Armageddon 2000

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

Armageddon

December 10, 2000

Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center

Birmingham, Alabama

News & Notes: The WWF Title picture became chaotic after Survivor Series, so Foley booked a six-man Hell in a Cell for the championship. When Vince McMahon heard this, he stepped in to protect his investment. Vince didn’t want Foley to put his top stars in jeopardy, so Vince tried to convince them to not participate. His warnings didn’t work. Austin, Rock, and Taker gave McMahon the Stunner, Rock Bottom, and Last Ride. This left Vince battered and bruised. He had to use a cane and a wheelchair to move around, but it didn’t stop him from confronting Foley. However, Foley appealed to Linda McMahon. She sided with Mick, so Vince had enough. He told Linda he wanted a divorce! A distraught Linda left the arena in tears. (She tried to cry. But as we all know, Linda isn’t a great actor.)

Now for a rundown of some extra storylines. Lo Down’s woes continued. Security shut them out of another arena, so Lo Down and Tiger crashed Foley’s Thanksgiving party. Tiger threw a pie, which hit Blackman in the face and caused a hardcore food fight! Undaunted, Lo Down cheated to gain some surprise victories over the Dudleys. Meanwhile, Tazz lost a match to Raven and grew more surly than ever. He attacked a waiter at WWF New York and antagonized Crash and Molly during an interview. Elsewhere, Ashton Kutcher appeared on RAW to promote Dude, Where’s My Car, but the Superstars thought he legitimately lost his vehicle. Edge and Christian showed concern. Plus, Tazz said he knew a guy who could get Ashton a cheap new automobile.

The show opens with a song called “The End is Here”. This won’t be the last time they use this music. It plays over footage of missiles launching and fighter jets flying. We see a mysterious woman walking through an abandoned building between the clips. Plus, they show quick shots of the participants in Hell in a Cell. When the song reaches the chorus, we get a scene of a nuclear bomb exploding. Then they present images of the Superstars bleeding and screaming in pain. Once that ends, they switch to a rock remake of “Sweet Home Alabama”. This is Armageddon!

JR welcomes everyone to the PPV as the cell lowers to a few feet above the ring. While they discuss the card, Lawler has a bad feeling. Hell in a Cell could make or break the Superstars’ careers. They will put their livelihoods on the line tonight. Jerry thinks Foley did this because he is bitter about losing his career inside the cell. With that said, they show a clip from Heat. Foley promised to resign as Commissioner if anyone got seriously injured during the main event.

After the replay, Vince McMahon arrives in a limo. The Stooges greet him and tell him the cell is hanging right above the ring. Vince says it won’t be for long. As Vince limps into the arena, the Stooges offer him coffee, but he says he isn’t in the mood.

Intergender Elimination Match: The Radicalz (Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, & Perry Saturn) (w/ Terri) vs. The Hardy Boyz & Lita

Storyline: Malenko and Saturn faced the Hardys on Heat, and Terri helped them win. This caused a fight between Lita and Terri, which caught Dean’s attention. Malenko became smitten with Lita and flirted with her, to no avail. But then Benoit barged in and hit Lita with the door. It caused a brawl with the Hardys, so Matt and Jeff teamed with Jericho against the Radicalz. Later, the Radicalz beat the Hardys and Lita in an intergender match, but Dean showed concern for Lita. Afterward, he had an idea. Dean gave Lita a Light Heavyweight Title shot. If she lost, she had to go on a date with him. Dean won, so Lita reluctantly went on the date. Things seemed to go poorly, but Lita invited Dean to her hotel room. She tricked him into bed, where Matt and Jeff attacked Malenko with a champagne bottle.

