WWF 2000

[FireDoughnut]

World Wrestling Federation presents...

Current Card

Sunday 21st May 2000

WWF Championship Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

The Hardy Boys © vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys vs. A.P.A. vs. Mean Street Posse vs. The Headbangers vs. Kai En Tai

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Viscera vs. Billy Gunn vs. Test w/Trish Stratus vs. Road Dogg vs. Al Snow vs. Tazz vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan

Card is subject to change

Edited January 25, 2007 by Flat_Doughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Preview

Thursday 18th May 2000

Judgment Day is just three days away and the Million Dollar Commissioner has decided to play around with the WWF roster before their Pay-Per-View clash by booking some mouth-watering matches for the pre-Pay-Pre-View show.

In a huge massive main event, Ted is willing to give The Rock and Mankind the chance to finally get their hands on each other as they take part in a six man tag match with the four men set to battle it out for the number one Contendership to the WWF Championship. The Rock will be joined by the two huge powers that is The Big Show and Kane while Mankind will be joined by the former Champion, Triple H and the Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle. The match will be the final chance to ruffle a few feathers as well as get that much needed advantage ahead of the crunch matches on Sunday.

Elsewhere on the show. Ted has promised some amazing matches but as yet he refused to let them be known. The Million Dollar Man promised that Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Test, Rikishi, Val Venis and Tazz will be in action and even went so far to suggest that some of the matches could affect the Judgment Day line-up.

All that and much, much more… only on WWF’s Smackdown!

Confirmed Match

The Rock, The Big Show & Kane vs. Mankind, Triple H & Kurt Angle

[FireDoughnut]

Thursday 18th May 2000

With just three days to go until Judgment Day, Smackdown came somewhat be described as the calm before the storm as no-one wanted to get involved in any matches unless they had to, just to make sure they were in perfect condition for Sunday.

Chris Jericho opened the show, recapping his defeat at Backlash. ‘Y2J’ stood in the ring and watched footage of Chris Benoit grabbing the belt, and Perry Saturn dragging Jericho from the ring. Chris promised everyone that there would be no escape for Benoit on Sunday. He promised to make Benoit tap out in the centre of the ring as re-capture the Intercontinental Championship for all the Jericholics. That brought Benoit to the stage, who described his opponents as “all-talk.” Eventually, Ted DiBiase was out at ringside and told both men they would have matches in the show against teams taking part in the gauntlet match on Sunday. Benoit drew his opponents out of a hat and got… the Mean Street Posse, while Jericho pulled out his to reveal…. Edge & Christian. And needless to say, Jericho had the harder time. Benoit schooled Pete Gas and Joey Abs in technical wrestling before making Abs tap out to the Crippler Crossface while ‘Y2J’ really found himself up against it with Edge and Christian across the ring. The former Champions were on irresistible form and devoured Chris Jericho, much to the delight of Benoit who joined J.R. and The King on commentary for the match. As Jericho lay downed on the ring mat, Benoit entered the ring and simply screamed at Jericho that he would “never EVER defeat him for the Intercontinental Championship.”

In the main event of the show, the six biggest superstars in the WWF clashed in a warm-up to Sunday. It was finally a chance for The Rock and Mankind to get their hands on each other while the four men fighting for the number one Contendership tried to prove a point. Friction between the teams was evident from the off as they struggled to get along and eventually the match descended into chaos with Mankind managing to sneak up on The Rock. As the People’s Champion turned around he was taken down with the Mandible Claw for the victory. Mankind however, didn’t release the hold and kept it applied until The Rock had lost all sign of life. Smackdown went off air as the manic Mankind stormed around the ring with so much passion that the other four men in the match had to stop, and simply watch the crazed Co-WWF Champion.

Elsewhere on the show, Test was on hype duty as he promised to single-handedly defeat the other nine men in his match and win the first spot in the King of the Ring tournament. Test reminded everyone about the embarrassment that he suffered at the end of 1999, and he promised that 2000 would very quickly become his year, starting with the King of the Ring Tournament and eventually the WWF Championship. Test wasn’t the only man on hype duty as Val Venis was joined by Lita backstage as the duo promised to leave Judgment Day with the European Championship in their position. Val said that no-one else in the match would be able to compare to him and the WWF’s “Sexist Man” would surely walk out with a Gold around his waist.

In the fourth match on Smackdown, the three tag team partners of the men in WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship match faced off as a preview of Sunday. Road Dogg, Grand Master Sexay and Perry Saturn took part in a very fast paced affair that was constantly interrupted by X-Pac, Malenko and Scotty 2 Hotty. In the end, it was the D-Generation X pair that prevailed as X-Pac hit the X-Factor on no less than three people as Road Dogg hit the Pump Handle Drop on Grand Master for the victory. The D-X celebration was short-lived however as Billy Gunn chased the pair off.

Smackdown also saw an interview with the Hardy Boys. Matt and Jeff admitted that the odds were against them for Sunday. They knew that no-one expected them to go through six teams in the gauntlet, but Jeff said that when they did they would be able to call themselves the finest tag team to ever grace a World Wrestling Federation ring. Judgment Day would be their biggest challenge in professional wrestling but at the end both brothers agreed that it was their destiny to defend their belts successfully.

Smackdown Results

Chris Benoit def. Mean Street Posse (Pete Gas & Joey Abs)

Road Dogg def. Grand Master Sexay & Perry Saturn

Edge & Christian def. Chris Jericho

Mankind, Triple H & Kurt Angle def. The Rock, The Big Show & Kane

Show Rating: 79%

[FireDoughnut]

WWF News

-The television ratings for the week were very successful with RAW defeating Nitro with scores of 6.82 to 5.41, while Smackdown continued to dominate Thunder with ratings of 5.48 to 5.08. WCW’s Saturday Night program got quite a successful 1.24 rating.

-A spanner has been thrown into the works for the huge tag team match at Summerslam. There is very apparent tension between Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley which could jeopardise either teams involvement in the match. Hardy was not happy with how “stiff” Bubba was working on RAW and the Dudley refused to apologise backstage. With both teams well-liked by the WWF staff it may be a tough decision as to who gets in the match-up. Vince is very adamant that unless they work out their differences both teams can not work together on the match as the premise is very high-risk.

-A number of WWF wrestlers have sat down with a number of writers and WWF staff to work on their long-term plans. Eddie Guerrero, Kane, Kurt Angle and Edge were all looking for assurances that they in-line to go to the top. It is rumoured that Kane was the only one promised a WWF Championship reign, believed to be in less than a year, while the others were told “the WWF has big plans for them.” Kurt Angle got a lot of heat for his actions, especially after the year he has had where he has already won the Intercontinental and European Championship.

-Decisions about Judgment Day are still being made with the Intercontinental and the number one Contendership match causing the biggest debates. Benoit and Jericho’s feud is not set to finish yet, however the officials on who should take the belt from their match, while the four-way match throws up a number of possibilities.

-Steven Regal has been wrestling under the name of Nathaniel Steven Regal in Ohio Valley Wrestling. He is expected to be called up to the full roster again soon.

Edited January 27, 2007 by Flat_Doughnut

[FireDoughnut]

World Wrestling Federation presents...

FINAL CARD

WWF Championship Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

#1 Conendership to the WWF Championship

No Disqualifications, Elimination Four Way Dance

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

Teams will draw numbers and enter

The Hardy Boys © vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys vs. A.P.A. vs. Mean Street Posse vs. The Headbangers vs. Kai En Tai

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Pinfall or Submission Elimination

Viscera vs. Billy Gunn vs. Test w/Trish Stratus vs. Road Dogg vs. Al Snow vs. Tazz vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan

PREDICTION CONTEST

Not quite sure of the prize. But there will be one. As for a tie-breaker, please add a guess for the buy-rate of the PPV. If there is a tie, the person closest to the real number will win. Okay? Thanks. And thanks in advance for any predictions.

