Unforgiven 2000

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Unforgiven

September 24, 2000

First Union Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

News & Notes: Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on Smackdown after SummerSlam. He said he was coming back at Unforgiven, and he issued an ultimatum. The person who ran him over had until the PPV to come forward or he would interrogate everyone on the roster. Austin said everybody was guilty until proven innocent. These words concerned Mick Foley, so he conducted his own investigation. Mick invited the roster to the ring and questioned suspects. The superstars accused each other. They pointed the finger of blame at Rock, Triple H, Angle, X-Pac, Jericho, Stephanie, Undertaker, and even Essa Rios. Things escalated until a brawl broke out, but they still didn’t find answers. However, Shane McMahon came back. He said he knew who did it, and he would bring video proof to Unforgiven.

Now for a breakdown of some extra storylines. The WWF ran a campaign called Smackdown Your Vote. They registered over 60,000 new voters for the presidential election. Then they invited Al Gore and George Bush to appear on Smackdown with Jesse Ventura as a moderator, but Gore and Bush ignored the invitation. In other news, RAW will move to TNN after Unforgiven. They stay on TNN/Spike until 2005, but this led to the end of ECW’s run on the channel. Meanwhile, Steven William Regal returned to the WWF. He isn’t the man’s man anymore. This time, he calls himself a goodwill ambassador to America. He hopes to teach everyone some manners. And finally, we have Mideon. He has a new hobby. Mideon streaked through matches wearing nothing but a fanny pack, so they started calling him Naked Mideon. Foley begged him to stop, but it fell on deaf ears.

Two people narrate the opening video. One is Freddie Blassie, and the other sounds like a witch from a Disney cartoon. A confused Freddie Blassie calls this Judgment Day before they talk about the cruel hand of fate, greed, and ultimate glory. Four mortal warriors seek the coveted grail, but is it a curse? Also, jealousy and passion consumed two jealous suitors. The sins of the flesh and the glimmering light of love scorned and betrayed them! Then we have a vindictive soul seeking to avenge an evil deed. His wrath is as cold as stone, and he will unleash it without remorse, mercy, or regret. The flame of forgiveness burns no more. Darkness envelops the rulers, lovers, and warriors. They are forever unforgiven! May god have mercy on their souls!

JR welcomes everyone to Philadelphia while fireworks explode. He says they sold out this building in two hours because people want to see the return of Stone Cold. Plus, Shane McMahon shocked everyone. He claimed he has video proof of who ran over Steve Austin. Speaking of Austin, Kevin Kelly waits backstage for his arrival. The King wonders what Austin will do when he sees Shane’s footage.

Next, The Dudleys, APA, and Right to Censor enter the arena. They recap their feud, which includes footage of the APA and Dudleys dancing with Too Cool. Bradshaw even did some break dancing! Meanwhile, Steven Richards has a mic. He says Philly is his hometown, and they will fight the good fight against these disgusting teams.

The Right to Censor (Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather, & Val Venis) vs. The Acolytes & The Dudley Boyz

Storyline: Val Venis kicked Trish to the curb for costing him the Intercontinental title, but someone else offered Val an opportunity. The RTC saw the recent changes to Val’s personality, so they thought he would fit with them. However, Val wanted no part of the group. Since Val wouldn’t play ball, the RTC attacked him, threw him in a van, and abducted him. Later, Venis reappeared and attacked the Acolytes with a chair to join the RTC. He swore they didn’t brainwash him. Val simply realized they were right. Meanwhile, Kaientai’s antics sparked a feud between the APA and the Dudleys. This led to a wild barroom fight, but the fight created camaraderie between the teams. They shared some beers afterward, and the Dudleys helped the Acolytes with their growing problems with the Right to Censor.

The Match: The Dudleys fend off Goodfather and Bull with strikes and suplexes until Bradshaw tags. Bradshaw takes Bull’s springboard clothesline, but he fires back with a fallaway slam on Val. Then Faarooq and D-Von use shoulder tackles and elbows, but Richards gives D-Von a cheap shot. This allows Venis to nail a Blue Thunder Bomb, and Goodfather lands a back suplex. Next, Bubba makes a hot tag. He cleans house with a DDT, Bubba Bombs, and a powerslam, but it causes a wild brawl. During the melee, Bubba and D-Von hit a Dudley Device on Val. Unfortunately, Richards surprises Bubba with the Steven Kick, and Val covers for the three.

