Survivor Series 2000

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

Survivor Series

November 19, 2000

Ice Palace

Tampa, Florida

News & Notes: I only have a few extra storylines to discuss before we begin. After No Mercy, Mick Foley said the commissioner’s job was harder than he expected. The fans thought he would announce his resignation, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Foley appointed Debra as the Lieutenant Commissioner to help with the workload. Meanwhile, the issues between Tazz, Raven, and Jerry Lawler continued. Al Snow offered to help. He even bribed Lawler with candy and salami. Snow wanted Jerry to team with him against Tazz and Raven. Lawler refused, but Snow helped Jerry when Tazz and Raven attacked him. Al even gave Lawler his own mannequin head. Later, the team of Tazz and Raven imploded after a few arguments. Tazz suplexed Raven on a table, and Raven gave Tazz a DDT on a chair. And finally, Tiger Ali Singh became Lo Down’s new manager.

You may also notice some feuds took a drastic left turn since No Mercy. There’s a reason for this. The WWF demoted their head writer, Chris Kreski. They weren’t happy with some of his creative choices. Stephanie took over as the lead of creative, but Kreski remains on the team until the middle of 2002.

Triple H narrates the opening video. He says we are all puppets and fools. We are living a lie! No one saw the truth when it stared them straight in the eyes. He pulled all the strings. Even now, you think you know the truth, but you don’t. You see what he wants you to see, feel what he wants you to feel, and know what he wants you to know. Then Hunter tells Stone Cold the rules have changed. This is a new game Austin can’t survive. Tonight, it’s game over!

Jim Ross welcomes everyone to the Ice Palace in Tampa. While T&A and Trish enter the arena, Ross and Lawler discuss tonight’s card. The Undertaker wants the WWF title. Plus, we have personal issues between the Rock and Rikishi and Austin and Triple H. JR also says they crowned a new WWF champion at the past six Survivor Series events. This leads to talk about the Montreal Screwjob, but Lawler says he’s tired of hearing about that. Jerry wants to look at Trish instead.

6-Person Intergender Tag Team Match: Crash Holly, Molly Holly, & Steve Blackman vs. T&A & Trish Stratus

Storyline: The APA put Crash in charge of watching their office while they were out with injuries, but T&A bullied Crash and took it over. They redecorated the place and mockingly called themselves the T&APA. Then Crash challenged Test and Albert to Hardcore matches, which caught Blackman’s attention. Blackman saved Crash when T&A tried to throw him off a loading dock. Afterward, Blackman joined Crash’s fight, but Crash needed someone to neutralize Trish, so he turned to his family. Crash introduced his cousin, Molly Holly. She scuffled with Trish a few times and even gave Test a Frankensteiner. Meanwhile, Crash also received two shots at Angle’s WWF title. Angle won, but he refused to release the anklelock. This led to Hardcore Holly’s return because he wanted revenge on Angle. Later, the Holly cousins wrestled T&A and won, so T&A and Trish attacked Molly after the bout.

The Match: Crash and Blackman take Albert off his feet, so Trish gets involved. She tries a low blow, which hits Albert by mistake. Now Molly tags and chases Trish around the ring, but Trish tags Test. After taking a slingshot hurricanrana from Crash, Test nails a big boot. T&A follows this with a double gorilla press, and Test attempts the pumphandle powerslam, but Crash escapes. This leads to Trish and Molly facing off. Molly scores a hip toss and a slam, so Test yanks her down by the hair. Undaunted, Molly reverses Trish’s suplex and tags Blackman, but Teddy Long misses it. The distraction allows T&A and Trish to triple-team Molly until Crash and Blackman stop them. Next, Trish chokes Molly in the corner and lands a bulldog. Afterward, they fight on the top rope. This time, Molly shoves Trish down and pins her with a diving sunset flip.

Thoughts: This was good, but they cut it off right when it was gaining momentum. Plus, other than the opening moments, Blackman did little in this bout. They didn’t give it enough time to breathe, which disappointed me.