Edited January 27, 2007 by Flat_Doughnut

[nihilist]

WWF Championship Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

I think this is the more obvious path because the Rock can have good quality feuds with any of the contenders in the other match. Having Foley retain the belt would be perhaps slightly annoying.

#1 Contendership to the WWF Championship

No Disqualifications, Elimination Four Way Dance

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

I foresee Big Show being eliminated first, Angle second followed by Kane being screwed out of the shot. HHH vs. Rock should be good tussle.

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

I'll go for the popular victory here

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

I think it's time to move Eddie onto better things, and as Val's got the experience and the manager, he seems the best candidate for the win.

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

Teams will draw numbers and enter

The Hardy Boys © vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys vs. A.P.A. vs. Mean Street Posse vs. The Headbangers vs. Kai En Tai

I don't know why, but I think it's time for a new face for the time being.

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

Malenko to retain because I can't see Scotty holding the belt and I wouldn't want X-Pac to either.

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Pinfall or Submission Elimination

Viscera vs. Billy Gunn vs. Test w/Trish Stratus vs. Road Dogg vs. Al Snow vs. Tazz vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan

Based on your stipulations, I think Tazz has to be the man to make the first step up to the throne.

PPV buy rate: 1.40

Edited January 27, 2007 by nihilist

[Downward Spiral]

Wow, PPV 2 already! I have to say the workrate you've put in has been fantastic thus far. Storylines have developed nicely and the show seems a lot more 'tight' if that makes sense? There's nothing really tangible that I can say to explain why that's the case, but it's just a feeling I get from it. Judgment Day is a very interesting card and could lead you in any one of a number of directions storyline wise. To that end, I really won't be surprised if I get next to none of these right!

WWF Championship Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

Every time Foley and Rock hooked up IRL, it was always electric. With Mankind being somewhat unhinged on Smackdown, I see this one getting violent in a hurry which is definitely a good thing. I know Mankind got the better of the Rock on Smackdown, and usually that means the face will triumph, but I really want to see Mankind's reign extended. Difficult one to call, but I'm going for Foley.

#1 Conendership to the WWF Championship

No Disqualifications, Elimination Four Way Dance

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

If Mankind goes over, you need a face to challenge him, and I know you're a big fan of Kane so I could see you push him in this one. Of course, again thinking back to real life, this was the PPV the Undertaker re-debuted, wasn't it? Mayb the American Badass could be influential in the outcome of this one?

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

I have to say, I agree with Benoit, Jericho's just not getting the title. My reasoning is that he just doesn't need it. His charactr's been well established and he's already had a title reign. Benoit's only been in the company for 6 months and his crippler gimmick hasn't been explored to the full yet, I feel. This is the time to do it.

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

I don't know why, but I really don't like the pairing of Val Venis and Lita. It's interesting but it just doesn't 'fit' in my eyes. I could see them being better as a heel couple, but equally I don't think that would work either, with Lita's gimmick and ring style being so innovative at that time, she couldn't help but be a face IMO. Having said that, you'e pushed them to the moon at the moment so I think it might continue. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Eddie steal it, however, and set up a one-on-one match later on.

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

Teams will draw numbers and enter

The Hardy Boys © vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys vs. A.P.A. vs. Mean Street Posse vs. The Headbangers vs. Kai En Tai

Wow, you're really pushing the Tag Team division at the moment. Unless my memory fails me, this is the second multi-team title match in a row on your PPV's isn't it? While I see your intentions are to build up the competition in the division, I do feel that a two-team feud is needed just to keep things in check. In my eyes, a match where the Mean Street Posse could walk away with the tag titles devalues them, IMO. I know that's not your intention and your going for unpredictablilty but that's just my thoughts. I REALLY want E and C to take back the gold. After their first reign only lasted a month, I want to see them get the belts back and run with them.

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

If my predictions thus far are correct, DX aren't going to have a very successful night. Make up for that by having X-Pac take the belt I think.

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Pinfall or Submission Elimination

Viscera vs. Billy Gunn vs. Test w/Trish Stratus vs. Road Dogg vs. Al Snow vs. Tazz vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan

Interesting way to build up the KOTR and I like it. Only gripe is how soon Billy Gunn's returned from his shoulder injury as this would mean he's only been gone 3 months. However, I'll cast that gripe aside and say that he really needs to eliminate Road Dogg to build up heat for a NAO feud, which just never happened in real life. I personally am going for Test, as I think a good showing in the KOTR would deservedly lift his stock.

PREDICTION CONTEST

Not quite sure of the prize. But there will be one. As for a tie-breaker, please add a guess for the buy-rate of the PPV. If there is a tie, the person closest to the real number will win. Okay? Thanks. And thanks in advance for any predictions.

Erm.... wild stab at 0.98.

Good luck with the show and I hope it all comes off well.

[slain]

World Wrestling Federation presents...

FINAL CARD

WWF Championship Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

#1 Contendership to the WWF Championship

No Disqualifications, Elimination Four Way Dance

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

Teams will draw numbers and enter

The Hardy Boys © vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys vs. A.P.A. vs. Mean Street Posse vs. The Headbangers vs. Kai En Tai

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Pinfall or Submission Elimination

Viscera vs. Billy Gunn vs. Test w/Trish Stratus vs. Road Dogg vs. Al Snow vs. Tazz vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan

PREDICTION CONTEST

Not quite sure of the prize. But there will be one. As for a tie-breaker, please add a guess for the buy-rate of the PPV. If there is a tie, the person closest to the real number will win. Okay? Thanks. And thanks in advance for any predictions.

Buyrate: 1.20

Edited January 27, 2007 by slain

[Guest EWR 4.2]

Have to agree with Downward Spriral, your workrate is fantastic. Well done.

WWF Championship Match

Mankind vs. The Rock

I really don't know about this match, because IMO all 4 men in the next match could work well with the winner of this one. I hoipe this isn't the feud ender as I think that there is still life left in this feud. I'm going with Mankind because I can see The Rock chasing the Title.

#1 Conendership to the WWF Championship

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

Somehow I don't see a face winning this match, even if a heel wins the Main Event, I would personally go with a Triple Threat at King Of The Ring!

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

MOTN by a mile, any match involving Y2J and Benoit and you've got ratings! Personally I don't think Y2J needs the IC Title so I'm going with Benoit but I hope that by 2001, Benoit and Y2J are ready for the Main Event.

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

The Val/Lita alliance doesn't really do anything for me either, but I do see them wlaking away with the European Belt as I can see Eddie with the IC Belt soon! *hint*

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

The Hardy Boys ©

Not a big fan of quick Title changes so I'm just hoping that the Hardyz retain and feud with E & C for a while!

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

I think Dean is too good for the LH Title but I don't wanna see the other two with it so I'll stick with Malenko!

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Tazz

Tazz is too good for the opening match, here's to him WINNING the KOTR and moving towards to the IC and WWF Titles soon!

Buy Rate - 1.25

[FireDoughnut]

WWF Presents...

Sunday 21st May 2000

Pass with Distinction

Test def. Billy Gunn, Tazz, Stevie Richards, Road Dogg, Perry Saturn, Viscera, Bull Buchanan, Al Snow & Crash Holly to earn a spot in the King of the Ring Tournament

The huge brawl that opened Judgment Day 2000 saw former Kings of the Ring Billy Gunn and Viscera, then competing as Mabel trying to take the first step towards becoming two-time Kings but the pair were among the nine men that could do nothing to stop the increasingly-impressive Test, as the recently returned superstar earned himself the first place in the first King of the Ring of the new millennium. Test, however, did not have the whole situation his own way as all the competitors tried to make a name for themselves in the match.