The Match: A brawl erupts, and the Hardys suplex the Radicalz. Lita looks for a flying splash, but the Radicalz regroup before she can leap. Then Jeff does a slingshot crossbody onto them, but the Radicalz take control back in the ring. They use strikes and quick tags until Jeff blocks a Frankensteiner. This allows the Hardys to eliminate Eddie with a Twist of Fate and a Swanton. Now Saturn returns and counters Poetry in Motion into a DVD to get rid of Jeff. Next, Matt trades pin attempts with Saturn before ousting him with another Twist of Fate. Sensing trouble, Terri interferes, so Lita deals with her. Unfortunately, Dean shoves Matt into Lita and rolls him up for three.

This leaves Lita and Dean by themselves. She gives Malenko a headscissors, a moonsault, and a DDT. They aren’t enough, so Dean answers with a superplex and a backbreaker, but he keeps pulling her up from the pin. After the second time, Dean makes Lita tap out to the Cloverleaf.

Thoughts: This was good, but they rushed it. I get it. They had to go through a lot of eliminations, so it makes sense. But it left me wanting more. Either way, the crowd reacted well to it, and it was exciting.

Winners: The Radicalz (8:06)

The ref has to pull Dean off of Lita. Malenko relents, but he throws Lita out of the ring, so the Hardys run him off. Once he’s gone, Matt and Jeff help Lita to her feet. Cole interviews Lita, and she says she knows she can beat Dean. Lawler thinks Dean knocked her senseless.

Backstage, Lilian enters Kurt Angle’s locker room while he does squats. When she tries to get his attention, Angle sarcastically mocks her. Kurt asks Lilian if she knows any Bulgarians. She says no, so Angle says he does. He faced them in the Olympics, along with Czechs and Turks. Since he beat them, Kurt won’t sweat an eyebrow, nose, bad ass, fat ass, or redneck. With that said, Lilian reminds Kurt this is his first Hell in a Cell. He says he knows that, and he shouldn’t be in this position in front of inbred hicks! Angle blames Foley. He says Mick is a sadist who wants to see his career end, but that won’t happen. When he wins, Kurt will celebrate with a shower and some milk before getting out of Alabama.

Afterward, they show a famous Hell in a Cell moment. It’s the finish of Cactus Jack vs. Triple H.

Now it’s time for William Regal vs. Hardcore Holly. Regal greets his friends in Alabama. He knows they will cheer for Holly because he is from the state. That’s very good, but he is the one who really cares about them. Regal promises to enrich their lives with his words. He introduces them to the idea of a handkerchief. They can use it to look less like slobs. Plus, they should wash their overalls once a week! Furthermore, the people of Alabama love their farm animals a little too much. Before Regal can continue, Holly interrupts him.

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

Storyline: Hardcore Holly challenged Regal to a Hardcore Match after Survivor Series, so Regal paid the T&APA to protect him. This only escalated the feud between the Holly cousins and T&A. While they were busy, Regal continued his quest to teach manners to Americans. Regal insulted Thanksgiving traditions, which put him on the Rock’s bad side. William also went to WWF New York and berated the patrons for their lack of etiquette. Later, Regal wrestled Crash on the UK PPV, Rebellion, and Crash won the European Title! However, William regained it on RAW. Afterward, he locked Molly in the Regal Stretch, so Hardcore rescued his cousins. Meanwhile, Hardcore Holly discovered he could use the metal plate in his repaired arm as a weapon. He almost beat Benoit with it. Plus, Hardcore knocked Regal out during a tag team encounter.

The Match: Holly makes Regal regroup with strikes, but William pulls him outside. Then Regal reverses Holly into the post and rolls him inside again. Holly scores a back suplex and looks for the old flying nothing, so Regal raises his boot. This leads to uppercuts and a superplex by Regal. He even locks Holly in a bow and arrow stretch. Once Holly escapes, Bob nails short-arm clotheslines, a dropkick, and an Alabama Jam. He goes for more, but Regal turns a hurricanrana into a powerbomb. Next, Holly blocks the Regal Stretch and the Regal Cutter before hitting a clothesline. While the ref checks on Regal, Raven enters the ring and gives Holly a DDT. This allows Regal to cover for the three.

