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WWF MOST MEMORABLE MATCHES OF 2000

On a tape-buying mission from above today (12.28.00), I came across this one and looked at the back. With it having four matches I'd never seen, some from tapes that I didn't wanna pay the full $24.99-$39.99 for, I decided to plunk down the $9.99 for five matches. My gosh, Beaver, it was worth it.

  • Jonathan Coachman is our in-studio host, and says this is a tape full of the five greatest matches of 2000 in their opinion. Coachman sucks somethin' fierce.

  • World Title Streetfight - Royal Rumble (01.23.00): Triple H [champion] vs. Cactus Jack

    Staredown, and HHH looks positively frightened of Cactus Jack, who opens up with right hands to start. Buckle smashes from both, and HHH gets some rights in. Forearm floors the champ. Cactus with a series of right hands in the corner, and Triple H bails, only to be followed and receive a swinging neckbreaker on the floor. JR keeps calling Cactus Jack "Mankind." Triple H comes in, but gets a legdrop across the back of his head on the way in, and rolls back out. Jack keeps going until HHH blasts him with the ring bell. JR says he might be dead. Seeing how far this match would go shows just how ridiculous that statement was for that. HHH gets in with a chair, and dares Cactus to come after him. Of course, "Dumb" Mick Foley does and gets pasted. Cactus is back up as HHH goes to pull the turnbuckle pad off, and hits Hunter with a clothesline. Cactus places the chair on Triple H's head, and drops a leg on it for a two count. Cactus with big rights to keep HHH reeling, then a boot to the side of the face to send Helmsley bailing once again. Triple H comes back with a forearm shot and some righthands, then charges Cactus at the security wall, only to get backdropped over. Brawl in the crowd now at MSG, and it goes to the entranceway. Triple H is sent into a stack of bricks, and sets up some wooden pallets. Snap suplex onto them, and they just don't budge. Lord. Garbage can shot, and Hunter does the slo-mo fall to the knees sell. Whips into more of the set, then he gets his head smacked into a large aluminum trick wall over and over and over again. "Fo-ley" chant goes up as we head back to the ring. HHH gets a suplex out of nowhere onto a trash can, and both men are down in the entranceway. HHH pulls Jack up, and gets more rights in, but Cactus fires right back. Stiff rights from Foley, and he gets some steam, running and driving his knee into Triple H's head against the steel ring steps. HHH rolled back in, and Cactus searches under the ring...locating a board wrapped in barbed wire. Big pop for that. Hebner tries to stop this insanity, and manages to give Triple H the opening to hit Jack in the balls and steal the board. Shots to the gut and the spine, and back to the gut and then the spine again as it gets hung up on Foley's shirt.

    HHH winds up again, but Jack counters with a right to the gut, and gets a low blow with the 2x4. Double-arm DDT after the Earl Hebner tosses the board out of the ring, and the Spanish announce team steals it and hides it in a sombrero. Part of that is true. Hebner finally, you know, PAYS ATTENTION to the match, and Jack gets two. Cactus questions Hebner about the board, and he goes to the Spanish table and punches one of the announcers, then gets it back. Hebner wants to stop him again, and HHH charges. Ref gets sandwiched, and HHH takes the board shot to the face. My God. Elbowdrop with the barbed wire. One, two, no. HHH has bladed, and it's just gushing out of his scalp. Another shot to the forehead. HHH tries to bail again, but gets the barbed wire scraped against his face some more. Helmsley sells like some sort of God-like figurine and goes to the floor. Cactus pounds away with right hands to the wound, which has become a true vein-tapper by this point, covering Triple H's face in blood. Some may call it a crimson mask. Jack gets HHHH up on the announce table, and he goes to piledrive him through, but the champ blocks. Backdrop from Helmsley, and the table no-sells the bump at first. This is wild. HHH has a nasty puncture wound in his calf, too. Back in, and Triple H is on the advantage now. Right hands to the corner as we get a closeup of HHH's leg owie. Hunter goes for the pedigree, but Jack sweeps the legs and slingshots him into the corner. HHH gets driven down face-first into the barbed wire again, and Cactus gets another two count. Jack runs at HHH against the ropes, and a clothesline sends them both down to the ringside area.