Winners: Crash, Molly, & Blackman (5:06)

Edge and Christian are talking backstage when Kurt Angle enters the locker room. He greets his favorite Canadians and wants to ask them a question, but Christian cuts him off. He knows what Kurt is going to ask. Edge says they would love to help him with the Undertaker, but their match is after Kurt’s. Plus, Christian is coming down with something. Christian says he ate bad chili and got Mono. Kurt laughs and tells them their antics aren’t necessary. He owns the Undertaker. Angle only wants to know if they will celebrate his win with some drinks after the show. Kurt asks if they drink Molsons or a non-alcoholic equivalent. Then Kurt tells them to have a great match and leaves the room. Once he’s gone, Edge and Christian shrug their shoulders and go back to what they were doing.

Next, JR presents an embarrassing moment that happened to Lo Down and Tiger Ali Singh. They tried to enter the building, but the security guard said he couldn’t find their names on his list. Tiger called this absurd. He should have looked under the name Lo Down. When the guard demanded credentials, Tiger called it unbelievable. Singh said Lo Down was the most talented tag team in the WWF. They wouldn’t stand there while some minimum wage nobody told them what to do. Once Tiger said this, the guard asked for more security to escort them out of the arena.

Now it’s time for a traditional Survivor Series contest. Road Dogg and K-Kwik (R-Truth) perform the song “Get Rowdy” during their entrance.

The Radicalz (Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, & Perry Saturn) (w/ Terri) vs. Billy Gunn, Chyna, Road Dogg, & K-Kwik

Storyline: Benoit’s loss to Triple H made him realize something. You needed friends to get ahead in the WWF, so he reformed the Radicalz. Then they joined Eddie’s ongoing feud with Chyna and Billy Gunn. Eddie stirred the pot. He dressed the Kat as Chyna and made out with her. Later, Gunn faced Eddie for the IC belt, but the Radicalz helped Guerrero retain his gold. To make matters worse, the Radicalz aligned themselves with Triple H once Hunter revealed he was behind Austin’s hit-and-run. All the while, Gunn and Chyna’s problems with the RTC continued. Richards faced Gunn. If Gunn lost, he couldn’t call himself Mr. Ass anymore. Richards won, so Billy became The One Billy Gunn instead. In other news, Road Dogg found a new friend. He bonded with the newcomer, K-Kwik, over their love of rap. They became a team.

The Match: Gunn and Chyna double team Saturn before Chyna scores a suplex, powerslam, and handspring elbow. She continues with a low blow and a DDT, but Eddie decks her with the IC title for the first elimination. Now the Radicalz focus on Dogg’s leg until Dogg lands a superplex and tags Gunn. Billy pins Eddie after a press slam and a sleeper drop. Next, Kwik uses strikes and takedowns, but Benoit ousts him with a German suplex. Saturn also gets Road Dogg with a Northern Lights. This leaves Gunn by himself. They bring him outside, but Saturn superkicks Benoit by mistake. Dean tries to salvage things, only to fall to the Fameasser. Afterward, Gunn hits a Jackhammer, so Benoit ends his rally with a flying headbutt. Finally, Gunn suplexes Benoit from the apron, but Saturn trips Billy. Perry holds Gunn’s foot down while Benoit covers for the victory.

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t overly thrilling either. The action was fine, and the finish sets up the storyline going forward. Gunn continues his feud with the Radicalz, so this did its job. This was solid, but unremarkable.

Survivors: Benoit and Saturn (12:41)

Lilian waits backstage to interview the arriving Superstars. She spots the Rock entering the building, so Lilian asks if he’s 100% after everything Rikishi did to him. The Rock walks past her without saying a word.

Next, Michael Cole interviews Jericho. He says Chris is moments away from a match he requested against Kane. Jericho says he wants and needs this. When the problems with Kane started, Chris thought it was about coffee. He was ready to have a Sanka on a Pole contest, but he realized this is about more than coffee. It’s about a man with a burning rage deep inside of him. This is about someone who can’t look in the mirror without seeing an ugly, bitter, unforgiving monster waiting to escape. But Jericho isn’t talking about Kane. He is talking about himself.

