Hello everyone and welcome to my new series I'll like to call ‘Back in Time’ where I’m going to past wrestling PPV and storyline etc and see if they still hold up. So that start with a period in time that I’ve always wanted to go back and watch as I’ve heard that this was the best year WWF/E every had creative I’m of course talking about WWF in the 2000s.
So as it is January time that means there is only one place to start and that is Royal Rumble 2000. A little information at the PPV It was held at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 23rd, with an attendance of 19,231 with the legendary commentary team of Jerry 'The King' Lawler and (Good Old JR) Jim Ross.
As a Wiseman once said 'That Get Really to Rumbleeeeeee'.
The audio version of this review.
Kurt Angle vs. Tazz
Story going in
So the story going into this one was that since his debut back in November 1999 against a young Shawn Stasiak, Kurt Angle has been undefeated streak in singles competition for 3 months and was going into this match not knowing who he was going to face.
My Thoughts:
This match will be remembered for two things the debut of Tazz in WWF and was it a sleeper or a choke. Really well-executed match with some really cool suplexes especially that top rope T-bone suplex from Tazz on Angle which was a thing of beauty and really shown why he was called the Human Suplex Machine (Before Brock Lenser did it).
Really liked the seriousness of how they took Angle being choked out (wouldn’t have been a story these days) but overall it was everything that it needed to be with Tazz being established as a badass and Kurt Angle was protected as he wasn't pinned so is streak continues.
What happened after:
This didn’t hurt Kurts as a month later he won the WWF European Championship from Val Venis on an episode of RAW and after feuded with Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship, where they had a match at No Way Out for both belts.
As for Tazz, this is as good as it got, has a couple of months later he returned to ECW to defeat Mike Awesome for the ECW World Title which he loses in 10 days to Tommy Dreamer. Also had a feud with Jerry Lawler at led to a match at Summerslam.
My Verdict:
3 out of 5
The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz in a Tag Team Table Match
Story going in
So on the 17th January edition of Raw, after Jeff beat Bubba Ray in a singles match, the Dudleys attacked them and put both of them thought the table. On the following edition of Smackdown, they tried to do it again, but the Hardys countered it and Jeff hit a Swanton Bomb off the stage on D-Von through a table.
Due to this, the match was set with them being involved in the first Tag Team Table Match at Royal Rumble.
My Thoughts
To today standards this Table match was brutal, It's crazy seeing unprotected chair shot to the head and the way they sound it was awesome but hard to watch at times. For a match that was only 10 minutes long, they crammed a lot in a short space of time, with Bubba Ray going a table only 3 minutes in with a nice leg drop, splash combo by the Hardy’s.
Then it was just people going though table left right and centre, with Bubba Ray putting Matt through a table would an awesome powerbomb from the top only leaving Jeff and D-Von. But the moment that defined this match was the Bubba Ray falling from the balcony (My God that guy can sell haha) through two tables and then Jeff hit a Swanton bomb (senton bomb as JR would say) to put D-von through a table for a win.
Only wish his match were longer and the rules were a bit confusing as it was the first time they did is even the JR and Lawler were confused. I understand why this was fondly remembered and why tag team wrestling so good in the early 2000s.
What happened after:
The feud was only starting with Edge & Christian being added they all fought for the next couple of weeks with multiple people going through tables from Edge & Christian, the Dudleys them, to poor Terri which made the Dudley hated.
But after D-Von beat Edge and Matt to earn a shot at the WWF Tag Team Title they when into a feud with New Age Outlaws and after tense with Hardys and Edge & Christian they feud which led to all these tag teams had matches at No Way Out 2000s
My Verdict:
5 out of 5
Miss Rumble Swimsuit Contest
Story going in
Not really any build going into this one only that they all wanted to win the contest and that Ivory was against it as she thought it was demeaning to women (she was before her time and was right haha)
My Thoughts
I normally skip these segments as they are really bad and Ivory was right it is demeaning to women but I never judge anything for the Moral of today and it was a product of its time. It was a bit funny with Jerry acting like a horny kid and with his wife Kat at the time only two feet away it was a bit weird.
Mae Young flashing her breasts and the big censored sign coming up was funny and the reacting was on point. Mae Young winning just ended a bad segment and they could of put more time in other matches on the card. But hey wrestling was different back in the 2000s and is glad women wrestling is taken more seriously now.