    Cactus runs at Hunter again, but gets caught with a hiptoss knee-first into the steps, then gets whipped back into them. My God, that was brutal. HHH in first, and chop blocks Cactus' knee as he comes back into the ring. HHH pounds the knee with the barbed wire board, and then heads outside again, where he takes handcuffs from Howard Finkel. Howard Finkel, supplier of handcuffs? Jack has one on his right wrist, but gets some right hands in before HHH can lock them up, only to get taken down and have Triple H get them on all the way. Right hands from Triple H, then he heads out once again. Cactus pulls himself up, and HHH puts the steps inside. Jack catches Triple H coming with a toe-hold, sending HHH crashing face-first into the steps he was holding above his head. Then the great line from Lawler: "He just threw his entire body weight into the testicles of the Game!" Cactus bites away at HHH's ear, but Hunter hits a lariat to put him back down. Triple H grabs the chair, and lays into Cactus, breaking part of it off on the first shot and sending it flying into the aisle on the second one. Cactus heads up the aisle, but HHH follows and hits another chairshot. Foley, from his knees, dares HHH to hit him again, when suddenly, The Rock comes out of nowhere and cracks Triple H with a steel chair and leaves. A police officer unlocks Cactus Jack's handcuffs, and JR calls him "Mankind" some more, which is really getting on my nerves. Both men are equal again, and Cactus gets some right hands. Now we head to the Spanish table, and this time Jack's piledriver goes through, with the table AGAIN no-selling. The tables are working stiff tonight. HHH sent back into the ring, and Cactus searches under the ring again.

    Thumbtacks. A big fucking bag of thumbtacks. Stephanie races out from the back, pleading for Hebner to stop this. Cactus runs, but gets backdropped onto the tacks. Good Lord almighty. Kick, pedigree! One, two, NO! MY GOD WHAT A POP! Stephanie is in absolute disbelief. HHH is fucking livid and questions Hebner's counting procedure. HHH catches Jack right away again, and pedigrees him HARD onto the thumbtacks! One, two, three! at 26'51". What a fucking brutal match. Absolutely amazing. ****3/4 A stretcher team takes Hunter up the aisle and to the back, but Cactus Jack goes after them, and wheels him back to the ring. Refs try to sustain Jack by talking and shaking their hands at him, but he gets another shot in with the barbed wire as Stephanie looks on in horror. Cactus' music plays as we are left to ponder them fighting another day, which they would, of course.

  • Intercontinental and European Title Two-Fall Triple Threat Match - Wrestlemania 2000 (04.02.00): Kurt Angle [champion and champion] vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

    First fall for the Intercontinental title, for whatever reason. Benoit attacks Angle on the floor as he disgolds. In the ring now, Jericho puts Angle down with a clothesline and drives Benoit to the corner. Back elbow for Angle as Jericho stays in control until Benoit hits a chop in the corner. Jericho flips out of a back suplex and dropkicks Benoit out, then gives Angle one too. Jericho for the springboard dropkick, but Benoit puts a stop to it. Benoit and Kurt fight on the apron, and Jericho gets the springboard dropkick onto Benoit, sending him into Angle. Fight on the floor, and Jericho is sent to the steps. Angle and Y2J back in, belly-to-belly, two count for Kurt Angle. Benoit gets two on something, and then the Canadian Chrises trade chops. Double-underhook backbreaker from Jericho on Angle, and he goes up top, only to be pushed off by Benoit to the outside, where he hits the Spanish table face-first. Snap suplex on Angle gets two for Benoit. Back suplex for another two. Jericho sneaks up from behind in the ring with another dropkick for Benoit, then off the second rope with a dropkick for Angle. Does Jericho plan to do anything BUT dropkicks in this match? A couple more near-falls, and angle and Jericho slug it out. Hairpull bulldog from Jericho, one, two, no. Benoit with some horrific chops on Jericho, but Angle catches him with a back suplex for a two count. Camel clutch from Jericho on Benoit as Angle is on the floor, but it's broken as Kurt comes in. Trade of Angle-Jericho stuff, and Angle gets a reverse tiger suplex for a two count. Benoit cradles down onto Jericho on a sunset flip attempt, but Angle breaks it with a dropkick. Crossface chickenwing from Angle on Jericho with Benoit out on the floor. Jericho refuses to give, and Benoit hits* (*means misses) a dropkick to Angle's face to break it. I think I've seen enough dropkicks. Benoit tosses Angle into the front row of the crowd, climbs up top, and hits the swandive on Jericho to win the Intercontinental championship at 07'59".

