Since we're about halfway through the calender year, this seems as good a time as any to rant on a pretty interesting show, even if current history doesn't realy build on it. WCW is starting to have a larger backstory than the WWF, with longer running storylines anyway...nevertheless, this show is excellent wrestling-wise.

D-X v. Edge/Christian (WWF Tag Team Championships)

Logic would dictate that it was *Billy Gunn* that made the New Age Outlaws the greatest tag team in WWF history. Road Dogg does his opening promo spiel, and he uses the "Suck it!" gimmick for the very last time. Wow, Debra is heavily medicated as ring announcer. E/C are playing faces from the get go. X-Pac sucks chant starts up, and I hope he gets pushed into a feud with someone like Jericho. X-Pac foes some wrestling work that goes nowhere to start. Edge and X-Pac seem to know each other very well. Spinning heel kick from Edge. D-X needs new ring wear. Dogg in, and Edge gets a rana. Powerslam and ten punch count from Christian, but the Dogg interrupts it by guillotining Christian. X-Pac gets his rolling clothesline and then tosses Christian, and he takes that insane bump he always does. D-X with some heel double teams, and Tori chokes Christian in the corner to set up the Broncobuster. Road Dogg kicks Christian in the back hard, and in response the crowd wonders why the Dogg isn't talented like his brother. Road Dogg answers that call by dragging the match down with restholds. Double crossbody spot (first I've seen) and Edge drops a neat-o flying headbutt. Christian nails a double inverted DDT on D-X, and gets the hot tag. Ranabomb by Edge gets two on X-Pac. Dogg tries for the pump slam, but Edge breaks it up into Christian trying an Impaler, failing and falling prey to the spin kick. Edge finishes the sequence by hitting a spear on Road Dogg. Edge rolls X-Pac up for two. X-Pac gets the X-Factor but the ref's outside, so Christian hits X-Pac with the ring bell for three. X-Pac bleeds to sell the shot. Good ending. ***

Rock enters the building with an open shirt. Who walks around like that?

Scotty 2 Hotty v. Dean Malenko (WWF Light Heavyweight Championship). Scotty gets some offense in early. Nice spot as Scotty goes for the bulldog but Dean just turns and gives him a stiff clothesline. Deano works the leg forever, finally going for a spinning toehold, says J.R., and Scotty rolls him up. Crowd is into Scotty. Dean keeps kicking at the knee, just destroying it. Dean goes for a charge and they both tumble out. Dean gets a superplex, but Scotty gets a backslide for two. Dean tries a Cloverleaf but Scotty small packages for two. Scotty takes a back body drop for two. Malenko tries a powerbomb, but Scotty reverses to the bulldog and the set-up for the Worm. It is a bit disconcerting to see him jump on the injured leg. Malenko schoolboys him but he has his foot on the ropes. A nice sequence leads to a vicious butterfly sit-down ligerbomb for two. Powerslam for two. Malenko flips over and guillotines him on the ropes, and then Deano goes to the top. Scotty crotches him and goes for a superplex but Dean in midair reverses to a *top rope DDT*. Excellent work from both guys, and a great match. ****1/4

I've seen that a few times and BOY does it hold up.

Acolytes v. Bossman/Buchanan. I hate everyone except for Bradshaw. I really don't know where all this praise for Bull is coming from. What is he going to do in the WWF? He can't talk. He doesn't look good. This match is utterly boring, and is in slow-motion. Bradshaw's ass-kicking attitude almost gets it into gear, but the prison guards slow it right down. Hint: When the crowd chants "Bossman sucks" they say it not because Ray Traylor is getting good heel heat, they say it because they never want to see that talentless piece of shit on their television screen again. Just wanted to explain the sentiment. The Acolytes should really just be no-selling everything here. I want Tazz back on television. This match is just unbearable, a total kick and punchfest. Chinlockery ensues. Bossman hits Bradshaw with the nightstick, and Bull gets the axe kick off the top for the pinfall. Really shitty booking decision. DUD