What happened after:
After this, they continued the Mae Young and Mark Henry storyline with Mark Henry going to marry her (This is the weird birth of a hand thing). The Kat and Jacqueline were involved in storyline wit Hervina ( Harvey Wippleman ) where The Kat lose her WWF Women's Championship to Hervina in a Lumberjill Snowbunny match.
But a week later Jacqueline beat Hervina ( Harvey Wippleman ) for the title on Smackdown to become a two-time Women's champion.
My Verdict
1 out of 5
Chris Jericho © vs Chyna © vs Hardcore Holly for the Undisputed WWF Intercontinental Championship
Story going in
After a match between Chyna and Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Title on 30th November edition of Smackdown ended in a draw, the decision was made to make both Chyna and Jericho be co-champions.
This meant they were forced to work together so they can both still be champions. Hardcore Holly challenge both Chyna and Chris Jericho after their one-upmanship cost him the title he wanted to sort this title situation once and for all and the match was set.
My Thoughts
It was abit sloppy and didn’t really get going, but it did have some good moments with springboard crossbody over the top rope by Jericho was pretty cool and liked that Jericho got Chyna out of the way when Holly was swiping the sleep chair which is signs of their future relationship.
Chyna hitting Holly with the chair was a bit weird and she a face right??? And Chyna taking the pin and not Holly was weird as well as Jericho winning with the lionsault which I’ve never seen before. But made the Intercontinental Title whole again.
After looking back at the co-championship the storyline, like most things, wasn’t as bad as people said and had some cool bits with Chyna spreading rumours that Jerchico had fantasised about Tori and Kane attacked Jericho with Chyna laughing.
But I get why people hate it as it devalued the title as a gimmick and not the symbol of excellence it was back in the ’80s and could be said it hasn’t been the same since the attitude era.
What happened after:
Both Jericho and Chyna showing respect to one another and having each other back, this let to feud with Kurt Angle after disrespect Jericho as champion and the match was set for both of them faced off at No Way Out for both titles.
As for Hardcore Holly, he tried two more times to win the Intercontinental Title but failed, and this let to him facing his cousins Crash Holly for the Hardcore title leading up to Wrestlemania 2000s.
My Verdict:
2.5 out of 5
The New Age Outlaws © vs The Acolytes for the WWF Tag Team Championship
Story going in
Pretty straight forward stuff here, with The Acolytes winning a tag team battle royal to get the opportunity to face The New Age Outlaws for the tag team titles. The build was DX trying to take them out, but it didn’t work The New Age Outlaws were playing the chicken shit heels in this one.
My Thoughts
Blink and you miss it, wow what a short match this was only 3 minutes long for a tag team title match that not good enough. This match had everything that was wrong with some of the attitude era, like ref bumps and too many screwy finishes and with the build, they had on this it should have been at least 10 minutes long.
X-Pac getting involved and distracting the Bradshaw so Billy can hit the fameasser on Faarooq to get the quick win and I was like what the point, but I can see why they focused on the other tag teams after this PPV.
What happened after:
So after this match, the New Age Outlaws continue with DX and faced The Dudley Boyz that earn a shot after winning a triple threat match this happened at the next PPV at No Way Out.
As for The Acolytes they got involved with the feud with the Dudley’s, Hardys, and Edge and Christian after turning in to the famous Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) after being hired by the Dudleys.
They would be involved in the match between the Hardys and Edge and Christian at No Way Out after Terri hire them to Protection her after just coming back from getting put through a table by Bubba Ray weeks before.
My Verdict 2 out of 5
Triple H © vs Cactus Jack in a Street Fight for the WWF Championship
Story going in
Where to start with this one, well it started back when after the McMahon-Helmsley era took control of the WWF in late 99 and was making life hell for many wrestlers on the roster like handicapped matches etc. Due to this Mick protest this and was attacking him of a couple of weeks, but by the end of 99, they fired him.
After Triple H won the WWF Title on the first Raw of 2000 against the Big Show, video mocking Mike kept showing up to humiliate him even more. But after a locker room protest lead by The Rock demanding that they rehire Mike Foley and they did.
This lead to Mike requesting a street fight for the title at Royal Rumble which Triple H accepted thinking he will facing just Mike Foley. But due to two pedigrees and a ring bell to the face, this snapped Mike to revert back to his Hardcore Leagad persona Cactus Jack and the match was set.
My Thoughts
The level of blood and brutality in this match was insane and what I believe a match type like this should be. They put everything into this one with head chair shots, announce table breaks, and lots and lots of blood (I mean a lot).