Viscera was the first man to set his stall out in the mammoth brawl as he went straight for Crash Holly and then recorded the first elimination. Chasing Crash up the ramp, Big Vis was relentless in his pursuit and after Holly was told by the referees that if he left the ring area to head backstage he would be immediately disqualified the former Hardcore Champion decided to put up or shut up and attacked Viscera. The "hard" right hands that Crash tried to deliver had absolutely no effect on the 500-pound man who tackled Crash to the ground and simply sat on his chest. Crash had no chance of moving Viscera, and therefore was incapable of lifting either shoulder to try and kick-out.

Crash was quickly followed from the match by Bull Buchanan and Al Snow. There was a mini-meeting of the Hardcore Division in the ring as Tazz and Stevie Richards continued their "reign of Extreme" with a vicious beating of Snow and Buchanan with merciless venom. Buchanan was the victim of a number of chair shots before being finished off with a Stevie Kick before Tazz locked Al Snow in the Tazzmission as Stevie thumped the WWF veteran with a trashcan. And it was the hardcore duo that eliminated Viscera as they set about their weapon-assisted offence to take the 500-pound man towards the top of the ramp and throw him off into the electrical wires. Big Vis didn't respond to the count of 10 and was therefore eliminated from the match.

And the former King of the Ring was followed by the other man that had ascended the throne as Billy Gunn was rolled-up by Road Dogg. The former tag team partners had their sights on each other from the very beginning of the match and the brawling that saw the two fight all around the ring finally ended after the Road Dogg reversed Gunn's Fame-Asser to hit a vicious Powerbomb for the three count. Billy refused to accept his elimination and immediately set upon his long-term partner dragging him through the crowd while making him aware of his disgust that he had pinned him.

Perry Saturn was the next man out after falling victim to Test's Big Boot and that left the big man up against the "reign of Extreme" in the centre of the ring. Test battled well for a number of moments before the numbers game became too much and the chairshots appeared. Tazz brutalised Test's torso and legs with the chair and it seemed he had met Richards' limit as Stevie backed away from the mauling refusing to continue with the attack on Test.

That caused Tazz and Richards to get into a argument and ultimately the pair started to brawl. Tazz got the advantage and was able to use his dented chair on his partner for the elimination that seemed to signify the end of a short-lived alliance as the Human Suplex Machine was left in the ring with Test. But the ECW Champion was blindsided by Test's vicious Big Boot after he was given to recover and come good on the promise he made on Smackdown! by qualifying for the King of the Ring.

Overall Rating: 69% | Crowd Reaction: 67% | Match Quality: 71%

A Masterclass

Dean Malenko © def. Scotty 2 Hotty & X-Pac to retain the WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship

To say that Scotty 2 Hotty and X-Pac were outclassed in their title match with Dean Malenko is a complete understatement. Scotty 2 Hotty and X-Pac were absolutely mauled by the Radicalz member as he strolled to the ring looking quite confident about his Championship reign.

The early goings of the match were marred by run-ins from Road Dogg, Perry Saturn and Grand Master Sexay but after Earl Hebner banished all three intruders from the ring, Dean Malenko went to town on the two men and showed them what it is to be the Light-Heavyweight Championship. While the fans may have been expecting a Light-Heavyweight Championship contest to feature high-risk tackle after high-risk takedown, they were instead treated to a masterclass by Malenko that even saw him locking both men in arm bars at the exact same time.

X-Pac and Scotty started brightly and both had early chances to command things but once Dean got going he treated the two challengers and former Champions with dissent as he sent them packing to make sure he kept hold of his belt. X-Pac tried to delight the fans and upset Malenko with some spontaneous planchas while Scotty 2 Hotty was denied from hitting the Worm by Perry Saturn but in the end, Malenko recorded the victory after locking X-Pac in the Texas Cloverleaf.

Following the match, Dean stood smugly on the second rope as he watched his defeated contenders retreat sheepishly to the back.

Overall Rating: 74% | Crowd Reaction: 66% | Match Quality: 83%

An unstoppable pairing?

The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) © def. the Dudley Boys (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships

The Judgment Day ring had the feel of a conveyor belt as Matt Hardy and his young brother, Jeff entertained the World Wrestling Federation fans with a heroic set of performances that will not be long forgotten. Matt and Jeff opened the mammoth gauntlet standing in the ring and watching the entrance way and when the bomb flew across the arena, the whole arena held their breath as Bubba Ray and D-Von strode to the ring as the first opponents.

With the former Tag Team Champions as the initial opponents no-one could be blamed for righting off the chances of the Hardy Boys as they set about their quest but the Dudley Boys came and went as Matt and Jeff really showed they meant business by dominating the pair in the tornado tag rules of the match and isolated D-Von to record the victory.

The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) © def. the Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships

The quick elimination of the Dudley Boys brought Mosh and Thrasher hurtling to the ring as the Headbangers tried to up the pace of the match only to fail miserably. Mosh and Thrasher found themselves lacking in the speed department as Matt and Jeff “out-ran” their opponents to most moves before ending their challenge with matching leg drops on both men to record the dual pinfall.

The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) © def. the Mean Street Posse (Pete Gas & Joey Abs) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships

The spoilt trio of Joey Abs, Pete Gas and Rodney were next the ring but their challenge was over as soon as Pete Gas knocked himself. Trying to shock the waiting Hardy Boys but breaking into a sprint across the ring, Gas found himself trying to tackle fresh air as Jeff Hardy avoided the attack and Pete flew through the second and third rope, smashing his head on the steel steps. That all but knocked Gas unconscious and left Joey Abs by himself against the Hardy Boys, and the Tag Team Champions used the opportunity wisely as they dominated Abs for long-periods, resting as they went; obviously getting their breath back before Matt pinned him with the Twist of Fate.

The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) © def. Kai En Tai (Funaki & TAKA Michinoku) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships

And the pinfall of Abs, brought the Japanese duo Funaki and TAKA Michinoku to the ring. The four men traded some flashy cruiserweight moves in the early goings of the match but the size-advantage possessed by the Hardy Boys was quickly made apparent as Matt and Jeff were able to throw around their opponents before finishing off a second team with matching leg drops.

The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) © def. the A.P.A. (Bradshaw & Farooq) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships

Bradshaw and Farooq were the next pair to the ring and for long periods it seemed as though Matt and Jeff were looking defeat down the barrel as the two bigger men simply punched away at the Champions, using their strength and freshness to seemingly guarantee themselves the belts.

That was until Jeff got his second win. Backed by the crowds, Jeff found himself alone against the two men but somehow he battled through their punches, taking to the top rope on TWO separate occasions to hit matching Swanton Bombs on Bradshaw and Farooq to pull off an unlikely victory.

The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) © def. Edge & Christian to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships

And so the former Champions swarmed to the ring as Jeff Hardy struggled to his feet. Edge and Christian took immediate advantage of the tornado rules by double-teaming the Tag Team Champion who simply refused to stay down. Jeff escaped an Impaler attempt from Christian before managing to get his shoulder up after both men had combined for a roundhouse kick/sweep kick manoeuvre.

And then out of nowhere when it seemed that Jeff was ready to pack it all in, Matt returned from the dead of the outside of the ring. Hardy was like on a mission as he threw Christian from the ring before dismantling Edge with lefts and rights, and then one vicious Twist of Fate. But Matt didn’t go for the three count. Instead he pulled his brother to his feet and with the support of the crowd, Jeff delivered his fourth Swanton Bomb of the contest as Matt made sure that Christian did not interrupt the pinfall.

Dragging Jeff to his feet, the Hardy Boys were handed their WWF Tag Team Belts and the pair could barely stand as they embraced the warm affections of the crowd for their epic achievement.

Overall Rating: 70% | Crowd Reaction: 64% | Match Quality: 77%

Overall Rating: 85% | Crowd Reaction: 76% | Match Quality: 94%

Robbed from becoming Champion

Eddie Guerrero © def. Rikishi, Val Venis & Essa Rios to retain the WWF European Championship

Val Venis was a mere tap of the mat from becoming the WWF European Champion and when he heard the bell ring out he thought he had pulled it off only for Teddy Long to present the belt to the Champion Eddie Guerrero and leave Val absolutely devastated.