Thoughts: This was good, but it felt rushed. They were building some momentum before it ended. With that said, the crowd reacted well to it, so they did their job. I can’t deny it was a nice start to the PPV, but it could have used a few more minutes.

Winners: The Right to Censor (6:05)

The fight continues after the bell, and the Dudleys give Richards a Wassup Drop. Then Bubba tells D-Von to get the tables. The RTC tries to save Steven from his fate, but the APA fends them off. Afterward, the Dudleys put Richards through a table with a superbomb. JR tells them to censor that!

Backstage, Stephanie watches what happened. It makes her nervous about Triple H because of his injured ribs. Triple H tells her not to worry about that. He’s more concerned about what she will do tonight. Triple H plans to destroy Kurt Angle no matter what Foley wants, but he needs to know if Steph is cool with this. Stephanie assures him she is. In fact, she apologizes for ever defending Kurt. She thought he was her friend, but maybe she was wrong. Hunter doesn’t understand why she said maybe. What kind of friend uses a sledgehammer and forces himself on Stephanie? Hunter says Stephanie should ask if her friend was worth it.

Elsewhere, Kevin Kelly still waits for Austin, but now it’s time for Lawler vs. Tazz in a Strap Match. The Fink says you can win by pin, submission, or touching the four corners.

Strap Match: Tazz vs. Jerry the King Lawler

Storyline: Tazz wouldn’t stop antagonizing Lawler and Ross, so they cost him victories against Blackman and Jericho. This led to Lawler and Jericho vs. Tazz and a partner of Foley’s choosing. Mick picked Mideon. When Tazz stared in disbelief at his partner, Lawler gave him a low blow and rolled him up for the quick win. Afterward, Tazz attacked Lawler with a strap in retaliation. With King hurt, Tazz took his commentary spot on Smackdown, but Jerry jumped Tazz from behind. King also interfered in another Tazz match, so Tazz had enough. He went to Foley and demanded his release. Foley refused, but he offered Tazz another encounter with Lawler at the PPV. However, they couldn’t fight beforehand. Nevertheless, Tazz taunted King relentlessly. He sat in the front row and threw popcorn at him. Then he took over as the ring announcer and yelled in Lawler’s face.

The Match: Tazz yanks Lawler to the mat, suplexes him, and takes him outside. Then he taunts JR, but this allows Lawler to fire back. They whip and choke each other with the strap before Lawler nails a piledriver. Undeterred, Tazz rises to his feet, so Jerry gives him a second one. Tazz rises again, but a third piledriver makes him collapse. Now Jerry touches three corners, so Tazz grabs the ropes to stop him. Since Tazz shows life, Lawler wraps the strap around his neck and hangs him over his shoulder. As he lifts Tazz, Tazz’s foot clips the ref and knocks him down. With the ref out, Raven jumps out of the crowd and enters the ring! He gives Lawler the Even Flow, and Tazz chokes Lawler unconscious with the Tazmission.

Thoughts: They kept this short and explosive, but it might have been a little too short, much like the opener. The lively crowd was ready for more. Plus, Raven’s debut got a great reaction. It’s a shame this run is so disappointing for Raven. (On a side note, Raven’s return annoyed Vince McMahon. He felt Raven was a bad influence on Shane the last time he was in the company. Vince famously asked, “Who the hell rehired Johnny Polo?”)

Winner: Tazz (5:07)

Tazz won’t release the hold, so the officials arrive to help. JR begs someone to get Tazz off of Jerry. Once Tazz relents, he celebrates and leaves. Then JR says Raven isn’t on the WWF roster, so his interference shocked him. He calls Raven a sicko while the officials help Lawler to the back.

Backstage, they show Steve Blackman warming up for his match before they switch to Kevin Kelly. Austin pulls up in his truck, so Kelly stops him for a word. He welcomes Austin to Unforgiven and asks how he feels. Austin stares at him for a second and says he isn’t there to answer questions. Stone Cold wants to ask the questions. With that said, Austin rams Kevin into a garage door and pipes fall on top of him.

