Raw 6/3/00 & Smackdown 9/3/00

Quick Recap- The Rock had been all but shut-out of the Wrestlemania main event after Triple H, Shane McMahon and Big Show’s efforts last week. Crash Holly had just debuted the 24/7 rule for the Hardcore title.

Quick results

Raw 6/3/00

Kane and Big Show had a decent contest, which ended when The Rock attacked and got revenge on Show from last week with a Rock Bottom. Show also took Kane’s chokeslam post-match.

Mark Henry pinned D’Von Dudley, but he was attacked by both Dudleyz after the match. Bubba then put Mae Young through a table in one of their most impressive career visuals.

DX (Road Dogg and X-Pac) had a good match with Too Cool before the heels resorted to cheating. Kane then came out gunning for X-Pac.

Chris Jericho beat Kurt Angle via DQ, but he doesn’t win the Intercontinental championship thanks to Bob Backlund’s interference.

Rikishi beat Triple H via DQ after he got nailed with a chair. The Rock again ran down after the match and this time it was HHH’s turn to take the Rock Bottom.

Steve Blackman pinned Matt Hardy with an impressive martial arts kick from the top rope and from Snow’s interference.

Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko bested Edge & Christian thanks to Terri causing a distraction Edge. Tensions flared again between the Canadians afterwards.

Crash Holly, who already escaped the Posse trying to take his title from his hotel room, somehow beat Viscera to keep the title. They both bundled into the APA’s office, so both took a beatdown as a result. That’ll teach them for interrupting their card game!

The Rock closed the show beating Chris Benoit in a cage match, despite HHH and Big Show trying to keep him at bay from the outside.

Smackdown 9/3/00

The Rock got by Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit, but was attacked by all four Radicalz after the bell.

Essa Rios retained his Lightheavyweight title after Edge drew the DQ by Spearing Lita, who moments before had nailed Christian with a Moonsault. More tension flared between the Canadians a a result.

Tazz beat Kurt Angle, but only by DQ after Bob Backlund interfered. Chris Jericho evened the odds and helped send the heels packing. Angle retains the Intercontinental title again.

DX (Road Dogg and X-Pac) defeated Kane. The ref was out for a period, and Kane went after Tori. X-Pac intercepted with a chair, before hitting the X-Factor with Kane’s face bouncing off the chair. Road Dogg revived the ref for the pin.

Steve Blackman pinned Jeff Hardy in the same manner in which he beat Matt Hardy on Raw, the top rope kick after Snow ran interference.

The Dudleyz defeated an already battered Rock in a handicap tables match, via the 3D.

Jacqueline retained her Women’s title against Ivory.

Crash Holly, who once again had to fend off the Posse earlier in the day, escaped with his Hardcore title in a match against Albert. The Posse attacked mid-match, so Albert attacked all three of them while Holly escaped out of the arena!

Triple H and Big Show pinned Rikishi. The Rock tried to help out at the close of the show, but both men were given a serious battering by the heels.

To Rock, or not to Rock?- No Wrestlemania matches set, so what’s going on?

We’re two weeks removed now from WWF’s last PPV event and two weeks further down the road to Wrestlemania for this year. Whilst Triple H vs Big Show is being dubbed as the main event for the PPV, anyone with a clue could see this wasn’t going to be the case, or at least it wouldn’t solely involve the two of them. The Rock is clearly the missing piece of the puzzle.

Now, most of you know how the main event for ‘Mania eventually ends up. But so far it seems strange to me, looking back, that they didn’t push the envelope further. To not have your main event for Wrestlemania nailed down with less than a month to go seems astounding to me.

Last week I felt the TV shows weren’t as strong as usual, mainly because nothing was set in stone for ‘Mania and no storylines progressed much. This week, they achieved a much better week of television quality, produced some really entertaining shows and at least hinted at what might be about to come for the grandaddy of ’em all, but still nothing was actually booked. We had a few things implied, but nothing made official.

Admittedly, Wrestlemania almost immediately sells itself every year. But in 2000, WWF didn’t have to rely on it as such. Most of their PPV’s were doing good business and they had red-hot angles throughout the course of the whole year. In 2000, it seemed like Wrestlemania wasn’t the biggest show of the year, but more just like another PPV. Again, the PPV’s were great, but I think this Wrestlemania sorely lacked in terms of build-up.

I haven’t seen the actual PPV for years so I’ll reserve judgement on the event itself until the time comes in this chronology. But to not have something booked, or at least announced on TV yet two weeks into the run-up to it strikes me as something of a missed opportunity for them to build up more interest.

What makes it more surprising is that they had such a deep talent pool to pick from and so many scenarios they could go with. Never mind the likes of The Rock, who the fans were absolutely gunning for to be in the main event, but the likes of Rikishi and Chris Benoit seemed to have nothing in the pipeline. X-Pac and Kane were still gunning for each other, as were Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle, but again no official matches had been made.

It’s not like the WWF was in trouble or anything, and it’s not that I feel Wrestlemania 2000 wasn’t going to do well, far from it. But it could’ve and maybe should’ve been even better in the build-up.

Rant over!

The numbers game- Handicap matches galore keeps DX on point.

One of Triple H’s tactics in recent months has been the “Divide and conquer” approach. Usually he’ll take a foe, like The Rock for instance, and pit him against completely unfair odds. This week, mainly on Smackdown, this was put to the test again. After weeks of trying to cut Rocky down to size, this week he finally got another one over on him, pitting him in not one, but TWO handicap bouts and even a mass beatdown to close out the show.