Thoughts: This was a solid contest until the finish. They were building momentum, but then they abruptly ended it. Two matches in a row left me wanting more. (On a side note, Raven interfered because Holly defeated him in a Hardcore contest on TV.)

Winner: William Regal (5:00)

Kevin Kelly interviews Rikishi. He says Kurt Angle broke the alliance he had with Rikishi and Triple H. Is Rikishi worried Triple H will do the same? Rikishi says, “Whatever happens, happens.” He sacrificed his mind, body, and soul for the WWF Title. Therefore, he doesn’t give a damn if the alliance is down. If anyone gets in his way and tries to stop him, he will show them how much he will sacrifice. Tonight, Rikishi will sacrifice every one of them!

Now we get the entrances for Chyna vs. Val Venis. JR says Chyna told Billy Gunn to stay backstage. She wants to do this on her own. When Val Venis arrives, Chyna attacks him, so Ivory attempts to stop her. Chyna shoves Ivory into the apron.

Val Venis (w/ Ivory) vs. Chyna

Storyline: Val Venis insulted the fans for watching filthy WWF programming instead of spending time with their families on Thanksgiving. He even helped the RTC deal with Road Dogg and K-Kwik. Then Val received an Intercontinental Title shot against Billy Gunn. Chyna accompanied Gunn, and she attacked Venis when he used Ivory’s Women’s belt as a weapon. When Ivory retaliated, Chyna gave her a powerslam. However, Venis grabbed Chyna and clotheslined her over the announce table. This led to Chyna and Gunn vs. Val and Ivory. During the bout, Benoit distracted Gunn and the referee. While this happened, Ivory hit Chyna with the Women’s championship to give the RTC the win.

The Match: Chyna whips Venis into the steps and takes him into the ring for punches and choking. She also DDTs a ducking Val while Ivory complains to the ref. Then Venis answers with knees to the gut and a Russian leg sweep. With Chyna dazed, he throws her outside and distracts the ref while Ivory interferes. Now Venis continues with a butterfly suplex and an eye poke, but he misses an elbow drop. This opens the door for Chyna’s swinging neckbreaker before they exchange strikes. Afterward, Val surprises Chyna with a powerslam and looks for the Money Shot. It misses, but Ivory trips Chyna and leads her on a chase. As Chyna returns, Val attacks her and ends it with a fisherman’s suplex.

Thoughts: This was fine, but it was forgettable. They’re setting up a bigger feud for the next few months, so this was a means to an end. I won’t fault it because it accomplished its goal.

Winner: Val Venis (4:59)

Val and Ivory celebrate for too long, so Chyna grabs Ivory. She tries to powerbomb her, but Venis stops Chyna and gives her a Blue Thunder Bomb. The RTC leaves before she can recover.

Next, we get another Hell in a Cell moment. This one is Cactus Jack lighting the barbed wire 2×4 on fire.

Elsewhere, Stephanie pulls Vince aside for a word. He says this isn’t the time or place to talk about the divorce, but that isn’t what Stephanie wants to discuss. She fears for Triple H’s well-being. Hunter could barely walk after his last cell match, and that was against one guy. Tonight scares her. Vince grumbles about Foley and says he will put a stop to this right now! Stephanie thanks him.

Earlier today, Kevin Kelly interviewed the Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. He asked for Taker’s thoughts, so Taker reminisced about everything he did to Shawn Michaels and Mankind in previous cell encounters. They made him more animal than human. He craved the feeling, even though it scared him. In the cell, you did unto others before they did unto you. Taker said he made Michaels and Foley famous, so who will he make famous tonight?

