World Wrestling Federation – King Of The Ring 2000 – June 25th 2000
I miss KOTR as a ppv. Looking at the success of something like the G1 Climax in New Japan (albeit the concept is slightly different), I do think there is a market for a high profile annual tournament in a major promotion to be broadcast on pay-per-view. Sadly, it was KOTR tournaments like this one that wound up putting the nail in the coffin for this event by 2003. That’s pretty weird because, when you look at the field this evening, it’s actually decent. You have great workers like Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. You’ve got Val Venis who everyone always says is a solid hand. Rikishi has had a terrific year so far and is massively popular. Crash Holly has a fun, zany underdog gimmick and Bull Buchanan (at this point) seemed like a really bright prospect. How could WWF book those guys to go wrong? The rest of the card is a bit of a random assortment. Triple H defends the WWF Title in a 6-Man Tag main event, D-X face the Dudleyz in a ‘Handicap Table Dumpster Match’, there’s a four-way Tag Title Match…and the Hardcore Title on the line in an Evening Gown Match. Welcome to the Attitude Era folks. JR and The King are in Boston, MA.
Rikishi vs Chris Benoit
This is rematch from the preceding Smackdown broadcast, which saw Rikishi beat Benoit to become the new Intercontinental Champion. The Wolverine struck during the Samoan’s celebrations to injure his shoulder with the Crippler Crossface and will be looking to avenge his title loss on the way to becoming the 2000 KOTR.
Benoit’s intentions are instantly made clear as he stomps into the ring and tears into Rikishi with chops and kicks. A Samoan drop kicks him at bay, with the new champ’s mass proving an immediate issue for the previous title holder. NECK DROP GERMAN by Benoit! He starts kicking at the shoulder he injured on Smackdown then locks in a standing chinlock with the arm captured too. Crippler Crossface applied but it’s too close to the ropes and his big opponent manages to roll into them. Apparently furious at that, Benoit grabs a chair and lays waste to Rikishi with it. He is DQ’d at 03:24
Rating - * - No, I really can’t help explain this booking either. Benoit was hot at this point, having come in as a major recruit from WCW and then tearing it up with Jericho in their feud. I honestly can’t explain why they put Rikishi over him in less than four minutes, and certainly can’t rationalise why they felt the need to book him like a plank and get himself disqualified. The Rikishi push isn’t without it’s merits (pretty much since Royal Rumble 2000, fans were getting so into him, and he’d been backing it up with a number of decent in-ring showings). But Rikishi over Benoit? Really?
Rikishi has advanced in the tournament, but he doesn’t look like a winner as Benoit locks in the Crippler Crossface again and refuses to let go
The McMahon-Helmsley locker room is a tense one as they prepare for the main event. HHH begs Vince not to let his wife Linda rile him up…to which Vince retorts that he is ‘Joe Cool’ tonight…
Eddie Guerrero vs Val Venis
This is the second KOTR Quarter Final, and it should be an interesting one as the two well-known ladies men lock horns. And they also have notorious females in their corner to back them up. Latino Heat, of course, has Chyna by his side (despite beating her earlier in the tournament), whilst the Big Valbowski has Trish Stratus with him.
Venis is bigger than Eddie, and he proves it by tossing him around with ease and putting the boots to him in the corner. Guerrero uses his speed and sets up for monkey flip before rolling it to send Val to the floor. It doesn’t look like pursuing Val was a great idea though, as he muscles Eddie up for a press slam against the rails. Superplex from Guerrero, but having absorbed the majority of the early offence the European Champion has a hard time getting up from that. Mexican surfboard locked in then converted to a dragon sleeper. Eddie is clearly trying to pick apart Venis’ back, delivering a running dropkick to it in the corner. Val pancakes him into the mat but is slow to recover. When he does, he takes a page out of Eddie’s book and delivers a backbreaker for 2. Back suplex from Guerrero, and with that he thinks it’s time for the Frog Spash. That misses though, with Venis popping up to deliver a spinebuster. Money Shot…gets knees! Eddie can’t capitalise though and is swept into a Russian legsweep. They battle on the ropes until Guerrero hits a super rana. Trish Stratus tries to get involved, only to be DUMPED off the apron by Chyna! Chyna then socks Val as he tries to protest – nearly costing him victory right there. Val survives, and goes to the Semis with the fisherman suplex at 08:03
Rating - ** - Good action throughout the match (I liked how they both worked the back, it made sense given their top rope splash finishes), but a lousy finish brought this down a bit. I don’t understand why both Guerrero and Benoit have been ditched in the first round. Eddie is over (the Latino Heat gimmick was popular), Benoit was a machine in the ring, and both delivered successful undercard championship reigns in preparation to move on to bigger and better things. Instead we have Rikishi and a guy who hasn’t been over for well over a year in the Semi-Finals?