Now we get the entrances for the Hardcore Invitational while Michael Cole joins the announce desk. Al Snow enters the arena wearing a leather jacket, hat, and sunglasses. He uses an Italian version of his music. Plus, Snow carries Head, a pizza box, and a photo of Tony Danza, which he leaves with JR and Cole. Once everybody arrives, they explain the rules. This bout has a ten-minute time-limit. The belt can change hands multiple times, but the person with the gold at the end is the champion.

Participants: Steve Blackman, Al Snow, Saturn, Crash Holly, Funaki, & Test.

Hardcore Invitational for the Hardcore Title

Storyline: They set this up on the go-home Smackdown. Blackman’s Hardcore title defense grew out of control when the participants of this match interrupted it. That’s it for the build. Therefore, I’ll discuss what everyone did before then. Test finally sought revenge on Triple H and Stephanie. He called the cops on Hunter for supposed spousal abuse. This led to multiple fights between T&A, Triple H, Angle, and even Stephanie! Unfortunately, Stephanie pinned Test during a mixed tag after Hunter gave him a Pedigree. Then we have Crash. The Big Boss Man bullied Crash when Crash tried to pick up women, so an unexpected ally aided Crash. Dean Malenko stood up for him. Next, there is Al Snow. He beat Saturn for the European belt. Afterward, Al represented different European countries each week. This included costumes, props, and versions of his theme music in their native languages.

The Match: Everyone exchanges shots with a trash can and lid while Test uses power moves. Next, Saturn tries suplexes, but those don’t work, so Terri swipes Head and gives it to Saturn. Saturn hits Trish by mistake. Test uses it on Terri. And Snow decks Blackman. After this madness, Crash, Funaki, and Saturn all do dives to various levels of success. This leads to a brawl in the aisle before Test wins the belt, but Crash takes it from him next. Now the fight spills into the crowd. When they return to ringside, they introduce a Kendo stick and Al’s pizza box as weapons. Nevertheless, Blackman fends off everyone with his sticks and retakes the gold. With only a minute left, everybody mauls Blackman, yet he holds off until time expires.

Thoughts: This was okay. They had enough amusing antics to keep it decent. Plus, I liked the closing moments. It made Blackman look strong for fending everyone off as the time expired. Also, I can’t say they rushed this one. It had a set time-limit.

Winner: Steve Blackman (10:00)

Elsewhere, Kurt Angle shows off his medals to Tony Garea and some other guy. Once he finishes, Angle turns and sees Steve Austin. He nervously introduces himself and offers a handshake, which Austin ignores. Unfazed, Angle tells Austin he’s an Olympic gold medalist. He inspired America, much like Austin’s return inspired him. In fact, Angle wants to honor Austin with an honorary gold medal. He places it around Steve’s neck, but Kurt says Austin did nothing to earn it. Austin promises to put it in a special place, and that place is up Kurt’s ass! With that said, Austin attacks Angle and walks away while muttering, “Gold medal, my ass!”

Chris Jericho vs. X-Pac

Storyline: After Jericho aided Lawler in his feud, Jericho faced X-Pac. During the bout, X-Pac used a low blow and pinned Chris with his feet on the ropes. Later, Jericho wrestled Triple H, and X-Pac jumped Jericho to cause a DQ. However, this led to an argument between X-Pac and Triple H. X-Pac called Hunter an asshole and walked away. Next, Jericho cost X-Pac a chance at the Hardcore belt, so X-Pac ambushed Jericho backstage. He clocked him in the face with nunchaku and busted Jericho open. But X-Pac wasn’t done. He attacked Jericho again while Jericho was making fun of William Regal. This time, X-Pac also placed Regal’s table over Jericho and stomped on it. Finally, Jericho and Lawler wrestled X-Pac and Tazz. Jericho used Tazz’s strap to chase X-Pac to the back.