Crash Holly v. Hardcore Holly v. Saturn v. Tazz v. Biff Hardy v. Matt Hardy. I wonder why the Hardyz have been off PPV lately. They should try breaking them up for awhile amicably, letting them strike out on their own (put Matt Hardy in the IC Title hunt, for instance) and then let them return as a tag team. Also, Edge needs to be elevated. I don't know how much longer a 6'5'' guy with the workrate that Edge has can be mired in the midcard. He's a lot more over than Benoit, and yet Benoit has the IC Title. I really can't see why. Not that I'm against it, I just don't understand. Hardcore Holly comes out, notably not over. Saturn drops Crash on his head to start, and then Hardcore powerbombs him. The match descends into a pretty stiff brawl. Tazz whips out a northern lights suplex, because you have to pin Crash. Crash runs down the entry way for some spots on the set. He climbs the metal "superstructure" and Matt Hardy follow. Some really bad camera work makes it hard to see. They all take Crash down, and Matt Hardy hits a bodypress from approximately ten feet up to the floor. Biff Hardy rides the moving superstructure and hits a rana on Saturn. The Lomans hit a low blow legdrop combo, but Tazz starts kicking ass. Hardyz double team him, and then Tazz clotheslines Jeff on a chair. Saturn whips out a submissions move, but Tazz kicks him in the face. Tazz suplexes Crash, and then he hits a nasty lariat on Crash, but Jeff Hardy covers for two. Spinkick by Saturn on Crash. Hardcore suplexes Crash on the floor, and then Saturn hits him in the face off the apron. No one can get a pin. Back in the ring, Crash hits a dropkick on Tazz. Crash sunset flips Saturn. It slows down for a little while, until Hardcore stand on Crash on the ropes, and Saturn comes up and RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEXES him off. That was vicious. Good to see Saturn can spit whip out some ECW spots. Tazz gets a snap suplex on Crash. Then Hardyz hit everyone with cooking sheets. Jeff hits an Arabian facebuster with a cooking sheet, but Matt breaks it up. Biff hits the springboard moonsault. Saturn hits a slingshot splash. Hardcore puts Crash on the top rope and superplexes him off. Enough with the goddamn superplexes already! Saturn gets a brainbuster. Hardcore hits the falcon arrow on the chair, but it gets broken up. I object to that move being called the Hollycaust. I don't really care for the ritualistic execution of Jews in concentration camps to be compared to a wrestling move. It's not funny. It's just stupid. Hardyz bring in the ladder and clean house. Hardcore takes an upside down bump into the ladder. Biff Hardy hits a senton bomb off the ladder after the twist of fate, but they fight over the cover. Tazz whips out a double clothesline and gets the Tazzmission to a huge pop, but Saturn hits Crash with a stop sign, and Hardcore pull him off. Hardyz hit dueling planchas to the outside on Hardcore Holly and Saturn, and Crash turns over on Tazz, who is still knocked out after the stop sign to retain the Hardcore Title. ***3/4 The intensity was just flat-out there for this one. Great stuff from all involved, and incredible timing. You don't really notice it, but Crash takes an INCREDIBLE beating, just getting his ass kicked, and yet somehow ending up more over than before.

Kurt Angle v. The Big Show. Kurt starts off with a promo, which is not very good. Then 'Real American' kicks in and out comes the Showster. Pretty good Hogan impression here, and from a long distance they look alike...except Show is less roided. Showster picks up the mic and sounds EXACTLY like Hogan. Show is just having a ball. Angle beats on Showster, but he hulks-up and no-sells. Bigfoot and legdrop gets two. Angle clips at his knee and works it over, so the crowd chants 'Hogan!' to rally Showster. Show takes off the wig and beats the living hell out of Angle. You know, the WWF should be starting crowd chants that say "Big Show's Gonna Kill You" the way they did for Tazz in ECW. It makes him that much cooler as a bad ass and a certifiable face. Chokeslam finishes it in short order. *