Now Vince and the Stooges enter the arena. Patterson fumbles with the loose steps, so Vince yells at him. Once they climb into the ring, Vince says he won’t apologize for anything he said on Smackdown. He meant every word. Vince wants a divorce from Linda, and he feels concerned for the participants in the main event. However, his sympathies fell on deaf ears. Foley and the fans trivialized the Superstars’ welfare! Therefore, Vince comes before everyone as a compassionate humanitarian! He asks the fans to stand with him and show their support. They should tell Foley to cancel Hell in a Cell. The crowd boos this, so Vince grows angry. He says when they see the afterbirth of the match, the guilt will be on their conscience. (This comment makes Lawler react in disgust.)

Last Man Standing Match: Chris Jericho vs. Kane

Storyline: Jericho said this would never end between him and Kane. He teamed with the Rock against Kane and Rikishi. Jericho used a chair on Kane before giving him a Lionsault and the Walls. Then Jericho and Austin fought Kane and Benoit. It ended in a no contest because Austin stunned the ref, but Jericho still hit Kane with another Lionsault. Later, Jericho helped the Hardys deal with the Radicalz and had another tag match against Kane and Benoit. This put Jericho on Benoit’s bad side, so Benoit locked him in the Crossface. But his issues with Kane weren’t over. Kane cost Jericho a chance to win the WWF Title and chokeslammed him, so Foley had enough. He booked this Last Man Standing contest to end things. Afterward, Jericho and Hardcore Holly wrestled Kane and Regal. Jericho’s team won, and Chris knocked Kane out with a chair.

The Match: They scuffle through the curtain and fight around a random truck filled with sawdust. (I wonder if that will come into play later.) Jericho slings some of the dust into Kane’s face and decks a nearby Mideon for good measure. When they return to ringside, they brawl around the barricade and the post. Kane powerslams Jericho on the floor, and he makes him pass out to a hanging choke. Neither gets a ten. Jericho fights back, but Kane scores a flying clothesline and a chokeslam.

When those don’t work, Kane uses a chair. We almost see a Tombstone on the weapon, but Jericho throws a low blow and hits a DDT. He also does a missile dropkick and a chair-assisted Lionsault. Kane rises, so they head toward the entrance set. Now Jericho bulldogs Kane on a table, but Kane shows life. Before he can get up, Jericho pushes a stack of barrels onto Kane and stands on them. Kane’s hand pokes through an opening, but Jericho kicks it away as Teddy Long reaches ten.

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad. It was a little slow, but they built some nice drama. I also liked the finish. Kane’s hand poking through the barrels was a cool visual. Plus, the ending makes Jericho seem crafty, and Kane doesn’t look weak in defeat.

Winner: Chris Jericho (17:16)

Backstage, Coach asks Debra if Foley is available. She says he’s upset, but Coach can try. Coachman approaches Foley and asks him if the brutal Last Man Standing Match gave him second thoughts about the main event. Foley wants Coach to understand he feels responsible for all the Superstars. Seeing Kane trapped under barrels doesn’t provide a good omen for him. Vince may have been right about a lot of things, but he’s dead wrong about Hell in a Cell. Foley says the fans want to see this match, and it will happen. However, he has had second, third, fourth, and fifth thoughts. But the more he thinks about it, the more he believes he is right. Either way, he wants it to be over.

Meanwhile, they go to Shawn Michaels, who is at WWF New York. JR asks Shawn if he has any advice for the men in the main event. Shawn says he wishes he could, but he was only the guinea pig for the first Hell in a Cell. You can get a rhythm when it’s one-on-one. Six men competing in the match is a different story. Then JR asks Shawn for his thoughts about the Undertaker. Shawn says this is tailor-made for Taker. The cell makes him a different man. With that said, Shawn says he will see everyone soon. JR also compliments Michaels’ hat, so Shawn thanks him.

Next, they show another Hell in a Cell moment. This one is the Undertaker chokeslamming Mankind on thumbtacks. When the clip ends, we see some XFL players in the audience.

