Review of WWF Judgment Day 2000

-This event marks the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin after a long layoff for next surgery, and of course they hyped the shit out of that one. We go into a recap video where Austin promises to be on the side he’s always on…his.

-We start with special guest ring announcer Debra, with puppies in full view, and needless to say she’s not going to be winning any awards for it.

WWF Tag Title Match

Edge and Christian vs. D-Generation X (Road Dogg and X-Pac) w/Tori

DX of course has the Run-DMC music, which I enjoy, and let’s us all know we can suck it. Dogg is a 6-time tag champ at this time, and X-Pac also is a former champ with our old friend Marty Jannetty. The crowd lets us know that X-Pac indeed still sucks. Edge and X-Pac start it off and they exchange armbars and Edge takes an armdrag. He responds with a side headlock and nails X-Pac with a spinning heel kick, sending him to the outside. Dogg comes in to try his luck but takes a hurricanrana and a clothesline for his trouble. Christian checks in and squashes Dogg in the corner for two. Dogg manages to get a tag and X-Pac runs into a powerslam and Christian 10-punch in the corner only gets to 3 before Road Dogg clotheslines him on the top rope. X-Pac sends him to the outside and Dogg introduces him to the steel steps. Back inside, Dogg gets a two count and locks on a front facelock. They do the whole “face gets the tag but referee doesn’t see it” routine, and the crowd doesn’t like that one.

E&C got jobbed by this guy

Tori gets involved, holding Christian in place for the Bronco Buster from X-Pac, and Road Dogg kicks a 40-yard field goal on Christian’s back for a two count. Christian fights out of a headlock, but the shaky legs punches and kneedrop gets two. Christian reverses a whip to the ropes and they both cross body each other for a double-KO spot. X-Pac distracts the referee, so Edge comes off the top with a headbutt and that gets two for Christian. X-Pac comes in and DX tries a double back suplex, but Christian reverses it to a double DDT, and gets the hot tag to Edge. Edge is a house of fire and nails X-Pac with a powerbomb for two before Dogg breaks it up. Road Dogg tries his butt plugging pump handle slam, but gets interrupted by Christian, who in turn gets nailed by X-Pac while Edge spears Road Dogg. X-Pac nails Tori in the confusion and Edge rolls him up for what the crowd thought was the end, but it only gets two. Outside, Christian tries to give the Unprettier to Tori, but Road Dogg breaks it up while X-Pac plants Edge with the X-Factor. Our friend the referee, the dumbest man in America at this point, gets involved outside the ring with Dogg and Tori arguing while Christian WAFFLES X-Pac with the ring bell and that’s good enough for the pin.

Winners and STILL Champions: Edge and Christian

-The heat segment was OK, and ending was kinda fun to watch, so I’ll say it’s a ** match to start the PPV, which…meh, wasn’t bad.

-Cut to a limo arriving, and sure enough it’s the Rock, who apparently rides in a limo with his shirt unbuttoned and no undershirt. I wonder if they let him into restaurants like that.

WWF Light Heavyweight Championship

Dean Malenko vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Scotty lost the title to Dean on Smackdown only 3 days earlier, so Scotty is pissed and he attacks early, as a clothesline gets two. Scotty gets a nice armdrag and a dropkick gets another two count. They trade reversals on a suplex attempt before Scotty drops him with a back suplex, then kips up and moonwalks. He’s an idiot of course and Dean attacks him, more fast paced reversals with Scotty blocking an inverted atomic drop and slugging away. Dean counters a bulldog attempt with a STIFF clothesline and he runs Scotty into the turnbuckle, sending him to the outside.

Boris Malenko says: “That was a good one.”