Dudley Boyz v. T & A. Recap segment is fairly useless, as I still have no idea why these teams are fighting, except in that I want to have sex with Trish. Pretty funny pre-interview with Trish and Michael Cole. The fed could really use a few less tag teams and a few more over singles wrestlers. Break up the Hardyz for awhile, I saw. I predict Edge and Christian will hold onto the belts until Summerslam. Pretty much what you'd expect here, with some good work from Bubba Ray. The ballshot-headbutt spot is so over it's sick. Match moves okay when the Duds are in, but Albert is just working sloppy and Test seems to be getting worse. Test hits his powerbomb, and him and D-Von slug it out. Double flapjack from T&A remind me of the Harris Boyz, and that's not food. It gets two. Double team splash (Albert presses Test onto D-Von) gets two. T&A needs to watch some Hart Foundation tapes or something. D-Von gets a swinging neckbreaker variation and goes for the hot tag, but the ref doesn't see it. Albert does that slingshot guillotine for two. Whenever T&A tag in they always hit an elbow or clothesline coming off the ropes to start. It's really annoying. D-Von gets a huge sunset flip off the second rope for two. Albert gets a ligerbomb for two. D-Von gets a superplex, and the crowd chants for tables. So do Trish's breasts. But it's not a table match, so they don't factor them in. Dudleyz get a backbreaker-neckbreaker combo that is NOT 3D and get two. Albert gets his goozle bomb, but Test misses the flying elbow, and BR covers for two. Duds call for 3D, but Bubba gets distracted and Test hits the big boot for the pinfall. ** Picked up near the end, and was probably the right booking decision. I really hated that feud, but I don't know if D-X is any better.

Post-match, Duds hit 3D on Albert and Test and they put Trish through the table. They stretcher her out, all the while J.R. selling it like Owen just dropped from the ceiling. A disconcerting moment.

Eddie Guerrero v. Essa Rios (WWF European Title). Eddie wrestles in a bow tie as a result of his prom skit. Eddie's repackaging has definitely been a plus, and his theme music kicks ass. He'll be way over as a face, very soon. In fact, it looks like most of the Radicals will be turning face except Saturn. Benoit will have to pretty soon, and Malenko could use the change. Jesus, Lita is hot. As this battle of Hispanic men with white women kicks off, Eddie hits an elbow. Essa blows a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but Eddie drops him on his head with a suplex. Yep, Eddie is working heel, as he mindfucks Essa's arm. Essa blows an armdrag spot when he slips, but a sequence lets Rios throw Eddie to the floor. Essa follows with a pescado, but Eddie moves and BULLDOGS his FACE to the floor. Eddie throws him into the steps with authority, and Eddie takes over. He tosses Essa, and Chyna clocks him. Essa gets a dropkick and a top rope missile dropkick for two. Essa applies an ultimate sleeper variation, but Guerrero just jawbreakers out. Eddie ducks a blind charge, and Eddie follows him a slingshot bodypress to the floor. Eddie goes for a powerbomb on the floor, but Essa backdrops him out. In one of the more amazing things I've EVER seen, Essa asais off the second rope, hitting Eddie and landing in a sick manner on the announce table. That was insane. Essa gets a top rope dropkick that sends Eddie flying across the ring to the outside. Essa ups the Holy shit quotient by following with the stiffest, craziest, most motherfucking somersault tope I have ever seen. Wow. Essa goes to the top rope but gets superplexed, which is the move of the goddamn night by the way, for two. Brainbuster sets up splash mountain, but Essa armdrags him to the mat. Essa misses the moonsault to finish, and Eddie hits the holy shit gory special neckbreaker for three. ***3/4 Insane exhibition, neatly held together by Eddie. Boy, the Radicals are just putting on a wrestling clinic in the fed. They make EVERYBODY better. I really think Eddy should hold the belt for six months to build up its credibility. Let somebody chase him.

Chyna gets stripped down to her undies afterwards. I enjoy it, I suppose.