Fatal 4-Way Match for the Tag Team Titles: Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. K-Kwik & Road Dogg vs. The Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather) (c) (w/ Steven Richards)

Storyline: Billy Gunn’s problems with the RTC led to Road Dogg and K-Kwik getting involved. Kwik wrestled Venis, but the RTC jumped Road Dogg during the fight. Later, team Kwik Dogg earned a title shot by beating Venis and Richards, but the RTC cheated to win. Meanwhile, the RTC tried to take away the Dudleys’ right to use tables, but they failed. However, it appeared the Dudleys joined the RTC! They helped the RTC beat the Hardys, but it was a trick. The Dudleys didn’t join the group. They attacked the RTC and put Richards through another table. Elsewhere, Edge and Christian helped Kurt Angle ambush the Undertaker multiple times, but they paid the price for it. Later, they overheard Kwik and Dogg asking for their rematch, so Edge and Christian wanted one. This brought us two matches between the teams, and they traded wins.

The Match: Everyone tags themselves in to face the RTC. This lasts until Bubba and Dogg knock each other down with a stereo Shake, Rattle, & Roll. Now K-Kwik enters and uses his quickness against Edge and Christian, but they rally. E&C focuses on Kwik’s arm. When Goodfather tags in again, he also attacks the limb. They ground Kwik with arm holds until he scores a neckbreaker. Sensing trouble, Christian pulls Dogg off the apron, but Kwik tags Bubba instead. Bubba cleans house until a brawl erupts. During the chaos, Kwik dives onto the RTC. Next, the Dudleys clothesline the RTC with a table and give Edge a Dudley Device. They also hand out 3Ds to Bull and Goodfather before nailing Christian with the Wassup Drop. However, Richards DDTs D-Von on a table. This allows Edge and Christian to win with a spear and the Unprettier on Bubba.

Thoughts: This was fun. They structured it well, and they had an excited crowd. Bubba’s hot tag got one of the best reactions of the night. Plus, the finish sets up the tag title feud for the Royal Rumble, so this did everything it needed to do.

Winners: Edge & Christian (New Champions) (9:42)

Triple H gets ready backstage while Stephanie expresses her concerns. She says surviving what Austin did to him was a miracle, but now he will put his body on the line against five men! Triple H interrupts her. He says the WWF championship is the most important thing to him. It’s his life! (That’s a strange thing to say to your wife.) Triple H also reminds her he retired Mick Foley in the last cell match, but it took its toll on him. That’s what worries her. She says Hunter spat up blood over the last three weeks. Triple H says it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care if he takes his last breath. He will win the title again, and nobody can stop him from getting what he wants. As Hunter leaves the room, Stephanie almost cries.

Next, they show another Hell in a Cell moment. This time, we see Triple H knock Cactus Jack off the side of the cell.

Afterward, Billy Gunn arrives for his encounter with Benoit. JR notices Billy is wearing two earrings. He won’t let this go throughout the contest. Ross calls it stupid.

Intercontinental Title Match: Chris Benoit vs. Billy Gunn (c)

Storyline: Billy Gunn got another shot at Eddie Guerrero’s IC Title on the Thanksgiving episode of Smackdown. This time, he beat Eddie to win the gold. Afterward, Lilian tried to interview a distraught Guerrero, so Benoit berated her for it. Plus, Benoit attacked Gunn after Billy won the rematch. While these events unfolded, Benoit also faced Austin. He wanted to teach Stone Cold a lesson in technical wrestling, but Austin beat him at his own game. This didn’t stop Benoit from issuing an open challenge for anyone to prove him wrong. Gunn answered the call and dared Benoit to face him at the PPV. Later, Gunn and Chyna fought Val Venis and Ivory. During the bout, Benoit distracted Gunn to cost him the victory. Then Benoit put Gunn in the Crossface.