Dean drags him back inside and goes to work on Scotty’s leg with a nice looking dropkick right to the kneecap. Dean starts taking Scotty to school, just wrenching on the knee and destroying it in every way possible. He wraps Scotty’s leg around the ring post just to be a dick and then one more cause he’s EVIL! Malenko stays on the leg as Scotty misses an enzugri and Dean drops a big elbow on him for daring to counter the Man of 1000 Holds. Dean drops a knee on the damaged knee of Scotty and then wrenches on a spinning leglock, which is believe is hold #462. Scotty’s knee is mush at this point and Dean kicks the shit out of his leg, sending Scotty head over heels. Atomic drop on the knee, but Scotty hits an enzugri this time and has Dean dazed. Scotty tries to fight back but Dean reverses a whip the corner and jams Scotty’s knee against the mat. This is a textbook match on how to work a body part here. Baseball slide to Scotty’s knee has Scotty down and then Dean kicks his legs some more. Attempted figure four leads to Scotty kicking Dean off into the corner and he rolls Dean up for two. Dean says “enough of this shit” and clotheslines him down to take back control. Malenko stays on the knee and drives Scotty to the outside of the ring that has both men out on the floor. Scotty catches Dean trying to climb back in and introduces his face to the ring apron. Like an idiot, he decides to go up top with his bad knee and of course Dean catches and crotches him. Dean sets him up and gets a nice top rope superplex for the double-KO. Scotty counters a right hand into a backslide for two, Dean kicks out and tries the Texas Cloverleaf, but Scotty rolls him up for another two. Dean leaps to his feet and drives Scotty chest-first into the corner, but Scotty fights out of a powerbomb and gets his bulldog to set up The Worm. Major deductions for doing the hopping on the BAD KNEE!! What the hell was that? You’re better than that Scotty, come on now. Dean gets a surprise rollup out of nowhere and tries to use the ropes, but the ref catches him, and Dean is stunned. Suplex by Dean is countered, but Dean reverses back and nails Scotty with a sweet double arm powerbomb for two. Dean misses a charge into the corner, but Dean catches him coming out with a powerslam for two. Awesome match so far. Scotty tries to dump Dean, but he gets clotheslined on the top rope and Dean heads up to the top. This time Scotty catches him with some nice right hands and follows him up to try a superplex of his own, but in F’N MID-AIR Dean reverses to a SICK looking DDT from the top rope that looked like it almost killed Scotty. Needless to say that’s enough for the pin.

Winner and STILL Champion: Dean Malenko

Warrior says: “HOLY SHIT!!........I can’t do that.”

-Well damn, Dean pulled one HELL of a match out of Scotty, I didn’t even know he had it in him. Dean just worked the leg like a MADMAN, and Scotty had some nice comeback spots in the meantime. I might get some backlash of my own for this one (har-har), but I really do think this was a solid **** match, and no I’m not joking. It’s gonna be tough to top that one.

-Cut to the back with Vince making sure Patterson and Brisco are back with him for good.

Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan vs. The Acolytes

This is written all over this match

Big brawl to start (I know I’m shocked too), as Bradshaw and Bull get started and Bradshaw hits an early DDT. He comes off the top with a shoulderblock that gets two and Bull shows some nice agility by flipping over a back body drop attempt, but he celebrates a little too much and gets speared down. Farrooq checks in but Bull counters with a very sloppy clothesline off the top. Bossman tags in for the first time and the crowd lets him know that he sucks. Farrooq comes back with a clothesline for two and Bradshaw runs Bossman into the steps for good measure. Bradshaw slugs Bossman down and sends him outside again, where Farrooq runs him into the barrier and Bradshaw gets two off of it. Farrooq tags in but misses a blind charge and takes an elbow, allowing Bossman to tag in Bull. Bodyslam leads to an elbow drop and now him and the Bossman and Bull exchange tags and hammer away on Farrooq in the corner. Another “referee doesn’t see the tag in the face corner spot” and Bull clotheslines Farrooq down for two. This match sucks. To make it even better, Bull hits the chinlock to pick up the breathtaking pace of this bout.

When Linda McMahon is bored, your match sucks.

Bull takes a spinebuster setting up a hot tag to Bradshaw that gets absolutely no reaction at all, and he shoulderblocks Bull down while Farrooq and Bradshaw battle on the outside. Bradshaw goes back to the top rope, but Bossman holds him up allowing Bull to superplex Bradshaw off for two. Bull misses a blind charge to the corner and Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from Hell, but Bossman interrupts. Outside, Bossman KOs Farrooq with the nightstick on the outside, then nails Bradshaw as well, allowing Bull to come off the top with a scissors kick for the pin.