Kane vs. Chris Jericho

Storyline: Jericho accidentally spilled coffee on Kane backstage. He apologized and said he hoped he didn’t burn Kane, but this was a poor choice of words. Kane lost his cool. He kept attacking Jericho and cost him chances at the European and WWF titles. Kevin Kelly and Michael Cole asked Kane why he would do this over a spilled cup of coffee, but Kane said it wasn’t about coffee. He despised pretty boys like Jericho. People adored them, but they hated a freak like Kane. Kane wanted to scar Chris. He attempted to win the Hardcore title so he could legally disfigure Jericho, but Chris interfered and helped Blackman win. Plus, Chris mocked Kane with pictures of celebrities in Kane masks. This only angered Kane. He jumped Jericho backstage and threw him through a window. Finally, Kane chokeslammed Jericho on the announce table after a tag match.

The Match: Jericho knocks Kane outside and dives onto him. This leads to brawling around ringside. Then Jericho surprises Kane at the ropes with a triangle dropkick and tries a flying crossbody, but Kane catches him and lands a powerslam. Now Kane fends off Jericho’s strikes and gives him a hanging choke over his shoulder. Kane also removes a turnbuckle pad, but it backfires. After more scuffling around the ring, Kane goes for his flying clothesline, but Jericho dropkicks him. Chris even nails a missile dropkick and evades a Tombstone. He drops behind Kane and shoves him into the exposed buckle before putting Kane in the Walls. When Kane gets a rope break, Chris refuses to release him. Kane has to punch and kick his way free. Afterward, Jericho does the Lionsault, but Kane grabs him by the throat upon impact. Kane stands and chokeslams Jericho for the three.

Thoughts: This was dull. I appreciate the story they tried to tell, and they had a few nice spots, but it dragged. The crowd agreed. They were restless until the finish.

Winner: Kane (12:35)

The Radicalz are chilling in their locker room when someone knocks on the door. They leap to their feet, but it’s only Terri. She says Triple H is there. Terri spoke with him. He said he has a few things to take care of, and they know what he means. This makes Benoit laugh, so JR asks what is so funny. Did they miss something? Lawler wonders if JR has a problem with someone enjoying themselves.

Now it’s time for William Regal vs. Hardcore Holly. They set this match up on Heat. Regal wants to finish what he was saying before Holly interrupted him. William says the Florida fans can’t do a simple thing like electing a new president, but that’s the least of their worries. They also can’t grasp manners. The fans are as bad as Hardcore Holly. Before William can say more, Holly’s music interrupts him.

European Title Match: William Regal (c) vs. Hardcore Holly

Storyline: Regal defended his European title against guys like Jericho, Blackman, Road Dogg, and Al Snow. He swore he wanted to compete in good clean wrestling matches, but Regal retained his gold through disqualifications and convenient interference by his opponents’ rivals. Regal also gave the American fans advice on how to be more civilized. He even suggested the United States solve the election issues by returning to a monarchy. But it was a tirade about the Boston tea party that earned him his biggest trouble. The Undertaker interrupted Regal and gave him the Last Ride. Afterward, Taker told Regal he talks funny. Finally, on Heat, Hardcore Holly confronted Regal. He said he hated tea-drinking wussies, so Hardcore challenged Regal for his European championship.

The Match: They trade strikes and mat wrestling until Holly scores arm drags. Then Regal gets a boot up in the corner and targets Holly’s bad arm. He rams it into the post, yanks on it, and puts Holly in a wristlock. Holly punches free, but Regal targets the limb again. This time, he drops knees on it and uses a cross armbreaker and another wristlock. All the while, Regal waves at the fans with a big smile. Now Hardcore fires back with a crossbody, but Regal brings him to the mat for more arm work. When Regal cuts off another comeback with a low blow, Holly loses his cool. He takes Regal outside, rams him into the steps, and grabs the title belt. Holly decks Regal with it, which causes a DQ.