Pat Patterson is in wardrobe, demanding an Evening Gown that is going to upstage Brisco in their Hardcore Title Match later in the show.
Elsewhere Rikishi tells Jonathan Coachman he’s fit to face Val Venis in the Semis.
Crash Holly vs Bull Buchanan
This, the third of four KOTR Quarter Finals, is perhaps the hardest to call (although I would have thought booking Benoit/Guerrero for the semi-finals would have been a sure thing). Crash is wildly popular after his 24/7 Hardcore Title run and is always good value for a comedy underdog victory. But his opponent, Bull Buchanan's size certainly seems like something Vince would want to push the hell out of though.
Unsurprisingly, Crash’s offence has zero effect on Buchanan. He shakes off everything Holly throws at him before easily scooping him up for a series of rolling backbreakers. He is completely dominant – beating Crash around ringside for several minutes. Somehow Holly evades the Axe Kick though, and shocks Bull with La Magistral – to WIN at 03:50. Crash advances to the Semis!
Rating - DUD - This bored the crowd. They could probably have shaved at least a minute from the match time and achieved pretty much the same result (i.e. the big pop at the end when Crash won). I like the Crash Holly ‘Cinderella story’ theme they’ve gone with (he’s already scraped past Albert and Hardcore Holly so far) so it’s amusing to see him advance another round at least.
Vince McMahon confronts Linda, berating her for her past misdemeanours (bringing Steve Austin to Backlash, putting Mick Foley in the Wrestlemania main event, re-signing Undertaker etc). She tells Vince to be a man and fight the main event by himself, not hide behind a cast of thousands. The WWF Chairman falls into her trap and agrees that there will be no outside interference…
Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho
Comfortably the ‘match of the round’ at Quarter Final stage. Angle has form when it comes to beating Y2J on ppv, given that he ended Jericho’s Intercontinental Title reign at No Way Out in February. Y2J is one of the most popular superstars on the roster, and will look to win King Of The Ring to advance his career much in the same way people like Triple H and Steve Austin have done previously.
Great start by Angle, who reels off a flurry of punches then scores an early nearfall with a belly to belly suplex. Jericho takes flight with a missile dropkick to get a 2-count right back. Lionsault nailed early, but too close to the ropes meaning Kurt has a way out. He crawls to the floor, then HIPTOSSES Y2J INTO THE CROWD as he sprints at him! Angle sensibly takes the fight to the mat, locking in a deep chinlock. Jericho escapes to hit the double underhook backbreaker…but it’s still just 2 as Kurt continues to take his best shots without staying down. He catapults Jericho into the turnbuckles, using that as set up for a back suplex. He slows the pace again, softening Jericho up enough to hit a bridging German suplex. In the end he gets too cocky, getting himself caught on the second rope and hurled violently to the canvas with a super rana. He goes for the bulldog to set up another Lionsault, but this time Angle cuts him off with a clothesline. Angle Slam COUNTERED to the Walls Of Jericho! Stephanie McMahon runs in distracting the ref, meaning he doesn’t see Kurt tapping out. The ref is bumped as Jericho screams at him for missing that…but as Stephanie runs into the ring she misses Y2J and inadvertently floors Kurt with her Women’s Title belt. Jericho laughs and plants a kiss on her lips, as Angle gets up for the ANGLE SLAM! He advances at 09:50
Rating - *** - Even with the overbooked finish I liked this more than No Way Out. Angle has grown as a worker since February (mostly as a result of getting to wrestle guys like Jericho and Benoit so frequently) and he looked much more comfortable bossing this one. I loved his strategy of slowing the pace and working the mat as a counterbalance to Y2J’s high-octane, spot-heavy assaults. This was a tough one to call. Of course it’s easy to say that Jericho was the most over, and arguably the closest to main-event status already (meaning he should have been the obvious KOTR pick), but Angle was starting to look like a genuine future superstar by this point so you can see why they went with him.
Shane McMahon tells Vince he let Linda get the better of him again with the ‘no interference’ stipulation now added too. Mr McMahon thinks it will be fine as Rock, Kane and Taker won’t be able to form a cohesive team anyway.