Winners: Bossman and Bull Buchanan

This was seriously the highlight of the match (and Bull looks like a werewolf)

-Match was boring as watching a Phillies-Royals baseball game, which means it sucked, fast forward and watch the finishing move and you’ve seen it all. *

-Matt and Jeff Hardy promise to work together as long as they can in the hardcore match, but won’t hesitate to kick each other’s ass.

-Hardcore and Crash Holly do the exact opposite, as Hardcore promises to kick his ass all over the ring and slaps Crash.

WWF Hardcore Title

Crash Holly vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Tazz vs. Perry Saturn vs. The Hardy Boyz

This match only ends when someone pins Crash, or Crash pins someone else, unlike WrestleMania 2000 where there were over 10 title changes in the same match. Saturn starts by suplexing the shit out of Crash for two, before Hardcore interrupts and powerbombs Crash for two. This is gonna be impossible to recap. Saturn pairs off with Matt and Tazz suplexes Crash for two. Crash tries to run away, but all 5 wrestlers gives chase as Crash climbs up the Backlash metal hooks to try to get away. Matt follows him up and they are pretty damn high, Crash takes a right hand and hangs upside down before he falls into the waiting arms of Tazz, Hardcore, and Saturn and then Matt flies off the structure like a madman and lands on all 5 of them. After they pick themselves off the floor, Saturn throws Crash THROUGH one of the metal hooks. Jeff then uses one of the swinging metal hooks to hurricanrana Saturn to the floor, which is good use of that set up there. They keep comparing Jeff to a young Shawn Michaels, desperately trying to get him over a singles star, but I still don’t think he ever reached the level they thought he would in the ring. Now, outside the ring is another story, as I’m sure he and Shawn could compare the amounts of drugs and alcohol taken before a match all night long. We’ll have to play the “over/under blood alcohol level” game once we get into that territory around 2002. Back in the ring, the Hardys double team Crash before Tazz beats them both with a trashcan lid. ECW chants start, back when they used to mean something. Hardys take over on Tazz with Poetry in Motion, while Saturn hits everything with a 2x4. Tazz throws Jeff onto a chair, before Saturn hits him as well. Saturn locks on almost a standing bow and arrow submission move before Tazz boots him in the face and gets two on Crash. Saturn suplexes Crash and then Tazz KILLS him with one of the stiffest clotheslines I’ve ever seen. Everyone back in the ring and Hardcore nails Crash with a street sign for two before Saturn breaks it up. Everyone is just beating up poor Crash with Tazz now beating the hell out of him outside. This is just a mess to try to recap for you guys. Hardcore suplexes his cousin on the floor, and now Tazz and Saturn takes turns beating Elroy’s face in. Back in the ring, Crash actually gets an offensive move, as he dropkicks Tazz for two, and then manages a sunset flip on Saturn for two. Jeff wraps and extension cord around Crash’s neck and Hardcore whips him with it. Tazz just SMOKES Jeff with the street sign, and Saturn gets two on Crash in the meantime. Hardcore stands on Crash on the ropes, choking him out, so Saturn comes from behind and hits a german suplex on Hardcore. Tazz suplexes Crash and the Hardys nail everyone with cookie sheets, but they fight over the cover on Crash. Tazz gets rid of Matt as Jeff hits a springboard moonsault on Crash, but everyone keeps interrupting the pins. Tazz trash talks Jeff while choking him out, and Hardcore superplexes Crash down before Saturn interrupts with a brainbuster. Hardcore introduces a chair and just plants Crash on it for a two. Suddenly the crowd comes alive as Jeff brings a ladder from under the ring, and judging from the pop they should push this ladder all the way to the IC title, it’s that over. The Hardys get rid of everyone with the ladder, and now the Hardys hit the Twist of Fate/Swanton combination, but they fight over who is going to get the cover, so Tazz gets rid of both of them. Crowd is buzzing as they sense a Tazzmission, which they get, but Saturn nails him with a stop sign to end that.

Ouch baby…very ouch.

Both the Hardys are back and they dive on Saturn and Hardcore to get rid of them. Back inside, a limp Crash drapes himself over the KO’ed Tazz and gets the pin.

Winner and STILL Champion: Crash Holly.

Crash stands proud.