The Match: They exchange takedowns and strikes until they spill outside. Gunn sends Benoit into the barricade and the post before rolling him inside. However, Benoit attacks Gunn’s leg when he joins him. Chris fends off pin attempts while continuing to work on the leg. This leads to a Figure Four, but Gunn reverses it. When Benoit gets a rope break, they trade more punches. Next, Gunn misses a Stinger Splash, so Benoit does rolling Germans. The flying headbutt follows, but it misses. Gunn capitalizes with a press slam, a jackhammer, and the Fameasser, but his slow cover gets two. Afterward, Gunn tries to do the One and Only, so Benoit counters into a Crossface. This results in another rope break, and Gunn drops Benoit on a tilt-a-whirl slam. Once they recover, Benoit fights off an inside cradle and makes Gunn tap out to a second Crossface.

Thoughts: This was pretty good. They had one shaky moment, but it fit the storytelling. The action wore Gunn out, so the botch almost looked intentional. I enjoyed this. Sadly, the crowd didn’t agree. They were quiet, which took this down a notch.

Winner: Chris Benoit (New Champion) (10:03)

Earlier in the day, JR interviewed Austin. Ross said he woke up at four in the morning and thought about how the cell ended Mick Foley’s career. It also shortened Shawn Michaels’ time in the ring, so how could Austin prepare for this? Austin said you can’t. JR woke up in the middle of the night, but Austin didn’t sleep. He was running on coffee. Then Austin told JR to multiply what happened to Foley and Michaels by six. Next, Ross asked if Triple H and Rikishi being in the match would be a distraction or motivation. Austin said it would be motivation, but he won’t let revenge distract him. It’s all about the WWF Title. Everyone would get their ass whipped because he doesn’t trust anybody in there. If they trust him, they are barking up the wrong tree.

Triple Threat Match for the Women’s Title: Ivory (c) vs. Molly Holly vs. Trish Stratus

Storyline: Molly Holly got a shot at Ivory’s Women’s Title, but Trish gave Molly a DDT on the floor to cost her the win. This led to Molly vs. Trish, and Molly won with the debut of the Molly-go-Round. To make matters worse, the Holly cousins defeated Trish and T&A after Test hit Albert by mistake. Meanwhile, Ivory also defended her gold against Lita at Rebellion, and Richards helped Ivory succeed. Afterward, Trish and Lita brawled backstage. The fight spilled into Ivory’s locker room while she was changing. Back in the United States, Molly pinned Ivory during a tag team encounter. Therefore, they booked a #1 Contender contest between Trish and Molly. It ended in a DQ when Trish hit Molly with a trash can lid. Since there was no clear winner, Debra booked this Triple Threat for the PPV.

The Match: Molly throws Trish around the ring. Trish answers with a monkey flip, but Molly lands on her feet. However, Ivory clotheslines Molly. Now Trish and Ivory attempt a double clothesline, so Molly ducks it and hits a double dropkick. When Molly covers, Ivory breaks up the pin. Undeterred, Molly uses a backslide, but Trish stops the count. Next, Trish and Ivory work together to do a double suplex, but Ivory decks Trish after they high-five each other. This leads to an argument, so Molly performs a flying crossbody onto them. She also backdrops Ivory over the ropes and powerbombs Trish. As Molly covers Trish, Ivory attacks Molly and tosses her outside. This allows Ivory to pin Trish for the three.

Thoughts: What we got was good, but it was far too short. They could have given this more time if they didn’t have a hundred backstage segments and interviews on this show. It’s a shame because they were doing well.

Winner: Ivory (2:12)

T&A comes to the ring to confront Molly after the match, so Crash jumps them from behind. Crash then enters the ring and dares them to bring it. They laugh and go after Crash, but the APA returns! Bradshaw and Faarooq brawl with Test and Albert. Faarooq gives Test a spinebuster while Bradshaw floors Albert with a Clothesline from Hell. T&A retreats once they get back to their feet.

Now we get another Hell in a Cell moment. They show the Undertaker throwing Mankind off the cell.