Chris Ben-wa cuts a promo, and it's not half bad. He could use a little fucking EMOTION, but who's to say?

He should start using the catchphrase, "Now I'm gonna cripple you."

Chris Benoit v. Chris Jericho (WWF Intercontinental Title). "Welcome to D.C. is Jericho. And Chris Benoit, you seem awfully insulted that I refer to you as Mr. Roboto, but don't feel bad, because this town is full of expressionless, emotionless, deprogrammed drones...they're called politicians. So tonight, Senator Roboto, I'm going to veto your IC Title reign...I'm going to beat the hell out of a politician, and I'm going to do it tonight." How old is Benoit? Because he has looked young forever. Y2J chants start this vicious melee. Benoit looks at Jericho the wrong way, perhaps suggesting that "You need better muscle definition." They brawl about for awhile, rolling to the outside. Benoit slaps the smirk off Jericho's face. They do a few headlock-leglock takeovers sequences, and then they stare each other down. Pinfall reversal sequence gets a few twos for both men, and a chopfest ensues. Benoit rakes his eyes to take control, but Jericho moves to a drop toehold. Benoit gets one rolling German suplex, then he gets a second...he looks to finish, but ah, Jericho holds onto the ropes. This doesn't so much sit well with the Crippler, so he subsequently BELLY-TO-BACK SUPLEXES HIM OUT OF THE RING, Kane-UT style. Wow. Benoit follows with a tope, but he hits his head. That was sick. That would be the sickest bump of the night hands down. Jericho follows it up, but Benoit retaliates by DROPKICKING THE STEPS into his abdomen. Nice. You can see Lilian Garcia flinch, if you look hard. Inside, Benoit gets two. Coming off the ropes, he attacks the abdomen further by whipping out the Ben-wa knee to the gut. Gutbuster from Benoit. Whip to the corner, and Benoit just kicks Jericho right in the bloody stomach. Not actually bloody, of course. Jericho misses a dropkick and lands on his head, so Benoit slingshots him to the turnbuckle. He follows with a chop and a suplex on the ropes. That gets two. Another knee to the gut, and then Benoit applies the abdominal stretch, and punches him in the gut to make it look painful. Jericho hits the lionsault, but he can't take advantage. He looks legit hurt for a second. That finally gets two. Jericho hits a spinkick and then a bulldog for two. Jericho tries to hurt Benoit with chops. They criss-cross and Jericho rolls Benoit up for two. Suplex on the ropes, and Y2J goes for the springboard dropkick, but he misses it, and Benoit SWATS HIS FEET AWAY AS IF THEY WERE SIMPLY SMALL TOY CAR SIZE MONKEYS ON HIS BACK. Jericho tries a belly-to-back superplex, but Benoit reverses to a bulldog/DDT like maneuver. Excellent. It gets two. Benoit tries for a backslide, but Jericho gets a double powerbomb. Benoit kicks out and in one motion reverses to the crossface. The shit is on, as Benoit wrenches back on it Canadian style. Looking inside his mind, you can see the molecules of Canadian violence culminate into the spontaneous expression of feeling...the Crossface. Jericho makes him break with a foot on the rope, but Benoit simply brings him back to the middle of the ring and continues it. Take that, You Lost Workrate! Jericho fights out, though, and applies a vicious looking walls of Jericho. Benoit breaks, and Jericho misses a jumping clothesline and hits the ref. Benoit clocks him with the belt, wakes the ref, and gets...two. Crowd thought that was the finish. Benoit pulls out the snap suplex on the belt, and goes for the flying headbutt. Jericho blocks with the bell, and it's a ridiculous DQ finish. 1/4* deduction for the finish. Should have been longer, but it was still great. ****1/4 Oddly enough, the match was virtually a Benoit squash, which indicates Jericho was injured or sick. Jericho puts the Walls on the ref afterwards, snapping like Shamrock.

The WWF should really use their living legends better, so that wrestlers can stop wrestling and survive for other reasons that career ending injuries.