    Benoit stays on the pin and gets two until Angle breaks. Scoop slam from Angle, and he heads up top for a moonsault, only to get caught by Jericho. Jericho hooks Angle, but Benoit hooks Jericho and hits a back superplex. Angle misses his moonsault attempt on Benoit, and all three men are down and out. Angle rolls over and drapes an arm on Benoit's chest for two. Jericho covers Angle for two. Jericho catches Angle, and hooks the Walls of Jericho in, only to have Benoit nail him with a lariat. Kneelift off the ropes, and Benoit stomps away as Kurt Angle regroups. Angle from behind with right hands, then another scoop slam, and now some punches for Jericho. Forearm shot puts Angle down, and Jericho nails Benoit with a spinning heel kick. Benoit bails, and here's the double powerbomb, but he leaves the pin when he sees Benoit. Benoit gets him, and hits three German suplexes into a bridge for a long two count. Benoit with a sloppy dragon suplex on Angle for an awkward two count, with Angle's shoulder not down. Angle ducks low with Jericho heading in, and Tim White is put out with a Jericho flying forearm. Jericho turns around, and is caught in the crippler crossface. Jericho now gets Benoit in the Walls of Jericho, and Angle brings in one of the belts to break it up with a shot to the cranium for Y2J. Angle gets a two count, and Benoit pulls Jericho out from the pin. Trade of right hands in the ring from Angle and Benoit, then a back suplex. Benoit up top, but the swandive misses this time around. Lionsault from Jericho! One, two, three at 05'49", giving Chris Jericho the European championship that he would lose to Eddy Guerrero one night later. Angle is very upset that he lost both titles without ever being defeated. You know, this match is quite overrated. For there being two guys with so much experience working long matches (and this wasn't even all that long), you'd think they could pull out less than 87 dropkicks in one match. Match was just pretty good, nothing spectacular at all. ***

  • Last Man Standing - Fully Loaded (07.23.00): Triple H vs. Chris Jericho

    Brawl to start this one, with Jericho getting rapid fire kicks and punches in the corner. Triple H reverses a whip, but Jericho storms out with a lariat. Clothesline sends HHH to the floor, but he's coming back. There's the springboard dropkick now. Now we're going to town on the floor, and HHH finally gets some shots in. Mike Cioda counts at these two modern day gladiators for whatever reason. Jericho to the top, and he gets a Tennessee Jawjacker. Tracey Smothers style, baby! Knee-to-face buster from HHH, and Jericho is knocked to the floor. Jericho is guillotined onto the security wall, and then sent crashing stomach-first onto the steps. HHH rips some of the tape from Jericho's ribs, and drives his knee down into them. Shoulderblocks in the corner into the ribs now, very Nash-like (i.e calculated, which is wrestling-announcer talk for "slow"). Stephanie smiles as she approves of Triple H being so "calculated." The rest of Jericho's tape ribs sans one strand is torn off by Triple H, who uses the gauze wrap to choke. It's stretchy, how effective would that be? I'm sorry, that's taking analyzation too far, I know. Kneedrop to the back, and HHH keeps hammering away. Jericho sent to the floor, and Stephanie gets some weak-ass slaps in. "Okay, ya made yer point Mrs. Helmsley!" sayeth Jim. I agree, JR, don't worry. I'm in the boat with you, pal. Vertical suplex on the concrete in the aisle, and then the Helmsleys share a kiss. Awwww. Kodak moment. Anyway, back in hte ring, and here comes Jericho's babyface fighting spirit, only to be locked into the abdominal stretch. Seeing the announcers sell the abdominal stretch as the most painful submission hold ever just this one time is tremendous. Jericho fights out and hiptosses HHH over. Hunter gets right back up and shoves the ref, and Jericho takes advantage of the distracted Helmsley with a spinning heel kick. Helmsley scurries into position for the Lionsault, and gets his knees up to punish the ribs some more. Both men up now, and Hunter gets a DDT. Here's the first ten-count attempt in the match that matters, and we get to seven before Jericho gets to his feet. Sleeperhold from Helmsley, and he even scissors the ribs. Wonderful. The Helmsleys get in another smooch as another count is attempted with Jericho out of it. JR implores him to stay down, but he comes back up at nine. Jericho stumbles around and goads HHH in, getting floored by single rights two times, only to crawl back up again. Jericho with a crotch chop of all things, and that pissed HHH off real good, Cletus. Pedigree, and Jericho's down again.