Thoughts: This was a bout with almost no build and a disappointing finish. I like both guys, but this was forgettable. Plus, the apathetic crowd didn’t help.

Winner: William Regal (by DQ) (5:06)

Holly doesn’t care about the disqualification. He continues pummeling Regal until the ref stops him. When the official pulls him away, Hardcore shoves him. JR says Holly snapped because Regal was trying to break his arm again.

Trish Stratus enters Kurt Angle’s locker room. She asks if he is busy, and Kurt says not at all. He is only preparing for his match. Angle also says this is the start of year two of the Kurt Angle legacy, which impresses Trish. Then Trish says she noticed Stephanie wasn’t here tonight. She wonders if Kurt needs some special assistance. Kurt says he is thankful, but she should tell Test and Albert he will be fine. Taker doesn’t stand a chance. Trish tries not to laugh as she leaves. JR and King say Kurt doesn’t get it.

The Rock vs. Rikishi

Storyline: Rikishi vowed to keep helping the Rock, but Rock said he wanted nothing to do with Rikishi. Then Rikishi had a Cage Match with Austin. He asked Rock to have his back, and Rocky sarcastically said he would. When the Rock didn’t show up, Rikishi had enough. He attacked the Rock. Afterward, Rikishi claimed the Rock was his accomplice in the hit-and-run, which the Rock denied. Once Triple H revealed the truth, Rikishi came clean. He said the Rock was only ever an excuse. He didn’t do it for the Rock. Rikishi did it for himself. This was his big break, and Triple H was his family. Later, the Radicalz helped Hunter and Rikishi beat up the Rock. Plus, Triple H and Rikishi gave Rock a drive-by sledgehammer attack. Finally, Foley had cops remove Rikishi from Smackdown, but he returned to give Rock a Banzai Drop.

The Match: Rock runs to the ring and throws punches before landing a Samoan Drop. He then grabs a chair, but the ref takes it away. This allows Rikishi to take control. He targets the Rock’s injured sternum with strikes. Rikishi also scores a side slam before throwing Rock to the floor. Now Rikishi rams Rock into the steps, the timekeeper’s table, and the barricade. During the melee, they wipe out the ref, so Rikishi retrieves the sledgehammer. However, Rock gives him a Rock Bottom before he can use it. Both the Rock and the ref are slow to react. When Rock covers, it only earns a two.

Next, Rikishi focuses on Rock’s chest again with headbutts. Afterward, he sits on the Rock and nails a corner splash. This leads to a Stink Face, which pisses the Rock off. He explodes out of the corner with a clothesline, ducks a superkick, and does a spinebuster. The People’s Elbow follows, but Rock is too hurt to cover immediately. When he crawls over and covers him, he gets the three.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this. They told a good story and had a hot crowd. I even liked the Rock’s selling. This was exactly what it needed to be.

Winner: The Rock (13:00)

As the Rock rises to his feet, Rikishi superkicks him! Then he gives the Rock three Banzai Drops. The officials admonish him and try to make him leave, but Rikishi attacks them. JR calls Rikishi a sick and psychotic 420-pound animal. Afterward, Rikishi almost leaves, but he returns to nail a fourth Banzai Drop on the Rock.

Meanwhile, Raven stands in the corner of WWF New York and grins at everyone like a creeper.

Backstage, Triple H and the Radicalz watch the monitor as Stone Cold arrives at the arena. Hunter starts to address the Radicalz, but Mick Foley interrupts them. He says he has been watching their little party, and he won’t allow Hunter’s friends at ringside tonight. Hunter says this is fine. Foley also thinks Austin deserves some payback, so he says there will be no disqualifications in their match. Hunter doesn’t have a problem with this, but he says Austin might. They will see how Austin feels without the use of his legs.