I really think they should have done have done the double switch at Judgment Day, and turned Jericho full heel, giving him a main with the Rock in awhile. Okay, that wouldn't have worked.

Whenever I see that belt with HHH, I just want it off him. That's a good heel. I don't know how they'll keep the Helmsley-Maivia feud going, in any case. I guess they could bring out Hell in the Cell, but you like to give time in between so each one is special. How about Kane-UT-Rock at KOTR for the real #1 contender, with HHH defending against Jericho on the undercard and then settle it in a four way in the cell at Summerslam? A thought, at least.

Rock needs to go back to the "Do you smell what the Rock is cookin'?" theme. It's much cooler.

Shane is guest ref for this one, and Vince is in Helmsley's corner.

The Rock v. HHH (WWF Championship Match). WE WANT AUSTIN. Slugfest to start. Elbow from Rock, and HHH goes for the Pedigree, but Rock fights him off. Neckbreaker from HHH to follow, but Rock gets a belly-to-back. HHH throws Rock out of the ring after a charge, and Rock takes a nice bump to the floor, even if he did roll into the announce table belatedly. Now Vince throws Rock into the post. Hey Maivia...no sell! HHH gets two off of that. Wow, J.R. is awful on the mic here. He sounds like Schiavone. High knee gets two. HHH thinks he's wrestling Foley or something here. Vertical suplex and kneedrop get two. And two. And two. Sleeper from HHH. The sleeper goes on FOREVER. Rock FINALLY fights out, and HHH hits a nice lariat for two. HHH tries to 10 punch Rock, but Rock drop down and stunguns him. Double KO spot last seen on the Detroit Raw occurs, and they do a replay of it. You get the idea of what kind of match this is. Vince clocks Rock with belt and that gets two. They do a replay of, get this, the belt shot. AUSTIN chants. Rock hits a clothesline and throws HHH out of the ring. Nice bump. Rock clocks him and drops him on the announce table. Facebuster from HHH in the ring, but Rock gets the DDT to turn the tide. Shane won't count though, so Rock hits him and HHH hits Rock. They all go outside now, and HHH goes for the pedigree on the announce table, taking the monitors out before he tries the spot, so you know the Rock will reverse it. Sure enough a Flair uppercut lets Rock put HHH and Shane through the table with the Rock Bottom. Nice. Back in the ring, Vince hits the Rock retaliates, but HHH gets a ballshot and the pedigree. Ref is laid out, so McMahon calls for the troops: Patterson and Brisco. This gets two, and P&B double team the Rock. I repeat ...no-sell. You don't have to sell for fat old men. HHH beats on the Rock, and the crowd chants for Austin. Vince gets in a chairshot, and Triple H goes for a second pedigree. Wouldn't you know it, Austin's music hits! Triple H goes down to meet him, and Austin decimates everybody with a chair. He kills HHH with chairshots, and leaves. Linda McMahon and Earl Hebner come down, and Linda shoves Steph. HHH charges, but Rock gets the spinebuster and People's Elbow for three. **3/4 More and more, the Netcop's ****1/2 rating for this one seems like the most insane thing I have EVER witnessed. Still an okay match, though. Judgment Day was about ****, I thought.

Rock celebrates with the WWF Title, regaining the title for the first time since he lost it last year to Austin at 'Mania.

Austin comes back out with the destroyed D-X bus, and I still think they should have done a Stunner here. Instead they share a beer. God, I would love to see a heel Austin with that title.

The Bottom Line: There are FOUR matches on this card that hover around **** stars. None of them are classics, to be sure, except Benoit-Jericho, but there is just all around amazing workrate on this card. Best PPV of the year? Well, I hesitate to call it that, just because it didn't feature one of the three around five star matches there have been this year: the two Foley-HHH matches (***** at RR, and ****1/2 at NWO) and the Wrestlemania Ladder Match (a clean *****). The Royal Rumble had a few better *event* matches, but a Rumble that is just okay drags that show down. I'd side with this PPV so far, especially with its plurality of one on one matches.