Mick Foley is at WWF New York, boasting a new buzzcut. He recalls King Of The Ring ’98, but stops short of calling it a ‘career highlight’ for him. Ivory jumps around in the background just desperate to get some TV time, which is embarrassing as hell.
Too Cool vs Edge & Christian vs T&A vs Hardy Boyz – WWF Tag Title Match
This will be fought under elimination rules. At Judgment Day Too Cool were being positioned as the top contenders to E&C’s Tag Title reign, and they ended up taking the belts from them on television. Now they are in the unfamiliar position of defending champions themselves, and have three top-rated teams in pursuit of their belts here this evening.
Jeff and Albert start, unsurprisingly with the Prince heaving Hardy around the ring like he’s an infant. It takes both Hardyz and a sequence of double teams to get the big man off his feet. Trish Stratus doesn’t appreciate that and distracts Matt for long enough to enable Test to join his partner in the ring for a double press slam. Pumphandle Slam blocked, but Trish appears again as Matt lines up the Twist Of Fate. Lita (now a part of Team Xtreme) clobbers Stratus, leaving Test to eat the Twist Of Fate for 2. Lita is in the ring with Albert now! Pumphandle Slam from Test…but as he covers Jeff lands the SWANTON BOMB! Matt pins Test to eliminate T&A at 03:39. Scotty joins the party for the first time and drops Jeff with a flapjack. Matt lands the second rope leg drop on Christian for 2 and is joined by a resurgent Jeff for the Poetry In Motion. E&C even the scores though, as Christian bumps Jeff against the guardrails. Lita reappears and dives into the flying headscissors on Edge and both teams are down. Christian is up first, hitting the Unprettier on Matt. The Hardyz are eliminated at 07:53 – so we’re down to the final two. Grand Masta Sexay comes in for the first time (at well past eight minutes), quickly dropping Edge with a neckbreaker then a missile dropkick in quick succession. Christian isn’t remotely impressed by Too Cool’s dancing antics, setting to work on isolating S2H from his partner. Sexay is kept out of the ring for a couple of minutes using that strategy. Of course, the hot tag does come eventually, with Grand Masta scoring 2 with a Ligerbomb…only for E&C to join forces for a double flapjack. They set up a double Worm on him, but Scotty saves with the authentic and original Worm on Edge! Hip Hop Drop nailed…but the referee doesn’t see Christian blast Sexay from behind with a Tag Title belt. It’s all over, with Edge & Christian regaining their belts at 14:07
Rating - ** - There were aspects of this which were really fun. The Hardyz displayed more chemistry in three minutes with T&A than just about anyone else managed to in that team’s entire run. I loved their exchange of spots in the opening salvo of this one. After that it became a little tedious, albeit with a hot finish and a title change to restore E&C to the Tag Championship throne after a couple of weeks without the straps.
Crash Holly is furious that nobody buys him as a serious threat to win King Of The Ring tonight. He’s also not done with Patterson, Brisco and the Hardcore Championship…
Rikishi vs Val Venis
Try not to think too much as you watch this, the first KOTR Semi-Final, that you could be watching Benoit vs Guerrero instead. The story here is the question mark over Rikishi’s health. He’s already handicapped by being a big guy trying to wrestle three matches in a single night and the obvious fitness issues that go along with that. He’s also now feeling the effects of two beatings from Chris Benoit in as many shows (including last week’s Smackdown). He isn’t walking comfortably, his right arm is covered in bruises – you’d think he may be easy pickings for the new, more aggressive Val Venis. Add to that the fact that these guys have already had a couple of bloody brawls on TV in recent weeks.
Rikishi strikes first and drops Venis with a superkick but is already favouring his injured right arm. Wisely he looks to work a slow pace and looks to exert his power and size advantage. He drives Val into the steps and gets the first nearfall with a leg drop…before Venis retaliates with an armbar DDT which instantly changes the match. He wraps the arm around the ringpost too, and follows it up with an arm capture DDT. It’s too early for the Money Shot though, with Rikishi somehow countering it into a belly to belly suplex. It’s enough to eliminate Val at 03:15
Rating - ** - Would I rather have seen Benoit/Guerrero? Of course I would. But judged solely on it’s merits as a three minute match this really wasn’t bad. Venis worked the arm well, whilst Rikishi cuts a surprisingly effective and sympathetic babyface figure. Seeing the usually jovial and physically imposing Samoan apparently so injured and physically impaired is quite a striking visual. It’s not the story I’d have told with this King Of The Ring tournament, but the big man is doing his job well.