First, Rock was forced to go toe to toe with Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn. Rock had already contested a darned fine cage match with Benoit on Raw, but put in a gallant effort against The Radicalz. After a good bout, all four Radicalz had a chance to get themselves over by laying waste to him. Then, Stephanie booked Rock against the tag team champions in a table match.

The Dudleyz proved their worth again this week as the hottest tag team in the business. On Raw, they claimed another female victim after putting Mae Young through a table. But on Smackdown they hit the jackpot, putting The Rock through a table and coming up trumps in one of several handicap matches on the show. Already the tag champions, you genuinely got a sense that Bubba and D’Von would stop at nothing to cause absolute mayhem. Granted, on Smackdown Rock was already beaten down prior to the handicap match, but it’s still a significant moment for them. It was also proof that underneath all the tables and bullish bravado, they could actually work a decent match. The greatest ECW tag team of all time were not only currently top of the WWF tag division, but were two of the main characters that everyone seemed to be talking about. Fewer times in their careers would they ever look as strong as they did this week.

Kane and X-Pac look set to be headed on yet another PPV collision course. After facing both X-Pac and Road Dogg on Smackdown, the seeds were sewed to allow them to go one more round in a showdown that was all but confirmed for Wrestlemania. Kane also got involved on Raw, after a blistering bout between DX and Too Cool, which would later tie in with the match that was eventually made for the PPV. In the last entry, I was surprised to see they hadn’t moved Kane and X-Pac onto feuds higher up the card, but the crowd were still really into the rivalry and with neither man having much else to do, it made sense to keep them as a pair. Adding Road Dogg in, as well as Kane’s ongoing issues with Tori, keep things interesting.

Rock and Kane weren’t the only two stars who DX and co were causing havoc for. Poor Rikishi was also involved in the handicap proceedings, with the somewhat daunting task of taking on both HHH and the Big Show in the Smackdown main event. As has been the case with all of the handicap bouts, this was another entertaining contest which the crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Rikishi was hugely over at this point and it looked as though the company wanted to capitalize.

The two heels on one babyface booking scenario is simple, yet very effective. It allows the heels to get plenty of offence in, but also gives the babyface plenty of crowd support right from the get go because he’s already fighting against unfair and unjust odds. If the babyface loses, he loses no momentum and draws even more sympathy. If he wins, he’s overcome the odds and becomes a real hero. Some would say they overdid the stipulation, especially on Smackdown where the whole show seemed to be built off of it, but it worked really well here.

Midcard- other bits

The Kurt Angle/Chris Jericho rivalry took on a new shape this week in the form of Bob Backlund. Yes, Bob Backlund. Strangely, Backlund attacked Jericho on Raw and then tried attacking Tazz on Smackdown during Kurt Angle’s title defences.

I’ve no problem with a legend like Backlund getting a payday, but a rivalry like Angle/Jericho doesn’t need all the other nonsense. It doesn’t need Chyna, it most definitely doesn’t need Backlund. It just needs two good wrestlers to go out there and wrestle their socks off. I realize that, even then, WWF was trying to keep the entertainment factor high, but what’s more entertaining, a Backlund or Chyna run-in, or a hard hitting match with some decent spots? On the pus side for Tazz, he didn’t have to deal with Bossman and Albert this week and finally had a chance to mix it up with Kurt again. If you’re going to involve others in the angle, Tazz and the Radicalz are exactly the type who should be involved.

Steve Blackman bested both of the Hardyz this week in singles competition, thanks to some interference from Al Snow. It wasn’t a good week for Matt and Jeff, but they had better things to come. It was a great week for Blackman however, who’s popularity was definitely growing. Al Snow deserves real credit, because he’s the mastermind in terms of getting the angle over with the fans. Blackman’s performances in the ring were getting better too, and he was finding good ways to implement his unorthodox style with the other WWF talents.

Crash endured a tough week as Hardcore Champion. In hilarious fashion, the Posse twice tried to take advantage of the 24/7 ruling. On Raw they went for Crash in his hotel room, and on Smackdown they attacked him in the laundrette! He also had to defend against both Albert and Viscera during the week in regular hardcore matches, but still escaped with the strap. Crash continues to bring the funny, and the 24/7 era starts off as a success. The air of unpredictability over the belt would only increase as time went on!

Edge & Christian endured another poor week with women still serving as a distraction for Edge. First, Terri distracted him on Raw, then he had his first on-screen interaction with Lita. Considering how their relationship would eventually end up, they didn’t get off to the best of starts. After Lita moonsaulted Christian, Edge then speared her. The ref caught it and that ended Christian’s title match with Essa Rios. Ultimately nothing came of these squabbles, and it seems a mystery to me why they even went down this route with the duo, seeing as they wound up as tag team champions in the near future.

Overall-

A much stronger week of TV this week. Smackdown was the stronger of the shows for me with the handicap theme, but both of them delivered. My only peeve was that nothing was set for Wrestlemania, but the actual broadcasts themselves were top efforts by all concerned this week.

Worth a watch for-

Once again, The Rock is the star of all the goings on, having a terrific cage match with Benoit and two decent handicap matches on Smackdown. Also, check out more of Crash’s Hardcore title fun and games.

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.

Raw 6/3/00 & Smackdown 9/3/00

Quick results

To Rock, or not to Rock?- No Wrestlemania matches set, so what’s going on?

The numbers game- Handicap matches galore keeps DX on point.

Midcard- other bits

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you