-Well, as much as I love controlled chaos, I can’t very well say this was a WRESTLING match, per se. Really just people bashing each other with stuff and flying from high places. So I’ll go *1/4 for weapons and creative use of the set, on the “ECW Rating Scale” (which I have yet to debut), it would probably be around ***.

-Backstage, the Coach is with Shane-O-Mac, who promises that he will be a totally fair referee, yes sir, no cheating at all, cross my heart and hope to die.

Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle (hailing from Pittsburgh, PA!), your Olympic Gold Medalist, says it’s sad he might be the only hero left in the US. This is of course during Big Show’s “going Hollywood” period after his appearance on Saturday Night Live. The shock from the crowd when Real American hits cannot be described, and Show does a better Hulk Hogan impression that I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Hulk=Stunned

You seriously have to see it to believe it, I cannot give it justice. He even throws his shirt at Angle, pure gold. Angle attacks before the bell, but Show freakin HULKS UP as JR even calls it a “no sell.” Big boot and leg drop, but Angle kicks out at two. You knew he couldn’t lay down for that one. Off the ropes and Angle gets a nice looking shoulder tackle to Big Show’s knee, sending him head over heels to the mat. Angle goes to work on the knee as JR reveals Angle won an NCAA championship at Clarion University (my alma mater of course, GO GOLDEN EAGLES!). Crowd actually chants “Hogan!” at Show. He counters Angle, and now he’s pissed off. He smacks the hell out of Angle in the corner and a short-arm clothesline sends Kurt to the mat. Big chokeslam drills Angle and that’s all she wrote.

Winner: The Showster

-Well, while I am slightly against jobbing Kurt that quickly during this point in his career, I guess it continued the Show storyline and that’s what the match was for. Not much of a match though, * at the best.

-Recap of the Dudleys and T&A feud, with Bubba Dudley obsessed with putting Trish Stratus through a table, but being unable to do so thus far. Trish teases him by wearing a very slutty outfit and rubbing her boobs all over tables. I’m not complaining.

Bubba can’t handle this

The Dudley Boyz vs. T&A

Just for the record, Lillian Garcia’s ring announcing absolutely sucks at this point in time, good to see she got at least a little better. Trish’s outfit leaves very little to the imagination. Bubba chases Trish around the ring, but Test takes his head off with a clothesline. Albert and D-Von start off with D-Von getting a clothesline off the ropes for two, and then tagging in Bubba who hammers away with Albert against the ropes. JR wonders out loud where Steve Austin is, King thinks he is scared. Bubba clotheslines Albert down then promises to get Trish (Bubba: “I’m gonna get you, you little bitch”). Well then. Albert fights back, but Bubba chops away and tags in D-Von for a double suplex on Albert. WAAAAAAASSSUP heatbutt to the crotch always D-Von to TESTIFY! Albert catches D-Von coming off the ropes with a scissors kick and Test comes in and boots down D-Von for two. Test gets caught with a shoulderblock for a one count, but takes back over after Albert distracts D-Von. A big powerbomb and the crowd could care less about Test or Albert, they just wanna cheer for boobs. Some things never change. In the corner, Test chokes him out with his boot and then hammers away before tagging back in Albert and getting a 360 slam on D-Von. Powerslam on D-Von and then Albert slams Test on to of D-Von for a two count. Test elbows D-Von down as the crowd wants tables and he responds with a swinging neckbreaker. The inanimate object is more over than Test or Albert. ANOTHER Goddamn “ref doesn’t see the face tag” spot, and I’m getting very sick of it and will probably subtract a * because it. Albert (who also happened the go to the University of PITTSBURGH BABY!) knocks down D-Von and then catapults him throat-first into the bottom rope. Test comes in with a running elbow for two, and Albert comes in and misses a blind charge. D-Von comes off the second rope with a clothesline, but gets caught in a sit-down powerbomb from Albert for two. Albert tries to go up top, but Bubba distracts him and he gets caught and superplexed off. Hot tag Bubba and he is a house of fire, with a samoan drop for two before it’s broken up by Albert. D-Von gets rid of him and the Dudleys hit that stupid look neckbreaker thing that the WWF insisted on calling the 3D, but it only gets two. Albert comes back in with his chokeslam/powerbomb combo, but Test misses the flying elbow from the top and Bubba gets two. Albert looks like he has puke all over the front of his shirt. D-Von gets rid of Albert again, and they try for the real 3D this time, but Bubba gets distracted by Trish on the apron, so Bubba gets smacked with a big boot from Test and that’s all she wrote.