The match started brightly for the four men as they tried to establish themselves in the match and the four clashing styles really allowed for an interesting affair as Rikishi used his power and size while Essa Rios was happy to fly through the air and rebound off the ropes for the majority of his affair.

No-one can really stack claim to being the best performer of the match as everyone had their chances to capitalise and in the end it appeared as though Val had taken his with both hands as he locked Essa Rios in a Boston Crab. The Mexican struggled with the hold for a number of seconds but Venis refused to release the hold while behind his back Eddie Guerrero flew through the air with a Frog Splash on Rikishi.

Val heard three slaps of the mat followed by the sound of the bell and immediately thought that Essa had tapped out. Well, that wasn’t exactly what happened. Teddy Long saw the Frog Splash and counted the pinfall for Eddie over Rikishi to give the Champion his belt back and it is needless to say that Val was devastated, dropping to the mat in pure frustration.

Eddie celebrated up the ramp way in sheer delight as Lita consoled Val in the centre of the ring.

Overall Rating: 72% | Crowd Reaction: 73% | Match Quality: 71%

The Crippler... crippled!?

Chris Jericho def. Chris Benoit © to become the NEW WWF Intercontinental Championship

He did it. ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho decided to employ new tactics in his quest for the WWF Intercontinental Championship since Backlash and they finally paid off as Jericho forced Benoit to tap out to his own Crippler Crossface in the centre of the WWF ring.

After making weird disappearances in the build-up to Backlash, Jericho really struggled against Benoit and lost out in a ladder match but as Judgment Day rolled around he simply promised to out-wrestle his enemy and on Sunday it appeared as though he had came good on his promise as he held the Intercontinental Belt high above his head.

The match was the obvious show-stealer of the night as the two well-versed adversaries clashed in the ring, showcasing everything from strong brawling ability to a willingness to put their bodies on the line by taking to the air; and on numerous occasions they had chances to win the match and as Jericho celebrated it was clear that The Crippler was far from happy.

After missing a corner splash on Jericho, Benoit inadvertently squashed the referee into the corner rendering him out of action. Jericho tried to capitalise on Benoit losing his concentration for a second but Benoit reversed the clothesline into an armbar and then locked in the Crippler Crossface.

Jericho eventually tapped out but with no referee to administer the call Benoit was not handed his belt back. Benoit released the hold and went to wake Mike Chioda up and that simply allowed Jericho to catch his breath and rally.

Benoit, happy that Mike was back in the land of the living, turned round straight into Jericho’s own version of the Crossface and The Crippler was unable to resist the move and was forced to tap out and relinquish his Intercontinental Championship. The crowd absolutely raised the roof as Chris Jericho held the Intercontinental Championship close to his chest.

Overall Rating: 98% | Crowd Reaction: 97% | Match Quality: 100%

The Game takes things to the next level

Triple H def. Kane, The Big Show and Kurt Angle to become the #1 contender to the WWF Championship

Triple H managed to turn around what had started out as a bad night for D-Generation X by being named the number one contender to the WWF Championship after a gruelling battle that pushed the former WWF Champion to the limit.

All four men would make more than capable Champions of the WWF and that was clearly evident as all four showed their true talents in the no-disqualification match with The Big Show and Kane dominated from the off. The destructive performances of the two big men seemed to plaster big targets on their backs as Triple H and Kurt Angle showed signs of a small alliance as they worked together to throw Kane from the ring before working over The Big Show’s right knee and eventually the elimination of the biggest superstar in the WWF after Triple H’s Pedigree.

Kurt Angle and HHH sprung into action against each other as The Big Show got over his elimination battling around the ring and they seemed to make the mistake of forgetting about the Big Red Machine. Kane was allowed time to recover and stalk the smaller men as they fought, returning to the ring and thundering both men to the mat with vicious clotheslines before almost taking HHH’s head off with a huge big boot.

And that left Angle stranded. As the Olympic Hero picked himself up he turned straight into the grasp of Kane who nailed Angle with a massive Chokeslam for the second elimination of the match.

And that seemed to give the seven foot monster a huge boost of confidence as he climbed to his feet to meet HHH, but it was the degenerate who claimed the number one Contendership to the top wrestling championship in the world as he battled back from the obvious disadvantages to keep Kane pinned to the floor after using of all things, a chain wrapped around his right fist. Kane fell victim to the Pedigree and didn't have anything left as Triple H struggled to his feet after pulling off an impressive victory.

Overall Rating: 82% | Crowd Reaction: 84% | Match Quality: 79%

Still two Champions

Mankind © and The Rock © fought to a no-contest over the WWF Championship

Only one WWF Champion was able to walk out of Judgment Day under his own power as Mankind sent a message to The Rock but also Triple H as he destroyed the People’s Champion after the two men fought to a no-contest after hitting matching chair shots. The Co-WWF Champions threw everything they had at each other, with both men trying new things in the match that saw Mankind scale to the top rope but sadly miss an elbow drop.

The match started out as a gruelling brawl between two of the best in the business with both battering the other from pillar to post but neither could get any real advantage and that seemed to spur them into doing new and different things. The Rock tried to take the action to the mat while Mankind started to use some speed attacks and take to the air, however after referee Teddy Long took a Rocky fore-arm to the face all hell broke lose. Both men went for weapons and then met in a stand-off in the centre of the ring.

They locked eyes and seemed to try and dare the other into making the first move. But it wasn’t until Long had recovered that the chairs got used as both men hit matching chair shots at the exact same time. Long was forced to call a no-contest, disqualifying both men but that seemed to only kick Mankind into action.

The hardcore legend was far from happy that he had failed to become the single WWF Champion and dragged The Rock from the ring, smashing his head into the guardrail and before tossing his limp body off the stage. Judgement Day went off the air as Mankind flew off the stage, delivering a devastating elbow drop to the People’s Champion to really make his mark despite not claiming victory in the match.

Overall Rating: 89% | Crowd Reaction: 95% | Match Quality: 77%

Show Rating: 80%

[KingofKings24]

Test def. Billy Gunn, Tazz, Stevie Richards, Road Dogg, Perry Saturn, Viscera, Bull Buchanan, Al Snow & Crash Holly to earn a spot in the King of the Ring Tournament

- Overall a good match, for a clusterfuck type thing. Hopefully you can give Test the push I think he was in line to get.

Dean Malenko © def. Scotty 2 Hotty & X-Pac to retain the WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship

- A good light-heavyyweight match, I like how there was interference, but it didn't affect the match at all, I like Malenko keeping the LH title.

Gauntlet Tag

- I like how you did the results, although I would have liked seeing E & C go over.

Eddie Guerrero © def. Rikishi, Val Venis & Essa Rios to retain the WWF European Championship

- Hopefully Val and Eddie can start a program, I liked the finish, something I could really see Eddie being a part of, nice job.

Chris Jericho def. Chris Benoit © to become the NEW WWF Intercontinental Championship

- Interesting, having Y2J using the crossface, I like it, I could see a gimmick match "Can't use your own finisher" lol.

Triple H def. Kane, The Big Show and Kurt Angle to become the #1 contender to the WWF Championship

- I like HHH going over, and Big Show not lol. Hopefully you start getting Angle going, and he can start to become a really big player.

Mankind © and The Rock © fought to a no-contest over the WWF Championship

Good main event, and there was no choice for you to end it in a no contest really, nice booking there. The match was written well as usual.

OVERALL

I liked the PPV, not too short, not too long, a very good show. 8/10 You have a reader here.

[Downward Spiral]

I've been meaning to get around to replying to this since you posted Judgement day. I think I got the vast majority of my predictions wrong which I'm not too upset about since it means your booking is keeping me guessing which can only be a good thing.