    Triple H lays on the top rope, but gets off when he sees Jericho stirring, and gets pissed off. HHH goes out and gets a chair, and takes it to Y2J some more. This is one hellacious beating. HHH sets up for a pedigree on the chair, but Mike Cioda stops him, and then gets shoved on his keister, meister. Jericho with a low blow, and then a chair shot to a big pop. Triple H has tapped a vein again. Both men struggle back up at eight, and Jericho lays in with two roundhouse rights. HHH gets a right, but Jericho lariats to put him down. Flying forearm from Chris Jericho, and the crowd is completely sucked in by this one now. Boot up in the corner, and Jerciho hits a missile dropkick. Jericho sets the chair, and bulldogs Triple H down onto it. Blood-soaked HHH is down as Jericho gets a grin on his face, and stupidly breaks the count by stomping. HHH bails, and Jericho gives chase. Jericho sent into the steps again, and both men are back down. HHH pushes the top portion of the steps off, and sets up for a pedigree on the remaining section, but Jericho backdrops to counter. They hit each other with dueling monitor shots, and both are back down again. Steph makes wretchedly stupid faces as she watches on in shock. Count to nine...both men are up and headed back in. HHH goes for the pedigree again, but Jericho counters into the Walls of Jericho, and Triple H taps out. Problem is that that doesn't matter in this match. Stephanie breaks it up, and gets locked in the hold to a big pop! HHH with a clothesline to the back of the head to stop that foolishness. HHH pulls out the sledgehammer from under the ring, and takes a wild swing, connecting with the ringpost rather than Jericho's skull. Jericho with a slingshot, sending HHH into the ringpost, too, and he grabs the sledgehammer. Gutshot with the hammer, and HHH falls onto the announce table. Jericho gets on the other one, but HHH cuts him off and hits a back suplex from the Spanish to English announce table. Lawday. Both men out of it, of course. The count is on. HHH starts stirring, and makes it to his feet at nine, with Jericho staying down, to get the victory at 21'47". ****1/2 Brutal match, by far Jericho's best in the WWF not involving Chris Benoit.

  • World Title Match - Fully Loaded (07.23.00): The Rock [champion] vs. Chris Benoit