Winners: T&A

-But the Dudleys aren’t done, they gets rid of T&A with the 3D and Bubba finally gets his hands on Trish Stratus. DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVON….GET THE TABLES! Trish even resorts to making out with Bubba Ray, but it has no effect and the crowd pops for this more than anything in the entire match. Finally, Bubba heads up top and powerbombs the hell out of Trish through the table and has a very satisfied grin on his face. Trish does the stretcher job to sell the injury but I’m not buying it and no one else is either.

-While the storyline may have popped the crowd, didn’t make the match any better, as it was all shoulderblocks and clotheslines. *1/4 and that’s about it.

-Just as Trish is being loaded into the ambulance, Eddie Guerrero and Chyna arrive coming straight from their prom, so he just drives his car right to the ring.

-Recap of the Chyna and Eddie romance, with Eddie passing his GED and thus getting to go to his prom. Essa and Eddie were teamed together twice but Lita screwed up and nailed him twice, thus leading to this.

WWF European Title

Eddie Guerrero (w/Chyna) vs. Essa Rios (w/Lita)

Essa Rios seriously looks like he stinks. Not in a wrestling sense, but in a “get this guy out of the room he stinks like old socks.”

I smell like old cabbage

Eddie dropkicks him down to start it off, but Essa counters a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker with one of his own. Eddie comes back with a back suplex and locks on an armbar. A shot of Chyna allows us to miss some armdrag counters, but ends up with Essa taking Eddie down and then elbowing him. Boy, Lita really dropped some dead weight when she got rid of this guy. Eddie gets armdragged all the way to the outside, and then just sidesteps Essa’s suicide dive just to show he’s an idiot. Essa goes into the steel steps and gets tossed back inside. Eddie stays in control with a senton from the apron, and now Chyna gets her shots in as well. How did they manage the transition from Amazon freak woman to supposed Playboy sex symbol? One of the great mysteries of the universe I guess. Essa comes back with a dropkick, and now heads up top and comes off with a missile dropkick for two. Eddie gets a jawbreaker out of a chinlock, but gets a powerbomb countered into an armdrag before getting monkey flipped almost clear out of the ring. Eddie is able to dump Essa though, and now Chyna kicks his ass again before Eddie follows with a plancha to the outside. Eddie sets him up for a powerbomb, but is distracted by Chyna shoving Lita off the top rope and onto the Spanish announce table, how fitting. Essa back drops Eddie and his an Asai Moonsault that almost hurt both of them because he jumped too far. Essa then flips OVER the turnbuckle with a 360 onto Eddie, which was pretty impressive and makes up for the last move, before Chyna gets involved again and crotches him. Eddie follows him up to the top with a superplex that actually ends up getting two for Essa. The superplex definitely seems to be the move of the night tonight, right up there with that stupid referee thing. Eddie comes back with a brainbuster and heads up top, but he takes too long and Essa armdrags him off the top. Essa tries a moonsault, but it only hits knees and Eddie hits a cool looking airplane spin into a neckbreaker and that’s good enough for the pin.

Winner and STILL Champion: Eddie Guerrero

-Post-match Essa knocks both Eddie and Chyna down, and Lita rips off Chyna’s prom dress….but Eddie likes what he sees. I was almost turned on before I remembered I saw her porn video with X-Pac and the horrors that came with that. That will end any talk of Chyna as a sex symbol…EVER! As for the match, call it **3/4 for some good flippy stuff.

-Backstage with HHH and Steph, he’s that damn good, he’s the game…yada yada yada. Vince says there’s no way Steve Austin will be here.

-The Man Who Must Not Be Named, Chris Benoit (gasp!) says that he’s going to destroy Jericho tonight.