- Test going over I liked as I think now is a perfect time to begin pushing him so that he's out of the shadow of his corporation days. I particularly liked the fact he was in there against a whole host of ECW alumni at the end and the end of the friendship between Tazz and Stevie Richards was hinted at and done well. Plus, Test last eliminating Tazz to my mind gives him a huge rub and possibly sets up a nice mini-programme between the two in the future?

- Wow, Malenko was pretty dominant in that match there. And I have to say I liked it, it helps build Dean up and I don't think Scotty or X-Pac can bring the credibility to the title that Malenko can. Plus I've always seen X-Pac as more of a European or possibly Intercontinental title kind of guy so him not winning is a good thing IMO.

- So the Hardyz go through what, 7 teams? Sorry, I just don't buy it as that makes pretty much every other tag team in the WWF look weak IMO. I see what you were trying to do in building up the Hardyz as fighting champions but I think this is the wrong way to do it. For instance, Edge and Christian now look completely weak and if you gave them the next title shot, I really wouldn't give them a chance in hell at winning, and if they did, I just wouldn't buy their victory. To my mind your only option now is to have the Hardyz face a new team that wasn't in that match, or possibly one of the first eliminated, like the Dudleyz.

- Happy to see Eddie's reign continue and a nice ending to the match where Val believed he won it, setting up a nice feud in the process. If Lita doesn't end up becoming Eddie Guerrero's new Mamacita, I may not be too happy though!

- I suppose Jericho needed that win to get his heat back. I'd like to se both men go on to new things now, however.

- The fatal fourway was well thought out, I thought, although I was surprised to see a) HHH win it and b) Big Show get eliminated first. I like the fact that HHH didn't go over clean and it sets up a particularly star-studden KOTR main event which is always a good thing.

- I did not expect this to go to a draw but in the end it makes perfect sense. This allows Mankind's and The Rock's reign to continue building up their animosity, and when you put HHH into the ix, it gives you a fantstic new main event programme with three men who have great chemistry with one anothr and have issues going back over three years. Great decision and a well booked match with both men getting themselves disqualified and Mankind showing he's willing to do anything to destroy the Rock.

All in all a good show. I always feel that Judgement Day is a bit of a transitional show who's principal purpose is to build for the next PPV which at this time was the King of the Ring. This show did that perfectly and despite my gripes about Tag Team turmoil, I did enjoy reading this, and I thought your layout was perfect, clear and easy to read and follow. Well done.

[C-MIL]

I really wasn't crazy about the overabundance of 3+ participant matches at Judgment Day. I'm just not a fan of them in general really. Test's claim of a KOTR spot could've been resolved just as easily with a one-on-one match against any of those opponents. It just felt like you were trying to cram as many people on the card as possible.

Same story with the three-way LHW match, plus the run-ins. Ironically, to me Dean comes off as weaker for having retained the title as he did, not stronger. I'm also confused as to how Saturn was involved with the finish despite being kicked out early on.

The tag gauntlet, however, really accomplished it's goal of establishing the Hardys as strong champions. Of course, beating virtually the entire division in one fell swoop leaves you with some serious decisions to make in regards to the next challengers. Still, six straight tag matches would be a little taxing, just as it was when they actually did it.

I loved the European four-way finish, which is in my mind the only 3+ guy match that lived up to it's billing. I can only hope Eddy/Val is where we're headed, but I love that you decided to take it in that direction.

That Benoit/Jericho match was likely the true selling point of the PPV and it certainly didn't fail to deliver. I somewhat doubt Benoit's loss will mean a move up the card, but I'm holding out hope it does. Jericho using the CrossFace seems to indicate this one isn't done though.

Triple H winning a title match against no definite champion has me cringing at the idea of YET ANOTHER three-way match to come. Of the four, he's definitely the guy that needs to be there though.

The Foley/Rock no-contest, in reality, would've cost the WWF my KOTR PPV dollars. It's a very interesting decision, but now you're entering into your second month with a disputed claim to the title. If ever the far-too-often used "last man standing" match was actually appropriate, it would be here.

Minus the lack of one-on-one matches, which I suppose could be forgiven considering the time period, this is still a most excellent diary, one I hope continues for a long time to come. Regardless of my personal misgiving towards those types of matches, your booking in the Euro four-way proves you can make them meaningful.

Good luck on the road to KOTR. Later.

[DaveKOTW]

Okay so, I have been away for a while so I figured to catch up rather than read everything from scratch, I went threw Judgement day so here are my two cents.

Firstly, despite others not, I did actually enjoy the battle royal although i'm not sure in theory it was the best match to open the card. Throwing in Vis and Billy Gunn was a nice choice and you also seemed to other talent eg Richards and Tazz a deserved push. Test winning this means that he's going to have a lot of pressure on him to win it so he really needs to get at least as far as the Semi Finals but am not sure if he can win it.

Was intruiged to see the continuation of the LHW title feud here between Scotty and Malenko because I kind of remembering the title being on the downer at the time. The match itself wasn't bad but I do agree that Malenko could have looked stronger than he did, plus with GMS around, id have thought Too Cool would be been the main fous.

Big decision to make the Hardyz steam roll through everyone like they did. With Matt and Jeff winning like they did, it makes the rest of the Tag Team division weaker than it should be, especially with Summrslam and the immortal first TLC match just on the horizon. Wouldnt suprise me now to see The Hardyz in a big feud with bigger talents but you need to now give some of the tag teams in the division a bone.

Good 4-way match for the European Title. Val Venis was definately a good worker at the time and he certainly has not been given the due he should have been given. Only good can come out of this.

Benoit/Jericho: These two had a killer feud going on back in the day and was definately one of the reasons I loved that time. Benoit is cold hearted and Jericho, our teen hero, facing off. Great finish to the match with the crossface. I'd like to see the 2/3 fall submissions match or an ultimate submissions match to finish this off.

Triple H winning a title match opportunity - meh, it almost seems as if we're going to head right back where we have been through the whole year. I definately can echo people's feelings though when I say that thankfully, Big Show didnt win. I think the only really viable winner in this match up would have been Kane anyway as Angle wasn't ready to overcome odds so big. KOTR should be pretty solid with the Game up there.

Overall it was a good show with a lot of wrestlers involved. KOTR should be great and I am very intruiged to see who gets the nudge to the Main Event by winning the competition (would be shocked if it was Test) and the big main event. The question is...when do you end this phase and move into Summerslam build up?

KUTGW!

Edited February 19, 2007 by DaveKOTW

[FireDoughnut]

Judgement Day News

-Judgment Day scored a rather impressive initial buy-rate of 1.57. Everyone backstage is said to be very pleased with this score for what was always seen as a transitional Pay-Per-View. Some are a little concerned that King of the Ring will lose the money of pissed-off viewers that paid to see two Champions become one, but hopefully the tournament will recover some of those figures.

-The early plans for King of the Ring was set as Mankind vs. The Rock vs. Triple H inside a steel cage but this has been quickly changed with Mankind and The Rock set to face-off inside the steel one-on-one. Two ideas are battling it out for Triple H for the month with both ending in him facing Kane at King of the Ring. One idea is for the match to determine the number one contendership to the WWF Championship while the other idea sees Kane costing HHH a match for the WWF Belt on RAW is WAR. Officials are still undecided.

-Kurt Angle and The Big Show are very much in a state of limbo right now. Both have got major plans for the end of the year however right now the WWF creative team are struggling to find a place for them. Expect The Big Show to be eliminated from KotR early on by Test or Albert and work a short program with them while Kurt will help to fill out the Intercontinental Championship division once again and may very well challenge Chris Jericho at the Pay-Per-View.

-Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit have been praised by all-comers on their recent feud and the recent praise may see them hot-shotted up the card within the next year. Their feud will finish at Fully Loaded with both men moving on to newer things, and the WWF hope that if either can connect with the crowd in action against someone who is as perfectly suited to them they can very well be a shoe-in for the Royal Rumble.