    Benoit is accompanied by his short-lived business partner, Shane McMahon, and wears Rock's shirt that he tore up. Shane has Rock's sunglasses on. The title can change hands on a disqualification in this one, as dictated by Commish Foley. Shane gets spotted in the ring by Rocky, and Benoit attacks from behind. Back elbow puts the challenger down, and he bails to the floor. Rock smashes Benoit into the steps, and chases Shane. Through the ring, and Benoit is put down with a lariat on the run-through. Another chase, and this time Benoit is caught with an atomic drop. Shane sent to the floor from the apron, and Rock gets a two count. Rocky goes for the crossface but Benoit gets away and hits the floor. Gutbuster from Benoit back in, and we go from one chant fluidly right into another; from "Shane's a puss-e" to "Rock-e." And now we're at "Ben-wah sucks." Benoit stays on the advantage and gets a two count from somethingorother. JR calls it the first near-fall of this contest. You foolish fat man! NYAHHHH! Rock drapes Benoit over the top rope with a front suplex, and gets a Tajiri-like kick. Benoit up top, gets crotched, and there's a back superplex from Rocky. Shane tosses the belt in, and distracts the referee to allow Benoit to get a shot in for a long two. Snap suplex takes Rocky over, and gets another two count. Benoit stays in control until Rock gets a nice powerslam for another near-fall. Another Benoit suplex, and here's the sharpshooter. Fabulous. Rock hardly sells it at all and gets the ropes. Benoit slams the knee to the mat to stay in control, and goes back for the sharpshooter, but Rock punches him away. Hard rights from Rock, and Benoit sends him to the ropes, where Shane pulls the ropes and sends Rocky a-tumbling. Rock reverses a whip on the floor, and sends Chris crashing to the steps. Rock gets Benoit up, and crotches him on the ringpost. JR is surprised that Earl Hebner is letting this continue. Back in, and Rock gets the dragon screw legwhip and a figure-four leglock hooked on. Shane keeps Hebner occupied, and Benoit gets out of the hold. Rock sent to the floor, but Hebner stops Benoit from following, which allows Shane to hit a stiff clothesline. Benoit gets by menacing Earl now, and we're going into the crowd.

    Not much happens out there, and Benoit comes back over and suplexes Rock from the other side. Reverse neckbreaker inside gets two, and now we trade right hands. Benoit wins, but Rock ducks a clothesline and gets him up into powerbomb position, dropping him back across the ropes. One, two, foot on the ropes. Benoit with a clothesline, one, two, no. Suplex, and up goes the Crippler. Swandive headbutt connects, but Benoit has knocked himself a bit loopy. Two count for Benoit, eventually, but Rock gets up. Now they hug. Awwww. Another Fully Loaded Kodak moment. Roundhouse rights from Rocky, and then he reverses a whip. Spinebuster, and Oh-Em-Gee! Here it comes! The crowd gets giddier than homeless folks after too much soup, and the People's Elbow connects! Cover, Hebner is distracted by Shane. It gets two when Earl pays attention. Up top now...superplex from Benoit! Both men down now. Both up, and Benoit stays in control. Benoit fetches him a chair, but Rock gets rid of it. Shane from behind with a chair shot for Earl Hebner, who is reprimanding Benoit. Rock grabs a chair, scares Shane, and locks on the crippler crossface! Benoit taps out, but there's no ref. Hebner comes to, and calls for the bell at 17'25". The announcement comes over, and the winner by disqualification...and NEW champion is Chris Benoit! The crowd boos and JR points out that Hebner must think Rock hit him with the chair, since what he saw was Rock chasing Shane with a chair. Shane comes in and pastes Rock with a chair, for which Rocky blades. Benoit and Shane walk to the back, but here's the Commissioner.

    Foley talks about saying the title could change via DQ, but there *was* no DQ, to the match must restart. Rock makes the "bring it" hand motion, and Benoit comes back. Trade of rights, which Rock wins, but Benoit gets the rolling Germans, all three, for a long two count. Big "Rock-e" chant goes up now, as Benoit pummels him. Crippler crossface locked on very briefly, but Rock was right by the ropes and gets them. So, dickishly, Benoit pulls him to the middle of the ring and locks it on. Rock drags Benoit to the ropes, and gets there. People bitch that that's no-selling, but it seems to me that a guy who's 6'5" and weighs about 275 could likely drag 5'10" Chris Benoit. Benoit goes for it again standing, but Rock hits the Rock Bottom! Three count at 02'17"! (total match time: 19'42") ****1/2 Great match, one of Rock's best.

