler get his hand raised but he does so by pinning Triple H! Triple H is stunned as Brawler and Kaientai celebrate but Triple H doesn’t appreciate that and attacks all three men and tosses them around ringside. Triple H then tosses Brawler back in the ring and tees off on him before finishing him off with the Pedirgee. Nonetheless it still goes down in the record books as the Brooklyn Brawler pinning Triple H for the win, meaning he doesn’t get Jericho on Raw. **

~ Backstage Jericho walks up to the Helmsleys’ limo and tells the driver that Triple H is in no mood to party tonight after losing his match so he released him to Jericho for the rest of the evening. Jericho then asks the driver to take him out to South Beach while Triple H watches this go down on the OvalTron. Triple H and Stephanie dash to the parking garage but just miss Jericho as the limo drives off into the night.

~ Back from break we get a replay of Chris Jericho causing Triple H to be pinned by the Brooklyn Brawler. Lawler wants to point out that Earl Hebner saw all the interference yet still counted Triple H’s shoulders down. We then get a look at WWF New York and Cole claims Tori is in there but we don’t get a look in or anything.

~ Next we get a video package detailing Chris Benoit’s actions on Raw against Chyna, Eddie Guerrero and The Rock. After that Kevin Kelly interviews Eddie Guerrero and Chyna asking if they’re prepared to face Benoit tonight. Eddie says Chyna can hold her own but Benoit crossed the line on Monday and as a result their friendship is over. Chyna mentions other men haven’t taker her seriously in the past and they ended up wtih icepacks in their shorts. Chyna says she has a icepack with Benoit’s name all over it while Eddie proclaims the war has just begun.

~ Elsewhere Johnathan Coachman interviews The Rock for his thoughts on the six-person main event. Rock starts with the usual then says Benoit thinks he stepped into the big leagues by putting him in the crossface but he doesn’t understand the world he stepped into after running his mouth on being a great wrestler. Rock says when he gets ahold of Benoit he won’t use an armbar, candy bar, or whaever type of bar one can think of. Rock admits the crossface hurts but then promises to whip Benoit all over Fort Lauderdane and you know the rest.

• The Rock, Eddie Guerrero & Chyna vs. Chris Benoit, Edge & Christian

Once everyone makes their way to the ring Eddie offers to start for his team and demands that Benoit face him but instead Edge nails Eddie from behind to start us off. Edge hammers away on Eddie and caps off with a backbreaker then whips him but Eddie comes back with a headscissors. Eddie gets in his shots when Benoit clotheslines him then draws Rock in to distract the referee for a double-team. Benoit takes over on Eddie without a tag and whips him into a corner then presses him up when Eddie slips out of it and connects with a dropkick. Eddie goes for a whip but Benoit reverses it and hits an elbow followed by a backbreaker that gets a two count. Christian tags in and Eddie starts to fight back then goes for a whip but Christian counters and hits a Slop Drop. Christian unloads on Eddie and whips him into a powerslam for a near fall. Edge tags in and puts Eddie in a front facelock to keep him from reaching his corner then hits a suplex for a two count. Benoit tags in and hits a back suplex and Eddie tries to rally again but Benoit stops that and hits some chops. Eddie blocks a chop and shoves Benoit into a corner then charges but eats a double boot that gets Benoit a near fall. Benoit whips Eddie but Eddie comes back with a Frankensteiner then crawls over and makes the tag to Rock. Christian also gets the tag but Rock takes it to both him and Edge before planting Edge with a Samoan Drop. Rock nails Christian with a spinebuster then readies to deliver the People’s Elbow as Chyna begs him for a tag. Rock ignores Chyna for now and pops Edge and Benoit off the apron then goes ahead and tags Chyna in anyway. Chyna clotheslines Edge then powerbombs Christian and …. that gets the three? Huh? (4:34) Well that sure seemed awfully sudden for a six-person tag, not to mention the match felt rushed. We didn’t even see Rock and Benoit go at it. Were they running long of something? **

Anyway Eddie and Chyna celebrate while Rock turns his attention toward Benoit and the two exchange heated words. Suddenly Shane McMahon runs in and nails Rock from behind but Rock pops right up and chases him up the ramp. Eddie and Chyna watch this when E&C jump them from behind and Benoit puts Chyna in the crossface again. Rock chases Shane back in the ring then turns and knocks Christian over the ropes with the Smackdown. Rock then plants Edge with the Rock Bottom but Shane and Benoit are able to make their escape from the ring. Rock then glares out at Benoit and Shane on the ramp showing this issue is not over as the show goes off the air.

Conclusion: Decent episode this time around. The in-ring action was good for the most part without any real bad matches to drag it down. There wasn’t much in the way of angle advancement toward Fully Loaded outside of the big three feuds but at least they’re trying to make Jericho and Benoit look like strong challengers for Triple H and The Rock (Angle, not so much). Also I don’t see why Rikishi lost the IC title so soon just to advance his issue with Val Venis. He deserved a much longer reign after being so over. At the same time Foley continues to shine on the mic in his segments and we even saw the Brooklyn Brawler get a long-overdue win (over the former WWF Champion, no less). So I’m going thumbs slightly up for this edition.