-The Royal Rumble winner is expected to come from a list of seven or eight names believed to be Steve Austin, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Edge, Val Venis, Kane or Ben Shelton (Shelton Benjamin). Shelton hasn’t even debuted on WWF programming yet but Vince and Shane love his work in OVW and may very well push him to the moon as a complete contrast to the “older generation” of main-eventers. That’s right; Vince is looking to the future. Following the controversy of the 1999 and 2000 winners, Vince McMahon and The Rock, the 2001 Royal Rumble winner will be clean and undisputed and the months leading to Wrestlemania will be all about their “journey.”

-Test and Val Venis are set for greatness. The two men are set to enjoy parallel pushes up the card that should see both men facing off at Survivor Series for the Intercontinental Championship or as team captains. Both are well-liked backstage and are set to be rewarded for their hard work. Current plans will see Val in a program with Eddie Guerrero over the European Championship while Test will work a short program with The Big Show before being “cheated” out of the King of the Ring crown.

-Expect Tazz and Stevie Richards to break up in the next three weeks. Nathaniel (Steven) Regal has got the call to return to the full and active roster and is expected to lead “Steven” Richards in a new faction, The Right to Censor. The feud will see Tazz toned-down and potentially the Hardcore Division changed forever. The feud is expected to run to Survivor Series where we will see Tazz’s team up against the Right to Censor group.

-Too Cool and Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn are the next contenders to the WWF Tag Team Championships. The two teams were not involved in the gauntlet and will fight over the right to challenge the Hardy Boys at King of the Ring while the rest of the tag team division find the credibility that they lost in the Judgment Day match.

-Edge and Christian are set to strike out into the singles divisions. They will initially pad out the European and Light-Heavyweight Divisions as well as competing in the King of the Ring to gauge fan reaction. If it doesn’t work expect to see them as a regular tag team by Summerslam.

-Dean Malenko will hold on to the Light-Heavyweight Championship for some time. There are some discussions about potentially throwing Rikishi into a program with Malenko; however the angle would need the Champion to be a good-guy. However that simply caused Grand Master Sexay to be touted as a future Champion. Following Summerslam we may see another side to Rikishi.

-The Undertaker is set to return at King of the Ring and target Kane. He will be flanked by Mark Henry and Mideon who have been in Ohio Valley recently tagging together. Summerslam will once again see The Undertaker face off with Kane, one-on-one.

-Steve Austin will return at Summerslam on a mission to work out who ran him down. Names floating around include Triple H, Test, The Rock, Rikishi, Chris Jericho and Billy Gunn. The identity is a well-kept secret.

-Billy Gunn and Road Dogg will feud in the coming weeks. If the feud gets people interested it will be prolonged; if not, it will be focused on HeAT.

-A lot more attention will be given to the group of D-Generation X in coming weeks. No-one backstage wants to let the group drift and no-one wants to move away from the grand era of stables that the WWF has passed through. Expect factions to come and go in the next year.

-In recent weeks, Ohio Valley Wrestling has seen two workers try out their new names and gimmicks as they work towards debuts on screen. Shelton Benjamin has been repackaged as Ben Shelton and is currently tagging with Scoot Andrews, who is using the name Andrew Scott. Not exactly original but it works. The black tag team have been praised for their skills and initial rumblings may see them fill the “Virgil-role” with Ted DiBiase when they make it on screen.

-The new Ohio Valley Wrestling Champion is Derrick King. King took the belt from Jason Lee by pinning Joe E. Legend in a triple-threat match. The Hass Brothers of Charlie and Russ remain the OVW Tag Team Champions despite interest from Shelton & Scott as well as the interesting team of The Damaja and The Prototype.

-Vince McMahon ruptured his knee ligaments while training this week. Doctors expect a full recovery in about 16 months which will see McMahon’s plans for appearing at Wrestlemania dashed. McMahon was expected to fight Mankind after both joined the cause of the Right to Censor and Tazz’s “Reign of Extreme” respectively; however this idea has been canned.

-Prediction Results:

nihilist - 3 of 7

Downward Spiral - 1 of 7

slain - 2 of 7

EWR 4.2 - 3 of 7

Guys, you will be PM'd your prize later. If I forget, remind me.

[FireDoughnut]

Champions Roll-Call

as of May 21st, 2000

WWF Champion

Mankind - The Rock

Won on: April 2nd, 2000 - April 30th, 2000

Successful Defences: 1 - 1

Intercontiental Champion

Chris Jerichp

Won on: May 21st, 2000

Successful Defences: 0

Previous Champions

Chris Benoit (April 2nd - May 21st)

European Champion

Eddie Guerrero

Won on: April 10th, 2000

Successful Defences: 5

Previous Champions

Chris Jericho (April 2nd - April 10th)

Tag Team Champions

The Hardy Boys

Jeff Hardy - Matt Hardy

Won on: April 30th, 2000

Successful Defences: 9

Previous Champions

Edge & Christian (April 2nd - April 30th)

Light-Heavyweight Champion

Dean Malenko

Won on: May 1st, 2000

Successful Defences: 2

Previous Champions

Dean Malenko (March 13th - April 20th)

Scotty 2 Hotty (April 20th - May 1st)

Women's Champion

Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley

Won on: March 28th, 2000

Successful Defences: 4

Hardcore Champion

Tazz

Won on: April 30th, 2000

Successful Defences: 1

Previous Champions

Hardcore Holly (April 2nd - April 9th)

The Big Show (April 9th - April 20th)

Tazz (April 20th - April 24th)

Bull Buchanan (April 24th - Aril 30th)

[FireDoughnut]

Monday 21st May 2000

Ted DiBiase has always seen himself as a fair Commissioner. In the brief time that he has ran the World Wrestling Federation he has done things that he has wanted; but also agreed to do things for the wrestlers and in some cases, for the fans. He has given everyone a fair chance to reach the top of the wrestling world and he will continue to do so; as long as everyone plays fair as well.

“The Million Dollar Man” reigned with an iron fist on RAW is WAR, introducing three sanctions on mouthy WWF superstars who stepped out of line during the broadcast. Chris Benoit was the first man to fill his wrath after the Radicals member accused the WWF refereeing team of being biased. “The Crippler” interrupted the “RAW is Jericho” celebration that opened the show, and claimed Jericho’s victory was tainted. Benoit said he was in a position to win the match except the referee didn’t want him to win and instead allowed Jericho to win. However, DiBiase stepped in and removed Benoit’s Championship re-match clause. The Commissioner said that he was disgusted someone would question WWF officials and would therefore be punished. Benoit was pulled out of the King of the Ring tournament and Ted then informed Chris Benoit he would be competing on every show between now and King of the Ring as punishment.

Triple H was the second man on the hit-list of Ted DiBiase as the Commissioner said he was disappointed in “The Game.” HHH had cut an interview early in the show stating that he would be cashing in his WWF Championship at King of the Ring but Ted had other ideas. Ted said he added the “No Disqualification” stipulation to the fatal four way match at Judgment Day to make sure there was no silly count-outs but Triple H exploited the rules in a way he didn’t like. Ted then informed HHH he would be defending his #1 Contendership to the WWF Championship against the man he scorned, Kane.

And the Big Red Machine looked like he had a point to prove after he demolished no less than four men after Triple H and X-Pac stole a victory from The Rock and Mankind. The Co-WWF Champions were forced to pair up by Stephanie McMahon to take on the D-Generation X pair and despite the reformed Rock n Sock Connection performing quite well, it didn’t last as Mankind laid out an unsuspecting Rock with a Double Arm DDT to hand Triple H the pinfall. But as soon as the bell rang out to finish the match Kane hit the ring. A big boot was delivered to X-Pac before he clotheslined Mankind over the top rope. Triple H tried to retreat across the ring but Kane followed thumping him with the Chokeslam before causing The Rock to suffer the same fate. Kane stood over the fallen Triple H and if you could see through his mask, I can pretty much guarantee that he would be smiling.