The beginning was with whatever Triple H hits Cactus Jack with like the ring bell it just didn’t affect Cactus which was awesome. Moments like Cactus hitting a leg drop on a place steel chair on Triple H and the announce table counter by Triple H was pretty sweet. Also, don't forget the use the barbed wire two by four both by Triple H and Cactus just added to the chaos. After barbed wire two by four to the face Triple H started bleeding and he looks great in the sense he has been through the wars.
Wouldn’t be a hardcore match without some bag of thumbtacks and when Triple H body drop Cactus on to the thumbtacks, then a second Pedigree onto the thumbtacks for the win, that must have hurt, it was sticking into his skin which was hard to watch (loved it really, maybe I’m really sick in the head hahaha)
I probably missing other moments in the match, but they are so many and I would suggest going back and watch his match, it's everything people have said it is and is so must fun to watch back.
What happened after:
Both of these men continue their feud and led to a match set for the No Way Out with the two as an attempt to finish the blood feud Triple H accept it to take place inside Hell In Cell for the WWF Title but if Mike Forey loses he had to retire for the WWF.
My Verdict: 5 out of 5
30 Men Royal Rumble Match
Story going in
The build was centre around to storyline between the Big Show and The Rock with hated one a once. it started after The Rock guaranteed victory at the Royal Rumble and will beat every Jabroni in the match. The Big Show didn’t take too kindly to that comment and tense build between the two.
To stir the pot Triple H put them in a Tag Team match against the New Age Outlaws, which by the end they come to blows. But after a Triple Threat Over-the-Top-Rope Lumberjack match where Kane eliminated The Big Show with a back body drop to win, Kane was going in as favourite as well as X-Pac who won a match to get the number 30 spot.
My Thoughts
A pretty decent all things considered and did feel we were just treading water until The Rock and Big Show entered and that what happens I guess when you have only one serious winner of the thing, but I have the view of hindsight I can say that.
Some cool things throughout with Rikishi looking strong and eliminated 6 people early on even had time for the famous dance break (Before R-Truth and Carmella hahaha). Also, weird run-ins from people like Kaientai (they kept showing Taka Michinoku getting throw over the top and Jerry love it haha) and Mean Street Posse not once but twice by attacking APA who wasn’t in the Rumble.
The Rumble picked up when The Rock and The Big Show entered and the final four were Big Show, Kane, The Rock, Xpac (If Big Show and Kane were the final four now the internet would go crazy on wait Big Show and Kane 2016 haha), Xpac got lucky as he was thrown over the top rope but the ref didn’t see it.
We got to the final two with Big Show and The Rock the stars of this rumble storyline. But, after a chokeslam by Show it looked like Show was going to win it, but after just about to powerbomb The Rock over the top for the win the rock counted to pull Big Show over the top rope for the win (Only showed one camera angle, so you didn’t see The Rock feet hitting the floor first.
With Austin out for most of 2000, The Rock being the main star made sense and he was on point with most of his promo’s and was great to watch, but without The Rock, this Rumble was ok at best but it did take some time to get going but hey it was entertaining.
What happened after:
The Rock and The Big Show continued their feud over who really won the Royal Rumble, with week after week Big Show trying to prove that he won by getting refs, fans and video to prove his point. Triple H was convinced and the match was set up between The Rock and The Big Show at No Way Out with The Rocks Royal Rumble win on the line.
My Verdict:
3 out of 5
Final Word
The question is does this PPV hold up and the answer to that question is yes, with a couple of duds like the Tag Team Title match and Miss Rumble to name a few which that be honest is the bad side of Attitude Era.
But matches like Kurt Angle vs. Tazz, The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz Table Match, and Triple H vs Cactus Jack in a Street Fight really elevated the whole PPV and overall makes you forget the bad.
If you want to get in the Rumble mood, that I suggest going back and watching this PPV as it really worth a watch again. I hope you have enjoyed the first episode of my Back in Time Series and I’ll be back next month where I look at the next PPV of the 2000s No Way Out. See you then and have a great day.
Final Score:
8 out of 10
Written By
Stuart Irvine
Follow Stuart Irvine
Twitter: @StuartIrvine91
Instagram: @Irvine_Stuart
Follow The Josh and Stu Wrestling Podcast:
Twitter: @Joshandstupod
Instagram: @Thejoshandstuwrestlingpodcast