WWF Intercontinental Title

Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho

I think they just stuck these guys together to try to just have good matches over and over again for the hell of it. They fight over a lockup and tumble outside the ring, where the exchange slaps to make sure everyone knows they don’t like each other. Back inside, they trade headlocks and go for the staredown before exchanging pinning combinations to establish they are better wrestlers than everyone else. Now they trade BRUTAL chops and Jericho takes Benoit down and hammers away, but Benoit counters with his repeated german suplexes to take control, then suplexes Jericho OVER the top and to the floor. Benoit tries a dive through the ropes but Jericho sees him coming and Benoit only hits floor and, to quote JR, he tasted the floor and you know it can’t taste good. Jericho moves the steps out and they hit a nice spot where Benoit tries to whip Jericho into the steps, but he jumps over them so Benoit dropkicks the steps into Jericho’s legs. Sweet. Back in the ring, Benoit gets a running knee and a gutbuster before stomping away in the corner. Trash talking from Benoit wakes up Jericho, but he misses a dropkick and Benoit catapults him into the corner and chops him HARD. Snap suplex gets two for Benoit and he hits the running knee lift again. Off the ropes and Benoit catches Jericho in the classic old school abdominal stretch, but Jericho powers out of it and catches Benoit with a hard elbow off the ropes and follows with the Lionsault, but he’s too hurt to make the cover, as he finally crawls over for two. Benoit goes back to the chops and they are just brutal.

Even Chuck flinched a little bit on that one, but then kicked the photographer’s head off.

Benoit catches Jericho with an elbow in the corner, but walks into a spinning heel kick from Jericho. Bulldog gets two for Jericho, and now Jericho gets his chops in and rolls Benoit up for two. Jericho hangs Benoit on the top rope, but misses his dropkick from the second rope and Benoit heads up top. Jericho catches him, however, and a back superplex looks to have been countered in mid-air but it was kinda sloppy, either way it gets two for Benoit. They fight over a backslide, but Jericho hits a powerbomb and then holds on and just POWERS Benoit up for another powerbomb for. But because Benoit is awesome, he reverses to the Cripple Crossface DURING the kickout, that’s was so awesome on like nine different levels. Jericho finally fights to the ropes and Benoit tries the Crossface again, but this time Jericho reverses to the Walls of Jericho, but it’s Benoit’s turn to hug the ropes. Off the ropes, Jericho misses Benoit and nails the ref with a flying forearm, so Benoit grabs the IC title and blasts Jericho with it for a LONG two count. Benoit suplexes Jericho onto the title, and now heads up top. He comes off with his headbutt, but Jericho grabs the title belt and holds it up so Benoit smacks his face against the belt, and the ref calls for the bell.

Winner and STILL Champion: Chris Benoit

Benoit: “Aw piss.”

-So Jericho is disqualified for introducing the belt to Benoit’s face, but really who can blame him? Jericho puts Tim White in the Walls of Jericho for being a tool and ruining a good match with a shitty decision. **1/2, but I wish I could give it more.

-Recap of Vince turning on the Rock at WrestleMania, allowing HHH to be the first ever heel to leave WrestleMania with the World Title. It goes without saying that the Rock was pretty pissed off about this whole thing, so he decided to kick everyone’s ass. HHH bloodiest him in a steel cage and McMahon appoints Shane as the special guest referee. Linda does not like this, so she appoints Steve Austin as the Rock’s manager. Austin plays mind games with the McMahons on Smackdown, before finally showing up and blowing DX’s tour bus up (yeah seriously). Vince warns the Rock that Austin’s motto is “DTA, Don’t Trust Anybody.”

-Worthless Little Puke Michael Cole interviews a PUMPED UP Rocky backstage, who says he’ll win no matter what. You’ve seen his interviews, you know what he’s gonna say.

WWF World Title

HHH (w/Vince and Stephanie McMahon) vs. The Rock

Shane McMahon is, of course, YOUR special guest referee.

user posted image

YOUR world heavyweight champion.

Vince says there is absolutely no way that Steve Austin is here, card subject to change after all. Rocky’s pop is pretty impressive, but the crowd let’s everyone know that they want Austin. Rock slugs away to start out and knocks HHH down with a couple right hands. I’m always amazed that, as wrestling fans we are taught that a legdrop from Hulk Hogan knocks anyone out for the next 7 months, but a straight right hand to the face does barely any damage at all.