Women’s Title Match: Ivory (c) vs. Lita

Storyline: Trish and Lita had a Bra and Panties Match for the Women’s title, so the RTC interrupted it. They introduced their newest member, Ivory! She claimed the WWF exploited their women for ratings, but she would change this. Ivory even chastised the Rock for his disgusting pie innuendo. This led to the Rock, Gunn, and Chyna vs. the RTC. Later, Ivory, Trish, and Jackie all approached Debra for a shot at the Women’s championship, so Debra made a Four Corners bout. Edge and Christian attacked Lita and helped Ivory become the new champ! Afterward, Debra made this contest for the PPV, so Edge, Christian, and the RTC jumped the Hardys and Dudleys. During the melee, Ivory decked Lita with the Women’s belt.

The Match: They trade strikes and knockdowns until Lita scores an enziguri. Next, Ivory blocks an O’Connor Roll and we see Lita is bleeding. Now Ivory chokes Lita on the ropes before hitting a leg drop and an elbow drop. After complaining to the ref about his count, Ivory throws more punches and gives Lita a release northern lights suplex. Nevertheless, Lita fires back with a headscissors takedown and a hurricanrana. While this happens, Richards arrives, so Lita sends Ivory outside and dives onto them. Back inside, Lita hits a flying crossbody and looks for the moonsault. Unfortunately, Richards pulls Ivory to safety before Lita lands. Then Ivory grabs the belt while Richards distracts the ref. She attacks, but Lita avoids it and nails a back suplex. Lita follows this with another moonsault, which Ivory blocks with a title belt to the face. This is enough for the three.

Thoughts: I get the feeling they ended this early because of Lita’s cut, but what we got was good. It was short and explosive, and both women did great. I wanted more of this. It’s a shame. However, the blood and the screwy finish added to the feud. So it’s not a total loss.

Winner: Ivory (4:55)

When the ref helps Lita to her feet, the fans applaud. Meanwhile, Coach stands outside the Rock’s locker room. He says the EMTs are working on him as they speak. Coach doesn’t know the extent of Rock’s injuries. All he knows is Rock is having trouble breathing, and is spitting up blood. Coach promises an update when they learn more. (We don’t get one.)

Elsewhere, Jericho jumps Kane with a chair. They brawl, and Jericho rams Kane into a garage door. He also pushes pipes onto Kane and hits him with boards. The officials have to drag Jericho off of him.

Now Cole interviews the Undertaker. He says it has been ten years since Taker debuted at Survivor Series. Taker calls this a decade of destruction. And it will continue as Deadman Incorporated opens its doors to Kurt Angle. Taker says it’s time for the golden boy to take his last ride.

This leads to Kurt Angle’s entrance. He says he is embarking on his second year in the WWF. It will start with a successful title defense tonight. With that said, Kurt invites the fans to take a moment of silence and reflect upon their favorite Kurt Angle moment from the past year. He would ask them to vote on it, but they are in Florida. In fact, they embarrass him, so Kurt needs to list his moments for them. Before he can continue, the Undertaker interrupts Kurt. Taker arrives on his motorcycle, but what the hell is he wearing!? I hope Taker burned those pants after this show.

WWF Title Match: Kurt Angle (c) vs. The Undertaker

Storyline: Kurt and Stephanie celebrated Angle’s big win with confetti and balloons, but Foley crashed the party. He made Kurt defend the belt against Rock and Triple H, but Austin and Rikishi caused a DQ. Next, Foley booked Angle vs. Jericho for the WWF title. This time, Kane ruined things. Later, Kurt, Edge, Christian, and Steph tried to celebrate Edge’s birthday with gifts and kazoos, but Stephanie was sick with the flu. Hunter sent her home before challenging Kurt to a match. It ended with Hunter using a chair on Angle. Meanwhile, Taker returned and earned this shot in a Four Corners contest. Kurt mocked Taker. He said he would prove Taker was certainly bad and an ass. Unfazed, Taker pinned Kurt during a six-man encounter. However, Angle scored a pin on Taker in a tag bout after Kane and Angle hit Taker with a chair.