Meanwhile, Kevin Kelly asks the Rock if he’s prepared for his first Hell in a Cell. After saying he has finally come back to Birmingham, the Rock says tonight is the night. This is Hell in a Cell for the WWF title and possibly people’s careers. If the Rock has to face five pissed off guys, he will do it. It doesn’t matter if he has to bleed from every pore on his body to become a six-time WWF champion. He doesn’t know whose career will end and who will become famous. All he knows is he will whip their candy asses. Tonight, he will walk into hell and walk out the champ. If you smell what the Rock is cooking.

This leads to the entrances for the main event. The Undertaker has a new theme. He switched to “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit. JR says the Undertaker’s biscuit is anything but limp. While everyone arrives, Angle stays outside of the cell, but Austin attacks him.

Hell in a Cell Match for the WWF Title: Kurt Angle (c) vs. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H vs. The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

Storyline: Stephanie tried to apologize and make peace with Austin while Hunter was in the hospital, but Austin angrily rejected the apology. Meanwhile, Angle kept antagonizing the Undertaker until Taker retaliated. Kurt tried to use Eric as a human shield, but Taker chokeslammed Kurt off the stage! Angle also refused to stop interfering in matches, so Foley made him defend his belt multiple times. One was against Austin, but Triple H returned to cost Austin the win. Later, Hunter and Steph celebrated their anniversary, and Hunter dared Austin to crash the party. However, Austin tricked Hunter into beating up Vince! Afterward, Hunter, Rikishi, and Angle formed an alliance against Rock, Austin, and Taker, but it soon fell apart. While all these things happened, a #1 Contender contest between Rock and Rikishi ended in a DQ, so Foley had an idea. He booked this Hell in a Cell to settle everything.

The Match: They split into pairs and take turns fighting in the ring. When Austin gets Hunter on the outside, he grates his face on the wall until Hunter is bleeding. Then Austin drags him around the entire cell! Next, each competitor hits their finishers, but they break up the pins. Plus, the alliance between Hunter and Rikishi ends when Hunter hits the Pedigree. While these things happen, Vince and the Stooges arrive in the sawdust truck. Vince tells the crew to pull the door off the cell and bring the structure down. They get the door open, but Foley has enough. He attacks the Stooges and has security remove Vince from the arena. Now the competitors head outside and toward the entrance set.

They fight on the cars and use the boom camera as a weapon. Soon, almost everybody is bleeding. Angle tries to escape, so Taker follows him to the announce desk. When he arrives, Angle busts Taker open with a chair. As this occurs, Austin and Hunter head to the roof! It doesn’t take long for Taker and Angle to join them. Plus, Rikishi and Rock climb as well. Taker threatens Mark Yeaton until he throws him a chair, which he uses on Kurt. Later, they climb down until it’s Taker and Rikishi on top. Then Taker shoves Rikishi off the cell and into the bed of the truck! Back in the ring, Rock gives Kurt the Rock Bottom, but Austin stuns the Rock. When Austin covers, Hunter grabs Austin for a neckbreaker. With everybody down, Angle crawls over and covers the Rock for the victory.

Thoughts: This was chaos and insanity, but I mean that as a compliment. They kept it exciting and never let it drag. Furthermore, this had cool visuals and spots. The crowd loved it, so they did a good job. It might have been a little too long, but the length didn’t ruin this.

Winner: Kurt Angle (32:12)

Hebner hands Angle his belt, but he can barely move. Once Kurt stumbles to his feet, he raises the gold while we see a shot of his bloody face. Angle tries to celebrate, but Austin gives him a Stunner before collapsing to the mat. Lawler calls this carnage. He says the blood is on Mick Foley’s hands.

The Good:

• The main event

• Jericho vs. Kane

• Lita & The Hardys vs. The Radicalz

• The tag title match

The Bad:

• Short matches

• Too many backstage segments

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Rikishi for taking that bump. Yeah, he landed on soft material, but it’s still a scary fall.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t know why this show gets negative reviews. It was a solid PPV. Nothing was bad, and it contained some good action. The only gripe I have is they sacrificed some matches for more interviews and segments. Other than that, I enjoyed this.

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