Devastating

Barely felt it

Oh yeah, the match. Rocky gets caught coming off the ropes and HHH tries the Pedigree, but Rocky backdrops out of it and Shane gets involved so HHH hits a neckbreaker. Rocky hits a back suplex out of nowhere to take over, but gets propelled over the top and to the floor. HHH makes Rocky say hello to the steps, and then to the announce table. Vince decides to get involved and runs Rocky into the steel post, then back into the room. JR is just beside himself at this point. Two count for HHH inside and he stomps away in the corner. HHH catches Rock with a high knee for a quick two count from Shane, and HHH hits a BEAUTIFUL suplex and a kneedrop for two. HHH keeps trying for the cover and Shane keeps counting quicker, and the crowd does not like this at all. Rocky fights back out of the corner, but gets caught in the sleeper. Shane should just call for the bell right now, it’s not like anyone could prove that the Rock didn’t give up. Rocky tries to get out of it, but HHH uses the ropes to keep him in the hold. Rocky finally fights out of it, but gets caught with a right hand off the ropes for two. HHH goes for the 10-punch in the corner, but the Rock dumps him on the top turnbuckle and they clothesline each other for the double KO. Rocky gets to his feet first, but Vince nails him with the World title belt which gets a REALLY QUICK two count for HHH. Now the Rock is pissed off. He nails HHH with right hands then gets a big clothesline before sending HHH over the rope and to the floor, where HHH hurts his arm. Now it’s the Rock’s turn to slam HHH onto the table and it’s clear Hunter’s shoulder isn’t feeling too great. Back inside, HHH comes back with a facebuster, but walks into a DDT and Shane refuses to count the pin. Rock blasts Shane with a right hand, sending over the top, and then HHH throws the Rock out right after him. HHH cleans off the Spanish announce table and you know someone is about to get messed up. HHH tries the Pedigree on the table, but the Rock goes low to break it up and hooks HHH for the Rock Bottom. Shane jumps on the table to try to stop it, so Rocky Rock Bottom’s BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME!! That’s awesome. That has to be seen to be believed.

Vince=Stunned

They both end up back inside, but Vince attacks Rocky from behind, which might be a big mistake as the Rock gets a hold of him. HHH goes low from behind and hits a Pedigree, but Shane is DEAD on the floor. Vince calls to the back for anyone to come out and count the pinfall, so Patterson and Brisco run out in referee shirts, but the Rock kicks out at two. The stooges put the boots to the Rock and HHH gets his shots in as well. Vince gets a chair and cracks the Rock with it, and HHH goes for a final Pedigree until….THE GLASS BREAKS!

Someone’s gonna die

Austin brings a steel chair to the party, and NAILS HHH with it in the entrance way. The stooges take the chair to the face and the crowd is just going insane at this point. Austin comes in and nails Shane, who has just recovered, and Vince of course gets smashed as well. HHH comes back in with his own chair, but Austin blasts him first, AUSTIN! AUSTIN! AUSTIN! Now, Linda comes down with recently-been-fired-by-HHH referee Earl Hebner and shoves Stephanie to the floor. Inside, Rocky nails HHH with a spinebuster and a People’s Elbow. Linda sends Earl Hebner into the ring and it’s GAME OVER after what seems like forever as World Champion.

Winner and NEW Champion: The Rock

-Post-match, Austin drives his pickup truck to the ring, dragging the charred and wrecked remains of the DX Express to the ring with him. Rocky and Austin share a beer and the crowd approves.

-Well to be honest, the match itself wasn’t that great, but the drama at the end was SICK. I’m gonna give it ***, but it’s mark out city at the end for anyone who’s even close to a wrestling fan.

Backlash 2000 is a pretty solid all-around card, with an AWESOME light heavyweight title match thrown in, and an Austin return with some great drama. I would definitely recommend this one, if you can track it down, it’s a good find.

Go Pens

More REVIEWS

'Pit's Picks

UFC 80: Rapid Fire

Jan. 19, 2008

T-Shirt of the Month

"Randy Is My Hero"

Exclusively in the

'Pit Shop

(for a limited time only)