Quick Recap- The Radicals have arrived and are giving DX a hard time, and a big clash between The Rock and Big Show is imminent!

Quick Results-

Triple H set the stage for the show by booking all four Radicals in matches against DX members. If they won two out of their three bouts, they’d earn contracts.

Chris Jericho retained the Intercontinental title against Gangrel.

X-Pac defeated Dean Malenko, but only via a cheeky low blow while the ref was distracted with Tori.

Big Show managed to get proof that Rock’s feet hit the ground first at the end of the Royal Rumble match. As a result, HHH booked him against The Rock at No Way Out, with the winner going on to face him for the WWF title at Wrestlemania.

Jacqueline defeated Harvey Whippleman to win the Womens title. From a man. Yep.

Kurt Angle won a triple threat match against Tazz and The Rock. Big Show came out and took out The Rock, who’d looked to have had the match won. Angle weakly covered Tazz to get the duke.

The New Age Outlaws just about got by Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero. Eddie dislocated his elbow during the Frog Splash.

Head Cheese defeated the Holly cousins.

Rikishi beat Big Show via DQ after Show had to resort to nailing him with a chair. Too Cool also got taken out afterwards, but The Rock returned the favour from earlier with a Rock Bottom!

Triple H defeated Chris Benoit with another low blow being used in order to aid the victory.

WWF Smackdown! 03/02/2000

The tryout- The Radicals make their in-ring debuts.

Triple H had thrown down something of a gauntlet to the Radicals on tonight’s show, with all four of them taking on DX counterparts.

Dean Malenko was up first against X-Pac. I’ve really enjoyed X-Pac’s matches so far from this year, he’s delivered virtually every time he’s stepped through the ropes. In many respects, he was the absolute best choice to welcome Malenko into the WWF fold, and the man of 1000 holds sure didn’t disappoint.

There were some good matches on the show tonight as you’ll see through this entry, but this for me was your match of the night. These two just clicked seamlessly. It was an absolutely terrific bout with some gorgeous technique applied, some crisply delivered moves and a bit of snap in their execution to boot. This was an absolute match made in heaven, a perfect wrestling marriage, so to speak. Full marks for this, pure wrestling at it’s best.

Because Malenko lost, albeit via cheating, it meant that Guerrero and Saturn needed to defeat the New Age Outlaws to technically stand any chance of earning jobs. Another good match here and for Saturn and Guerrero to walk into the company and put on a strong showing with two of the WWF’s established stars proved that they had quality and talent in abundance. Sadly, Guerrero wound up injured through it and they notched up another cross in the loss column, but to the fans it didn’t matter; they’d lost through cheating and an injury. It wasn’t fair on the given night, but they’d taken DX to the limit.

Still, Chris Benoit had a chance to shine against Triple H. Not long prior to this, Benoit had actually won the WCW title, but it was rescinded a day later, which I think was the last straw in his time with them. So we had something of a dream match here, the man who never lost the WCW World title and arguably the best worker in the rival organisation crossing paths with the WWF’s kingpin.

Again, we had a smashing match here and a superb main event. They’d go on to have more classic bouts than this, but tonight was certainly a worthy start and a terrific showing from Benoit in his WWF bow. More cheating would lead to another DX victory, earning them a clean sweep, but all four Radicals had proven to the WWF fan base that they were worth a spot on the roster.

They’d proven not just to them, but to their previous employers, that they were worthy of getting such prominent coverage. The crowd responded to all of them in an extremely positive way, no doubt impressed by their work ethic. They may not have been victorious, but there were perfectly reasonable explanations for all the losses and this in turn draws sympathy and respect from the crowd who will hope they haven’t seen the last of them.

The Rock Show- Rocky’s 500 pound mountain to climb.

Another night, another city, another stupendous performance in every department from a young Dwayne Johnson.

Flawless on the microphone in building up to his No Way Out confrontation with Big Show (Now confirmed, after Big Show finally attained proof that Rock’s feet hit the ground first in the closing moments of the Rumble match), great between the ropes in his triple threat showdown with Tazz and Kurt Angle and generally just being his usual fantastic self. Angle and Tazz weren’t taking a backseat by any stretch, bringing it just as strongly as their mega-over peer, but you wouldn’t have thought it judging by the crowd reaction.

Rock was just inches away from cementing himself as a legend that year. Look back on any show in the run up to his eventual WWF title win at Backlash and the crowds just go completely, utterly insane when his music hits or when he appears on the tron. There are Rocky signs in virtually every other seat in the arenas. It’s staggering really.

The rivalry with Big Show has been brewing very nicely, and although they obviously clashed at the Rumble they’ve done a good job of keeping them apart in singles competition up to the February PPV spectacular.

The rest-Midcard

Jericho and Gangrel wasn’t bad, but in all fairness you could see the result coming a mile away. Nothing against Gangrel, but he wasn’t exactly IC title material at this point. He’d only just lost a Hardcore title match, so how was he suddenly in line for an IC title shot tonight when there were at least a dozen more credible challengers, least of all X-Pac who’d actually pinned him on Raw previously?! Still, not a bad match. Jericho can have a good match with anyone, but Gangrel is no slouch himself.

Jaqueline squashes Harvey Whippleman to bring the Women’s title to womanhood. I can only imagine Harvey winning the title was some sort of rib, found humorous only by the crew in the lockeroom. The only plus side: This was short. Wretched!!

Head Cheese v The Holly Cousins was excellent before it even began, thanks to Blackman donning a foam cheese hat! Snow is also sporting some spiffy new attire of his own. This was a solid tag match between four men who you’d normally associate with the hardcore division, though this was a bit later in the year. Still, this was solid all over. Another win for Blackman and Snow who keep rolling on.

Rikishi’s push continued tonight, kicking out of Big Show’s usually unstoppable chokeslam. This was a cracking big-man bout, with the key being some well timed spots. Big Show bumped brilliantly for Rikishi to emphasise his strength, while the Somoan in turn put in a mighty effort that the crowd was fully behind. Make no mistake, at present these were the two best big man workers in the profession. The segment finished strongly with Too Cool and The Rock trying to get them some of the 500 pounder. Cracking segment.

Overall-

The Radicals win the day for three great matches, but Rock’s triple threat was also a belter, while the Hollys/Head Cheese tag match and the Rikishi/Big Show bout were also good. Another really strong WWF broadcast.

Worth a watch for-

The match of the night was X-Pac vs Malenko for me, a dream match if you’re a fan of cruiserweights in particular. Also The Rock’s involvement throughout the whole show. And do track down Steve Blackman donning the cheese head if you can!

Follow me on twitter: @Nick_Sellers

#HeadCheese

#Radicals

#ShutUpJuice

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

WWF Smackdown 03/02/2000

WWF Smackdown! 03/02/2000

The tryout- The Radicals make their in-ring debuts.

The Rock Show- Rocky’s 500 pound mountain to climb.

The rest-Midcard

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you