And the final sanction was handed out to the WWF Tag Team Champions, Matt and Jeff Hardy. The Hardy Boys sad that after their victory at Judgment Day they were happy to call themselves the greatest tag team of all-time. The Hardy Boys announced to the adorning twelve year old girls in the crowd that they would be taking the next month easy as there was no-one in the WWF on their level. Ted DiBiase simply had a message for the Champions. He said first of all that he didn’t like their cocky attitude and then at King of the Ring, he announced that the Hardy Boys would indeed have the chance to be crowned the greatest tag team of all-time as they would face two legends of the ring. “The Million Dollar Man” did not add who their opponents would be, but promised that they would be on RAW is WAR next week.

D-Generation X did not all have the best of nights as Road Dogg went down to Test in a commanding performance by the first man to qualify for the 2000 King of the Ring. Test was on fire as he battled the New Age Outlaw but he needed the help of Billy Gunn to record the victory. Gunn got some revenge on his former partner as he distracted the Dogg allowing Test to thump him with the Testing Neckbreaker for the victory. Gunn and Test stood together in the ring after the victory and then challenged Road Dogg and X-Pac to a tag team match on Smackdown!

RAW is WAR saw possibly the strangest alliance in the history of wrestling being created as the Headbangers duo of Mosh and Thrasher were helped to victory by Goldust. The Golden One helped the duo to victory over Too Cool and the weird trio stood happy in the ring after the match. Rikishi tried to storm the ring but the Weird World Order quickly fled before the 500 pound superstar could get near.

In the first match of the night, Val Venis sent out a message to Eddie Guerrero by defeating Essa Rios. Venis was inspired and really made Rios pay his debts for refusing to tap out last night at Judgment Day. However after the victory, the Radicals used their numbers to take out Venis for one night. After the match, Eddie Guerrero strode confidently to the stage and told Val that if he wanted another shot at the European Championship he would have to earn it. Val told Eddie that he had already earned it by having it robbed from him. Eddie simply shrugged and as he did, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn hit the ring. The duo brutalised Val with a double suplex before laying in the boots. They were set to turn their attention to Lita but Eddie called them off, sure that his message had been sufficiently delivered.

RAW is WAR Results

Val Venis def. Essa Rios

The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher) def. Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty & Grand Master Sexay)

Test def. Road Dogg

Triple H & X-Pac def. The Rock & Mankind

Show Rating: 76%

Edited March 24, 2007 by Flat_Doughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Thursday 25th May 2000

The first Smackdown following Judgment Day was action-packed as it saw basically everyone getting involved in arguments with each other or simply continuing the rivalries they had built up over the previous few weeks.

However, Smackdown opened with Ted DiBiase making his biggest announcement since taking over the reigns as WWF Commissioner. “The Million Dollar Man” remind some of the fans, but actually informed the majority that he was in fact the 1988 winner of the King of the Ring and it gave him great pleasure to confirm that the 2000 King of the Ring tournament will get underway on Monday Night Raw with the opening First Round match. Ted reminded everyone that Test was already through to the second round following his victory on Sunday at Judgment Day and then added that they will be seven qualifying matches to find the seven men to join him in what Ted described as “the most exciting tournament in the world of sport.”

And the announcement seemed to spur others into confirming they were throwing their hats into the ring so to speak, for the King of the Ring. The NEW Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho announced to all the Jericholics that in less than a month he would be crowned the 2000 King of the Ring before being interrupted by Kurt Angle. The Olympic Hero reminded Jericho that he was an Olympic Gold Medallist so he was more than qualified to be the King of the Ring. That only caused the two men to descended in hurling insults at each other; but things didn’t end there as Ted DiBiase strolled to the ring. The WWF Commissioner said he was having difficulty coming up with a strong match-up of stars to get the King of the Ring but there and then he had one. DiBiase booked Kurt Angle versus Chris Jericho one-on-one as the opening King of the Ring, meaning that one of the favourites will be eliminated at the first hurdle.

Jericho’s main rival Chris Benoit started his punishment on Thursday Night Smackdown much to Jericho’s delight. “Y2J” joined Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler on commentary and proceeded to berate “The Crippler” as he fought Val Venis. Jericho said that the tension between the two Chris’ was far from over however, Jericho knew he would have a quiet month ahead as Benoit was being forced to fight on every show that the World Wrestling Federation will be putting out until King of the Ring. The match went very much the way of Benoit as he was helped by his Radical team-mates throughout. Eddie Guerrero got the telling blow as he used his own European Championship to level Val Venis, who has made the European belt his focus for the past few weeks but Benoit got the victory locking in the Crippler Crossface to record the win. The Radicals were set to do more damage on Venis except Chris Jericho chased them off with a steel chair in hand before joining Lita in checking on the grounded and bloody Val Venis.

In the main event of the show the top two matches at King of the Ring combined as Kane and The Rock tagged together against Triple H and Mankind. It was The Big Red Machine and The People’s Champion that started brighter after agreeing early in the show to work together but the momentum swung back and forth with Mankind and Triple H very happy to bend the rules, despite not really trusting each other completely. The match wore on and it seemed as though the KotR opponents would be kept apart as Kane always seemed to be in the ring with Mankind while The Rock faced off with Triple H until The Rock finally got fed up with Mankind‘s cheating and stormed the ring. Cue the D-Generation X interference as X-Pac and Road Dogg dragged The People’s Champion from the ring, isolating Kane. The Big Red Machine fell victim to Triple H’s Pedigree before Mankind dragged him to his feet and then delivered a Double Arm DDT for the victory. Kane lay motionless in the ring and The Rock lay against the guardrail as Mankind celebrated in the centre of the ring with D-Generation X.

And it was all-round a good night for the D-X trio as Road Dogg and X-Pac defeated Test and Billy Gunn in tag team action. Test was very much the star of the show as the King of the Ring entrant dominated the D-X pairing only for Billy to get pinned after his Fame-Asser was countered by Road Dogg into a spinning sit-out Powerbomb. Road Dogg seemed was very, very happy to have finally got a pinfall victory over his former tag team partner.

In other tag team news, Edge and Christian reminded the WWF Tag Team Champions that were still contenders for the belts. After surprising both men backstage with chair shots, Edge dropped to his knees and informed the two men that despite their claims to being “the greatest tag team of all time” Edge and Christian will always be the better tag team having always had a better record against them. Christian said he pitied the Hardy Boys because at King of the Ring they will have egg on their faces when the two legends of the ring destroy them; and when they do, Edge and Christian will be in the front row enjoying every moment of it.

Elsewhere on the show, the WWF probably witnessed the biggest argument of it’s time as the six foot seven Albert stood up to the seven foot three Big Show. Both men were in Ted DiBiase’s office signing up for the King of the Ring tournament when the war of words started. Albert informed the Big Show that his time as the dominant monster was up. Sure, he had been all around but Albert was part of the young blood running through the World Wrestling Federation and that would continue in the King of the Ring. Albert said he hoped to be the man that eliminated the Big Show from the tournament so that he can finally bring "the show" to an end. The Big Show seemed ready to lash out at the cocky youngster however, the Commissioner was on top of things and made sure he filled the room with ten security guards that quickly defused the situation. Despite being dragged away, Albert didn’t blink from the death stare that he shared with The Big Show.

In the opening match of the even, Grand Master Sexay got back to winning ways after the surprise loss to the Headbangers on Monday by overcoming Essa Rios. In a fast-paced match, GMS needed help from Scotty 2 Hotty before hitting the Hip Hop Drop for the victory while the Headbangers were joined by Goldust in announcing to the world that RAW was only the beginning of their success. Goldust, acting as the mouth-piece to the “surprise package of 2000” put everyone in the World Wrestling Federation on notice that the Headbangers are in for a successful year.