The Match: They tussle around the ring before exchanging some chain wrestling. Then Jericho evades a Bronco Buster, but X-Pac shoves him to the barricade on a triangle dropkick attempt. This leads to brawling outside. X-Pac nails a somersault plancha, shoves Chris into the announce table, and pushes him onto Mark Yeaton. Back inside, they trade sleeper holds. Plus, both men do Bronco Busters! When this doesn’t work, X-Pac rolls outside and grabs the nunchaku. He misses a shot, but X-Pac scores a low blow and an X-Factor. Next, Jericho gets X-Pac in the Walls until Pac reaches the ropes. A facebuster and a Lionsault follows this, so X-Pac raises his knees. Now Pac climbs and dives at Jericho, but Chris catches him and locks him in the Walls for the submission.

Thoughts: This was good. It wasn’t flashy, but they told a nice story and kept it at a fine length. The only thing I would change is the outcome. I know this isn’t the end of the feud, so Jericho’s clean win surprised me.

Winner: Chris Jericho (9:05)

The officials have to pull Jericho off X-Pac, but Cole says you can’t blame him after everything X-Pac did. As he says this, X-Pac attacks Jericho with the nunchaku. JR says they have to do something about these weapons. Then Pac gets in a few more shots, so JR wonders what made him so vile and sadistic. Also, why did X-Pac turn on his friends?

Backstage, Angle approaches Foley. He asks what kind of company Mick is running. Austin tried to kick his ass! Kurt claims Austin wasn’t successful, but that’s not what Foley heard. Regardless, Angle says he isn’t 100%, but he will go tonight. After all, he competed at the Olympics with a head cold and IBS! Foley says, “You do BS.” This doesn’t amuse Kurt. He corrects him. Angle meant irritable bowel syndrome, but Foley doesn’t care if Kurt has diarrhea. Austin kicked his ass. But Mick won’t do anything about it because of Kurt’s sledgehammer attack on Smackdown. In fact, he makes Kurt vs. Triple H a No DQ bout, and that’s final!

Speaking of Austin, he enters the Rock’s locker room. After a tense moment, they shake hands, and Rock welcomes him back. Austin says they are cool, but he hasn’t found the son of a bitch who hit him. Plus, it was the Rock’s rental car, so Austin asks if Rock saw anyone snooping around his bag. While Rock answers, Just Joe interrupts them. Austin asks who he is, so Joe introduces himself. He has some gossip for Austin, but Steve says he heard something too. He heard Joe was a sorry son of a bitch. With that said, Austin beats up Joe and throws him into the hallway.

Cage Match for the Tag Team Titles: The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian (c)

Storyline: After SummerSlam, Edge and Christian dressed little people up as the Hardys and Dudleys and mocked them. Then they introduced a group of older people made up to look like the Hardys and Lita. They called them the Hardys from the future. When the Hardys came to confront them, Edge speared Lita, and Christian helped him beat her up. Later, the Hardys beat the Dudleys in a #1 Contender bout. Afterward, Edge & Christian taunted the Hardys again. This time, they showed footage of the Hardys’ backyard wrestling days. When the Hardys went looking for them, Edge & Christian gave Matt a Conchairto. Meanwhile, Edge and Christian also got involved in the main event feud. They gave the Rock a Conchairto, and Christian even got a WWF title opportunity. It was Kane and Christian vs. The Rock with the gold on the line, but Kane ruined it for Christian.

The Match: Both teams score DDTs and double-teaming before the Hardys give Christian Poetry in Motion. Then the Hardys climb. Edge catches Jeff at the top, but he shoves him outside to leave Matt by himself! While Jeff attempts to get back inside, Matt tries to fend off Edge & Christian. He gets them tied up in the ropes, but they break free and land a double superplex on Matt. Now Jeff attacks the ref to get the key. He also grabs a chair, so Christian slams the door on Jeff and steals the weapon. They bloody Matt with it, but Matt avoids a Conchairto. Afterward, Christian climbs over the top, so Jeff knocks him down with a ladder.

With Christian out of the cage, Jeff uses the ladder to climb the wall and reach the top. Edge meets him and they fight until Jeff knocks Edge into the ring. This allows Jeff to perform a Whisper in the Wind off the top of the structure! He wipes out Edge and Matt with the move. While they’re down, Lita arrives. She takes out Christian with a hurricanrana off the ladder. As this happens, Edge chucks a chair at Jeff’s head and climbs to escape. Undeterred, the Hardys stop him with chairs and give Edge a Conchairto! He falls, and the Hardys climb down to win.