The Match: Kurt Angle stalls, so Taker grabs a chair and dares Angle to use it. Hebner tries to stop this, but Kurt decks Taker before the bell. Then Kurt wears himself out throwing punches, so Taker fires back and hits a big boot, a leg drop, and Old School. When he pins Kurt, Taker keeps pulling him up for more. Now Angle leads Taker on a chase and scores a German suplex. He also dives onto Taker, but Taker rams him into the post twice. Next, Kurt targets the leg and works on it until Taker counters with an armbar. This draws out Edge and Christian. They distract the ref, so he doesn’t see Kurt tapping out. Plus, Christian snaps Taker’s head on the ropes, which allows Kurt to attack the leg again.

Taker attempts to rally with a chokeslam, a Russian leg sweep, and a tilt-a-whirl powerslam, but Kurt cuts off each comeback attempt. Afterward, Angle puts Taker in two Figure Fours. One is around the ring post. Once Taker breaks free, we get a series of counters before the fight spills outside. While on the floor, Kurt crawls under the ring to get away, so Taker goes after him. He drags Angle back inside and nails the Last Ride, but something strange happens during the pin. Hebner stops his count and looks confused. Taker confronts him, so Hebner tries to explain. The man Taker covered wasn’t Kurt Angle. While they argue, the real Kurt Angle sneaks behind Taker and rolls him up with a handful of those ugly pants for the three.

Thoughts: This was good. It dragged a little, but I still liked it. Plus, they had a creative finish. If you don’t know, the fake Kurt Angle was Kurt’s brother, Eric. They look similar enough to pull off the switch. This makes Kurt seem like a crafty little weasel.

Winner: Kurt Angle (16:15)

Angle runs from a pissed off Taker without even grabbing his belt. As he flees, JR and King try to make sense out of what happened. Lawler thought the man in the ring was Kurt, but he changes his mind when he sees his face. JR says Angle screwed the Undertaker out of the title. Meanwhile, Angle gets in his car and drives away.

Afterward, they show an XFL commercial. It focuses on how sexy their cheerleaders are. This makes the narrator lose his train of thought. Another voice takes over and tells us not to worry. They will teach the women how to cheer.

The Hardy Boyz & The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge, Christian & The Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather) (w/ Val Venis)

Storyline: Edge and Christian planned to face their buddies in the Los Conquistadores outfits, but the Dudleys attacked Christian backstage. Since Edge expected an easy win, he faced Los Conquistadores alone. However, it was the Hardys in disguise! They won, and Foley revealed he knew the truth about the ruse. Therefore, Mick let the Hardys keep the belts. But Edge and Christian got their revenge. They helped Goodfather and Bull capture the gold from the Hardys. Edge and Christian struck a deal with the RTC with the promise of a tag title shot in return. Foley negated this and put Edge and Christian in a Tables encounter with the Dudleys instead. Later, the Hardys and Dudleys faced the RTC, but Edge, Christian, and the RTC beat up everyone afterward. Finally, Jeff Hardy fought Val Venis on Heat after rejecting the RTC’s offer to join them.

The Match: The Hardys and Dudleys control things with strikes and DDTs until a brawl erupts. During the chaos, the Hardys and Dudleys score a quadruple DDT! Matt and Jeff also nail Poetry in Motion, but Val Venis interferes. He prevents Matt’s Drop Shot, and Edge pins Matt after an Edge-o-Matic. Next, a cheap shot from Buchanan leads to an Unprettier on D-Von for the next elimination. Jeff and Bubba fend off Christian and take out Bull after Edge spears him by accident. To make matters worse, Christian splashes Edge by mistake, so Bubba eliminates him too!

This leaves Bubba and Jeff against the Goodfather and Christian. Goodfather prevents a Bubba Bomb and gives Bubba a Death Valley Driver to remove him from the contest. Afterward, Christian and Goodfather double-team Jeff. They continue until Christian crashes into the corner on a missed charge. With Christian down, Jeff hits a Swanton to oust Christian. Goodfather attacks before Jeff can recover, but he misses the Ho Train. Plus, Goodfather collides with Val Venis, so Jeff covers him for the win.

Thoughts: This was decent. They kept the action flowing and didn’t overstay their welcome. But much like the other Survivor Series Match, this was a little basic. It was fine but forgettable.