However, that wasn’t the strangest thing on Smackdown as Tazz totally severed his ties with Stevie Richards in a backstage attack. With the help of The Dudley Boys who seemed happy to do his bidding, the trio demolished Tazz’s brief tag team partner with baseball bats before allowing Tazz to use his WWF Hardcore Championship to finish the attack. Richards was out completely cold as the new alliance left the scene, obviously happy with the attack that may have injured the former ECW worker.

Smackdown Results

Grand Master Sexay def. Essa Rios

Chris Benoit def. Val Venis

D-Generation X (Road Dogg & X-Pac) def. Billy Gunn & Test

Mankind & Triple H def. Kane & The Rock

Show Rating: 79%

Edited March 23, 2007 by Flat_Doughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Contender Edition

Sunday 28th May 2000

The second ever Contender Edition of Sunday Night HeAT was a really star-studded affair as the WWF superstars seemed to have clicked on to the opportunities that the Ted DiBiase directive can bring them in the following weeks however it started with “The Million Dollar Commissioner” changing one of the matches.

Subject to his punishment of questioning WWF officials, Chris Benoit was set to be involved in a triple threat for a shot at Chris Jericho’s Intercontinental Championship however, DiBiase opened HeAT by changing the match to a handicap match, meaning that whoever from Test or Billy Gunn recorded the pinfall over Benoit would earn the shot at Jericho and the plan worked as Benoit was demolished by the mismatched team. Gunn and Test really went for Benoit and within minutes he had suffered two Fame-Ass-Ers and a damaging Big Boot, before the squabble occurred. Test and Gunn began pushing each other until Test clubbed Gunn on the neck knocking him to the ground, however the multiple tag team champion got the pinfall after low-blowing Test on his way down to guarantee himself a shot at Chris Jericho and the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

The night wasn’t any better for Benoit’s Radical team-mate Eddie Guerrero who sat at the commentary booth with Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly as Val Venis was victorious over The Godfather and D’Lo Brown. Venis was helped out by Chyna, who showed that her simmering feud with The Godfather is far from over as she hit the Pimp Daddy below the belt to allow Venis the opportunity to roll him up for the win. Eddie was not happy after the match, although any complaining he was set to do was cut-off by the icy stare of one very focused Val Venis.

Although it wasn’t all bad for the Radical group as WWF Light-Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko took out his next challenger, Grand Master Sexay. The Too Cool member fought in a high-impact match-up with TAKA Michinoku for the right to face Malenko and finished TAKA off with his Hip Hop Drop before being attacked backstage by Dean and tag team partner Perry Saturn. The Radicals were vicious with their work, knocking GMS to the floor before informing him that his title shot would come twenty-four hours later on RAW is WAR. After delivering the strange, Dean seemed rather happy that his Championship defence should be quite elementary tomorrow night.

In the night’s main event Edge and Christian stole a victory from the Headbangers to guarantee a shot at the WWF Tag Team Champions. Mosh and Thrasher were once again joined by Goldust and the strange duo were the dominant force in a match that also featured former Champions, the A.P.A. and the Dudley Boys. Mosh eliminated Bradshaw after a rotating Spinebuster before Thrasher eliminated Bubba Ray Dudley when he ducked a chair shot and kicked it back into the Dudley’s face. And it seemed as though the Headbangers would take the win when they had both Edge and Christian struggling on the mat only for Edge to low-blow Mosh and then roll him up, grabbing some tights for the steal as Thrasher struggled across the ring to get to him. The former tag team Champions celebrated on the ramp as they retreated, safe in the knowledge they had booked themselves a match with The Hardy Boys.

In the WWF Hardcore Championship contender match, The Big Boss Man faced off with 400-pound Rikishi in a bloody, bloody match. The hardcore veteran tried everything he could to take down Rikishi but the Samoan showed his venomous streak, as he brutalised The Big Boss Man and showed a real willingness to take pain to inflict pain. Even the interfering Bull Buchanan had little effect on Rikishi as he stormed to victory. However, after the win Tazz made his presence felt, knocking Rikishi down. Along with the Dudley Boys, the trio took down Rikishi much like they did to Stevie Richards on Smackdown before allowing Tazz to stand over Rikishi and promise to never let him near the WWF Hardcore Championship.

And in the other match of the evening, D-Generation X’s X-Pac helped his manager Tori to victory over Lita and Trish Stratus. The match was very centred around Lita and Trish which allowed X-Pac and Tori to sneak in and pull off the victory, setting Tori up with the opportunity to face Triple H’s wife Stephanie McMahon at any time before the Contender Edition.

Sunday Night HeAT Results

Val Venis def. The Godfather & D'Lo Brown

Grand Master Sexay def. TAKA Michinoku

Tori def. Lita & Trish Stratus

Rikishi def. The Big Boss Man

Billy Gunn & Test def. Chris Benoit

Edge & Christian def. The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher), The Dudley Boys (Bubba Ray & D-Von), A.P.A. (Bradshaw & Farooq)

Show Rating: 71%

[FireDoughnut]

WWF News and Rumours

21st May - 29th May 2000

-This week was a solid week for the World Wrestling Federation’s television ratings as they comfortably recorded victories over the WCW equivalent shows. RAW is WAR was the biggest winner defeating Nitro 6.55 to 5.61, while Smackdown almost topped the Nitro score with a 5.60 rating compared to Thunder’s 5.13. The weekend shows, used by both as recap magazines as well as for pushing the “lower” talent showed 1.86 for WWF Heat and 1.15 for WCW Saturday Night. Officials backstage are pleased with the lead that the WWF now hold over the WCW; and have prepared a number of big storylines to make sure they stay at the top.

-Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho really enjoyed their segment together on Smackdown, and have expressed their desire to continue the feud. Along with Chris Benoit, the WWF are hoping to capture the magic they had leading into Wrestlemania between the three, however any three person match will be put off for a while. Benoit’s current on-screen punishment is expected to keep him by the sidelines while the pair work a short program.

-Christian has expressed his displeasure at the recent storyline involving Edge and Christian. The pair know who the legends of the ring are that will challenge the Hardy Boys, and feel they will be overshadowed by them, rather than feuding with another tag team in the division. No official has taken any notice as they have long term plans for the tag team that should return the spotlight to them, however some writers were believed to be grumbling about Christian’s attitude.

-Test is believed to have asked for Edge and Christian to be split up, or at least allowed to focus on singles action. Test is very keen to work with Christian in the future. His request is not expected to be granted.

-The Headbangers are very excited about their current push. They have both been in the WWF for a while and aren’t holding their breath on a long push, but they are enjoying their time as a threat. Goldust is relishing the manager role as he heals from a few nagging injuries.

-Everyone backstage were very pleased with the Grand Master Sexay versus Essa Rios match on Smackdown. GMS is seen as the ideal Light-Heavyweight Champion as he can work well with most workers while Dean Malenko has a very strict style. GMS is expected to win the belt soon, and tease a Too Cool break-up, with Scotty 2 Hotty playing the jealous member of the team.

-Essa Rios is expected to hang the division for a long time and pick up a number of reigns. While he will never be the focus of the division, the WWF see him as a strong contender in the weight class and may even reward him with a European Championship reign.

-The World Championship Wrestling Slamboree Pay-Per-View scored a 1.13 rating which is well below WWF’s Judgment Day. Many of the WWF officials were said to “be impressed” with the show that saw Ric Flair crowned the WCW World Champion, defeating Sting with the Figure Four Leg-Lock.

-However the show ended with Sting standing together with three “cloaked” men. The trio were Lance Storm, Sabu and Rob Van Dam who have been signed away from Paul Heyman’s Extreme Championship Wrestling. The trio used the monikers Storm, Lightning and Thunder respectively as Sting introduced his army that will dominate the WCW in the future. Many fans thought that this was the weakest part of the show as few WCW fans are aware of ECW, and those that did felt it was a very odd trio to band together.