Thoughts: This was great. They told a good story and built to a fitting finish. Plus, there were enough crazy spots to make it exciting. It wasn’t as insane as the TLC encounter, but it was still fun to watch.

Winners: The Hardy Boyz (New Champions) (14:00)

Next, Austin enters Stephanie’s locker room. He doesn’t care about her greeting. Austin asks where Triple H is at. Steph says he went to see Foley, but she has something for Austin. She goes to her bag and pulls out the hat Austin wore when he got run over. When she gives it to him, Austin sarcastically says he might as well go home. He got his hat back! Nevertheless, Stephanie says he’s wasting his time. Shane knows for sure who hit him, so he should talk to Shane. Austin tells her only three things are for sure. Those are death, taxes, and never trust anybody in this place! He then turns around and storms out of the room.

Meanwhile, Triple H visits Foley. He says they have never seen eye-to-eye, and they had their wars. However, they have gotten along and bonded recently. To illustrate this, Hunter and Mick share a laugh about Kurt Angle. Afterward, Hunter promises to destroy Kurt Angle and retire him like he did to Foley. Triple H knows Mick hates him, but tonight he is the ref in Hunter’s match. He wants to know if Foley will call it down the middle. Foley says he planned to get involved at one point. Now there are no disqualifications, so he will call it down the middle. Maybe someday they can laugh together again, but not tonight.

Now Lawler returns before the next bout. He takes over for Michael Cole while they recap the Eddie/Chyna situation. This leads to the entrances of Eddie and Chyna and Rikishi. Eddie poses with his belt, but he lowers Chyna’s arms when she also poses.

Intercontinental Title Match: Eddie Guerrero (c) (w/ Chyna) vs. Rikishi

Storyline: Eddie inserted himself into Chyna’s title defense. He swore it was for her protection. During the bout, Chyna got knocked out, and Eddie checked on her. However, the ref counted three while he was on top of her. Eddie was the new champ, and Chyna thought he did it on purpose. This led to numerous arguments and drama. Plus, Eddie tested Chyna’s loyalty by making her cheat to help him beat her friends, including Rikishi. When Rikishi sought revenge, Eddie maced him twice. To make matters worse, Eddie blew up when he learned Chyna was in Playboy. He showed up at Hefner’s mansion and tried to halt the release of her issue. It seemed to be the end of their relationship, but Eddie begged for forgiveness each time he messed up. Later, Rikishi tried to convince Chyna to leave Eddie, so Eddie proposed to Chyna. She said yes.

The Match: Eddie can’t get the better of Rikishi, so he tries to leave. This disappoints Chyna. When Eddie won’t listen, Chyna rolls him back into the ring! Then Eddie almost gets a Stink Face, but Chyna saves him. Now Rikishi goes outside and asks what Chyna is doing. While they argue, Eddie pushes Chyna into Rikishi for a distraction and nails a plancha. Back inside, Eddie tries the Frog Splash, but he misses. This allows Rikishi to rally with a press cutter and a Samoan Drop. Afterward, he drags Eddie to the corner and lands the Rikishi Drop. But when he covers, Chyna grabs the ref to stop his count. Rikishi has enough. He brings Chyna inside and gives her a sidekick. The ref throws the match out, so Rikishi gives Chyna a Rikishi Drop and tells her to kiss his ass.

Thoughts: I liked the story they told, but the finish was disappointing. This was good until that point. The worst part is this won’t go anywhere because they have something else planned for Rikishi after this show. What they do is even more disappointing.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero (by DQ) (6:10)

Eddie checks on Chyna, but then he grabs his belt before helping her out of the ring. JR wonders if the title means more to Eddie than Chyna. Lawler tells him not to jump to such conclusions.