  • World Tag Team Title Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match - SummerSlam (08.27.00): Edge & Christian [champions] vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz

    The Hardyz are just huge over and are completely amped up here in North Carlahna. Matt and Jeff grab the chairs immediately and go to work, with Matt flinging one at Buh Buh's head, and then Buh Buh taking one from an Air Sabu. Christian springs off one with a Stinger splash, and D-Von is toe-holded down into it. Edge brings one of the smaller ladders in now, and charges at Buh Buh, who flings it back at him. DDT for Christian. Buh Buh sets it up, but we quickly learn that this ladder is too short. The Hardyz get a double powerbomb on Buh Buh from the ladder, whose leg was hung up in the rungs. Ouch. King officially picks the Hardy Boyz. Edge with a double Russian legsweep from the ladder on D-Von and Matt. Buh Buh and Christian on the two ladders now, and Buh Buh hits the full nelson bomb off of them! God DAMN! Jeff heads up, and Matt sets up a ladder in the corner on an open ladder. Edge shoves Jeff off, who hits the balancing ladder, springing it up into Matt's face. Holy shit, that was ugly. Con-chair-to misses, but Buh Buh gets a ladder shot to the Canadians, and Christian takes the wassup headbutt from the ladder. Last Rites are administered. D-VON! GET THE TABLES!!! Good God, we're only five minutes in. D-Von fetches a table, of course. Christian gets to his feet, and quickly takes the 3D through the table to a huge pop! Now Buh Buh decides they need two more tables. Two tables are already set up outside, and now they stack two more on there. A dual double-decker. Buh Buh Ray grabs Jeff, but Edge gets both Dudleyz with some brutal chairshots. Matt with the twist of fate on Edge, and then he climbs up the ladder. Flying legdrop from the middle, and now here comes Jeff up the side. He slingshots himself over from the top rope and hits his own flying legdrop. My God, this is fucking wild. A ladder is set up by Matt, and the leg gets broken with Edge sandwiched in it. Matt catches Christian up top, and tosses him off onto Edge! Oh Lord...

    The giant ladder is set up outside, and Buh Buh is on a table. Guess which lunatic goes up? Yep, it's Jeff, and he swantons off, but Buh Buh dodges. Jeff Hardy is an absolute fucking psychopath. He's dead. Matt sets up the twenty-footer in the ring, and climbs for the belts. Edge with a chairshot outside on Buh Buh. Christian heads up under Matt, and D-Von climbs the other side, followed by Edge. Christian with a hellacious reverse DDT from the ladder, and Edge takes D-Von off and hotshots him. Buh Buh Ray stumbles into the ring, the only man standing. He heads up the ladder, and gets there, but Edge tips him over to the outside over the top rope through the four tables!!! MY FUCKING GOD!!! Un-motherfucking-real. One of the tables didn't break, too. Edge and Christian climb the ladder, and here's Lita. She tips it over and crotches them on the top rope. She calls for Matt to get up, and he struggles to his feet. Matt climbs, and D-Von shoves HIM to the outside backward through two tables! JESUS H. CHRIST. Edge spears Lita! Awesome. JR damns Edge, but I still say that stupid Lita shouldn't get out here if everyone's to be damned for attacking her after she interferes. Jeff and D-Von scale the ladder in the ring now, and we know where this leads. They grab at the belts, and the ladder falls with both hanging on the hooks. The fear in the crowd is just amazing. D-Von falls HARD, and then the champs knock Jeff off with a small ladder to huge heel heat and a sick bump from Jeff. Edge and Christian climb...and grab the belts at 14'19" to retain. Ho. Lee. She. It. That was the f'n MOTHER of all spotfests. It will be hard for anyone to ever top that. Nothing blown in a match that was over 14 minutes of spots. How unreal is that? *****, no doubt about it.

  • Coach wishes us all farwell.

    Final Thoughts:

    Outside of not understanding the inclusion of the completely overshadowed three-way from Wrestlemania, this is an awesome, awesome tape to own. Especially if you don't want to pay $34.99 for SummerSlam or $24.99 for Fully Loaded. With that said, I'd certainly reccommend picking this puppy up for that $9.99. It's definitely worth it.

    Scott Christ
    Rant Central

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