Survivor: Jeff Hardy (10:04)

Richards joins the RTC as they attack everyone. They hold Jeff down for a Money Shot from Val Venis, so the Dudleys and Matt return to help. Matt gives Buchanan and Richards the Twist of Fate, and the Dudleys nail a 3D on the Goodfather. They follow this with a Wassup Drop to Venis. With everyone down, they get two tables. Matt leg drops Val through one while the Dudleys superbomb Richards on the other.

Backstage, we see Austin walking to the ring before they cut to Triple H with the Radicalz. He tells them they know what to do, so do it. Lawler doesn’t understand. Foley said they can’t interfere.

This leads to the entrances for the main event. Triple H has a new theme song. This sounds like an instrumental mix between “My Time” and “The Game”. It’s as if his music is morphing into its final form, but it isn’t there yet.

No DQ Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H

Storyline: After No Mercy, Austin promised not to attack Rikishi unless provoked, but Rikishi goaded him. When Austin tried to come after Rikishi, someone decked him with a wrench. An unseen person also attempted to drop an equipment case on Austin. Later, they booked Austin and Rock against Angle and Rikishi, but the accomplice rammed a cart into the Rock. Austin fought Rikishi and Angle alone until Triple H arrived, but he hit Austin with the sledgehammer! Hunter revealed he was the mastermind behind the hit-and-run! The next week, Hunter supposedly stayed home because of a back injury. Austin didn’t believe this. He had a bad feeling. Austin was right because Hunter showed up to do the drive-by sledgehammer attack on the Rock. Finally, Hunter planned to have the Radicalz ambush Austin when he wrestled Guerrero, but Austin blocked them in their locker room with a forklift.

The Match: Austin flips him off and starts a wild brawl. They ram each other into the corners and throw strikes until the action spills outside. Then Triple H attempts to lure Austin backstage, but it doesn’t work. They return to ringside and head to the announce tables. Austin rams Hunter into every table in the area before stopping for a beer break. He says he is thirsty. Once he finishes, Austin crushes a can with Triple H’s head! Back inside, Hunter avoids a Stunner and rallies with neckbreakers, but soon they are on the floor again. This time, Triple H goes for a Pedigree on the steps, but Austin backdrops him onto the announce table. Now Austin takes him to the ring and looks to Pillmanize Hunter’s ankle, but he has a better idea. Austin puts the chair on his neck instead. Hunter rolls outside to avoid it.

Triple H finally leads Austin through the curtain. They reach the backstage area and scuffle around equipment cases and soda machines. While this happens, the Radicalz ambush Austin. They swarm him as Triple H runs to the parking lot. He gets in his car and waits for Benoit to bring Austin to him. However, Austin vanishes. Benoit can’t find him, and Hunter grows impatient. Triple H peeks out the door, but he notices Austin approaching in a huge forklift! Austin takes the car and lifts it high into the air. Hunter begs him not to do something he will regret. He apologizes for everything, but Austin won’t listen. Stone Cold flips him off and drops the car. It lands on its roof, which flattens upon impact. Austin walks away as the show fades to black.

Thoughts: I’m not a fan of attempted murder storylines in wrestling. It pushes the suspension of disbelief over the line. At last month’s PPV, the cops stopped Austin from running over Rikishi. Now Austin tried to kill a man on a live broadcast, and nothing happened. It’s a shame because I liked 99% of this. They had a great brawl until the end.

Winner: No Contest (35:09)

The Good:

• Rock vs. Rikishi

• Lita vs. Ivory

• Angle vs. Undertaker

• The main event until the finish.

The Bad:

• Regal vs. Holly

• Kane vs. Jericho disappointed me

• Attempted murder on a wrestling show

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to the Rock. I enjoyed his match, and he did a great job selling his injuries.

Final Thoughts:

This PPV contained a few good things, but the show as a whole fell flat. The best word to describe this event is underwhelming. It’s a shame because the WWF was on a roll for so much of the year.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s Mayhem 2000. Look for it next Sunday!