Next, Coach interviews the Undertaker. Coach says you can pin anyone to win the Fatal 4-Way, so how will this affect Taker’s performance? Taker scoffs at his question and spits tobacco juice onto the floor. Then he says Benoit, Kane, and the Rock will take a ride tonight. He hates to inform them they won’t like the ride. Taker says he set himself up to become the champ. They forgot the ring is his yard, and he’s the big dog who runs it. So his opponents better hope tonight isn’t their last ride.

Elsewhere, Kurt Angle can’t believe the day he is having. He has a No DQ Match with Hunter. Stone Cold is trying to kick his ass. And Stephanie is still mad at him. He doesn’t know what to do. As he says this, Trish Stratus enters the room. She pats Kurt on the back and tells him she is there for him. However, Kurt says he has an idea and leaves the room without her.

This leads to the entrances for Kurt’s match, but first they show a man in the crowd. His name is DJ Skribble, and he will co-host Heat when it moves to Mtv next week. With that out of the way, Angle enters the ring and grabs a mic. He says today is Stephanie’s birthday, so he asks the fans to sing “Happy Birthday” with him. JR calls this pathetic. He is sucking up to Stephanie, but it doesn’t work. Stephanie shakes her head at Kurt when she arrives. Meanwhile, Triple H has to do his pose one-handed because of his injured ribs.

No DQ Match: Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) vs. Kurt Angle

Storyline: Angle used the situation with Stephanie to taunt and goad Triple H. Kurt tried to convince Stephanie Hunter was abusive. He said it wasn’t an accident when Hunter hit her. Then things grew worse when Hunter accidentally elbowed Stephanie, thinking she was the ref. Since things were out of control, Foley booked this match to settle things. Plus, he made himself the referee. Then Foley ordered Angle and Hunter to team together. If they attacked each other during the bout, the PPV encounter was off. This only escalated the mind games. Hunter implied Angle might be gay since he claimed he only wanted to be friends with Stephanie. He angered Kurt with multiple gay jokes. Later, tensions grew until Angle had enough. He attacked Triple H with the sledgehammer and kissed Stephanie again. Kurt told Hunter to ask his wife if he kisses like a pansy.

The Match: Kurt targets the ribs, but this leads to brawling outside. Back in the ring, they fight back and forth. Both men complain to Foley about his counts, but Kurt and Foley shove each other. This allows Hunter to score a neckbreaker and a high knee. When Kurt recovers, he sends Hunter over the ropes for more fighting outside. This time, they use a chair and clear the announce tables. Hunter looks for a Pedigree, so Kurt counters and drops Hunter on the Spanish table with a belly-to-belly. Now Angle attacks the ribs again. He drives his shoulder into them and nails a super belly-to-belly on Triple H. Afterward, Kurt locks Hunter in an ab stretch, but Triple H hip tosses him. Next, Kurt misses a moonsault, and Hunter lands a one-armed Pedigree.

Instead of covering, he calls Stephanie into the ring and tells her to make her choice. It’s him or Kurt! She looks conflicted, but Stephanie gives Angle a low blow. With Kurt dazed, Hunter does another Pedigree for the victory.

Thoughts: I liked the finish, and they had some nice moments, but the rest dragged. This was a little too slow for my liking. It wasn’t bad, but this slightly disappointed me. This was good, but not great.

Winner: Triple H (17:28)

Stephanie applauds Triple H, but she looks upset about her decision. Lawler wonders if she made the right choice. As he says this, Stephanie checks on Angle, so Triple H gets in Kurt’s face. Then Hunter gives Stephanie an aggressive kiss. She looks annoyed because Triple H got some of his blood on her.

Meanwhile, Too Cool is at WWF New York, and they are dancing!

Now it’s time for Shane McMahon’s video proof. He says he hoped Austin would come to him first. Shane didn’t want to do this in front of everyone, but he has to. With that said, Shane says the culprit has a history of vehicular attacks. Shane shows his footage. It’s a clip of Steve Blackman running over Ken Shamrock last year. Shane says Blackman did it! This draws Blackman to the ring, but Austin also joins them. Austin gets in Blackman’s face and gives him a Stunner! Then Shane brings beers into the ring and shares them with Austin. It seems Austin believed him, but that’s not the case. Austin stuns Shane, takes all the beers, and almost leaves. However, he returns to do two more Stunners! JR says Austin didn’t believe a word Shane said.

(On a side note, Austin used a new version of his theme. The band Disturbed recorded this one. He uses it for a while.)

After a recap, Cole interviews the Rock. Cole says Austin didn’t get what he wanted tonight. Will Benoit, Kane, or Undertaker get what they want? Instead of answering, the Rock says he finally came back to Philadelphia. With that out of the way, Rock wonders why Cole would ask such a stupid question. How does Cole know what they want? Maybe Kane wants matches so he can light his ass on fire. Benoit might want a pet wolverine so he can lick its left testicle! And Taker might want to ride his motorcycle around the arena because it gives him that funny feeling! The Rock says it doesn’t matter what they want! What they will get is their heads so far up their asses they will have to cut holes in their nipples to sing! If you smell what the Rock is cooking!

Fatal 4-Way for the WWF Title: The Rock (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kane vs. The Undertaker

Storyline: Benoit, Kane, and Undertaker all wanted a title shot, but two attempts at a #1 Contender contest ended in disqualifications. This led to brawls between these men, and Foley got caught in the crossfire. Since Foley couldn’t decide on a contender, he booked Rock and Taker vs. Kane and Benoit with no disqualifications. Benoit scored the pin on Taker, but Foley said they all impressed him. Therefore, he created this Fatal 4-Way. Afterward, Foley made the participants tag together, and he instituted the same zero tolerance policy he did with Angle and Triple H. They couldn’t attack each other, but it didn’t stop them from letting their partners take a beating. Later, both Kane and Taker chokeslammed Rock on a table. Plus, Taker fought Rock and pinned him in a non-title bout. Finally, everyone brawled after a six-man tag, and Taker almost ran over Rock with his motorcycle.

The Match: Benoit and Taker fight while Rock deals with Kane. Then Rock and Benoit brawl into the crowd, and Taker and Kane trade clotheslines in the ring. Later, Kane and Rock meet again. Rock uses a Samoan Drop. Kane answers with a powerslam. When Taker returns, he and Rock pinball Kane with punches and send him outside with a double clothesline. Next, Taker tries Old School, but Rock beal tosses him to stop it. Afterward, Hebner goes down, so Taker introduces a chair. He clocks Rock, but Benoit uses it on Taker and pins him. Hebner counts the three, despite Taker getting a leg on the rope. The Fink announces Benoit as the winner, and Chris collects his belt.

Before he can leave, Foley appears and takes the belt away. He orders Hebner to restart the fight. Now Rock, Taker, and Kane jump Benoit and ram him into the set. When they return to the ring, everybody brawls until Rock and Benoit trade suplexes. Even though Benoit scores a flying headbutt, Rock locks him in a Crossface. Taker breaks it up, which causes a scuffle with Kane. Meanwhile, no one can land their finishers until Taker hits the Last Ride on the Rock. Kane breaks up the pin, so Taker and Kane go at it again. While this happens, Benoit decks Rock with a chair and places him in a Crossface. Taker also stops this and does a chokeslam, so Kane drags him outside. This allows Rock to Rock Bottom Benoit. Rock pins Benoit while Kane stops Taker from entering the ring.

Thoughts: This had a slow start, but they built to something good. I liked the false finish with Benoit, and the closing minutes were nice. Altogether, this was a fine main event. The fans loved it.

Winner: The Rock (16:03)

The Good:

• The main event

• Edge & Christian vs. The Hardys

• Jericho vs. X-Pac

The Bad:

• The first hour felt rushed

• A couple of matches disappointed me

Observations:

• Poor Test had a steep fall from grace. They waited months to give him payback, and it ended with Stephanie pinning him. Then they demoted him to the Hardcore division.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to the Hardys. Their cage match was great, and Jeff Hardy’s Whisper in the Wind off the cage was nice.

Final Thoughts:

I saw some people calling this show disappointing, but I disagree. The first hour felt rushed, but it wasn’t bad. Plus, almost everything from Jericho/X-Pac onward ranged from decent to great. This won’t rank in the top 5 shows of 2000, but it was a fine event.

Thank you for reading. My next review is ECW’s Anarchy Rulz 2000. Look for it next Sunday.