Trish Stratus isn’t happy at seeing another of her men lose, inevitably leading to Val assaulting Rikishi again. He smashes the Samoan in the shoulder with the ring steps, then gives it a steel chair shot for good measure. Will he even be able to come back out for the finals now?
Crash Holly vs Kurt Angle
So who advances to meet the injured Rikishi in the 2000 KOTR Final? Will Angle’s rise to greatness continue? Even given the nefarious circumstances, a first round victory over Chris Jericho is quite a feather in the cap of the Olympic Gold Medallist. Or will it be the continuation of Crash’s Cinderella Story? Will the underdog come from nowhere to make it all the way to the finals?
Holly engages Kurt in a wrestling exchange, which seems ill-advised but actually results in him getting an early pinfall attempt. His decent start continues until Angle captures him for a gorgeous inverted tiger suplex. Crash fights with gusto but just isn’t a match for the slick skills of the increasingly confident Olympian. He tries to climb the ropes, taking flight and landing a missile dropkick for 2. That’s all the offence he can muster though, as Kurt delivers the Angle Slam for victory at 03:56
Rating - ** - Again, for such a short match this really wasn’t bad. They told a nice story, with Crash showing real guts and determination in trying to wrestle with the Olympic gold medallist, only to be hopelessly out of his depth and comfortably beaten in the end.
The Brothers Of Destruction are interviewed (separately) by Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman. Of course, both are intent on leaving Boston having regained the WWF Championship.
Pat Patterson vs Gerald Brisco – WWF Hardcore Title Evening Gown Match
The ‘stooges’ were great friends and loyal servants of Vince McMahon. But the obsession over the Hardcore Championship and it’s 24/7 rules have driven a wedge between them. Brisco had a good run with the belt, but having won it back from Crash Holly (with the help of Patterson), he was then ambushed, assaulted and dethroned in the locker room by his friend. Their ridiculous squabbles continued until Vince booked this bizarre stipulation to settle it between them.
Patterson seems to enjoy these stipulations more than Brisco, and he comes out throwing candies in the crowd from his bra, whilst towing a shopping cart full of weapons like pillows, toilet paper and stuffed toys. He offers to lay down for his friend, which is all a ploy so sucker Gerry in for a low blow. Brisco has a sanitary towel shoved in his mouth, but blocks Pat’s Stinkface attempt with a punch to the ass. Gerald counters to the Bronco Buster, but this is so hideous fans are generally just booing. Patterson is all but ripped out of his dress when Crash Holly does a run in to complete the job. He strips Brisco down to bra and panties too for good measure – meaning in theory the match should now be over? Not that it matters, as Crash tonks Patterson with a trash can and takes back his Hardcore Title at 02:46
Rating - DUD - This didn’t work on any level in my opinion. It wasn’t entertaining. It wasn’t funny. And it actively pissed the live crowd off such was the sheer depths of depravity and revulsion this one sunk to. Crash Holly winning the belt back was really the only credible way to salvage this one. Some of the Patterson/Brisco Hardcore Title skits on TV were really funny (particularly Pat’s champagne ambush to win the belt), but this missed the mark spectacularly.
Bubba Ray Dudley prepares for the next match by spray-painting Tori’s name onto a table.
Road Dogg/X-Pac/Tori vs Dudley Boyz – Handicap Table Dumpster Match
This one all centres around Bubba Ray Dudley’s on-going quest to put Tori through a table. He has built a reputation putting the divas of the WWF through tables. Terri, Trish…even Mae Young. But Tori has continually escaped his clutches. He nearly had her at Judgment Day, only for Gerald Brisco to save the day, and enable X-Pac to put Bubba through a table instead. Tori even got to put Bubba through a table herself on a subsequent episode of Raw. The feud continued, and reached a head when D-X and some help locked the Dudleyz in a dumpster then tossed it off the Smackdown set – sending Bubba and D-Von to the hospital. The former ECW Tag Champions want revenge, and want Tori table-ised asap. D-X just want to put the half-brothers out of wrestling permanently. The rules are deceptively simple. D-X have to put both Dudleyz in a dumpster to win, whilst Bubba and D-Von have to put all three opponents through tables if they are to be victorious.
Infuriatingly, just like Judgment Day this starts as a standard tag match. Even more incredibly, fans start chanting ‘EC-Dub’ for the Dudleyz because tagging in a tables match is hardcore. D-Von gets isolated in the D-X corner, to the extent that even Tori gets to tag in and tee off on him. Bubba Ray tags with the Bubba Bomb on Road Dogg. Wassup Headbutt scores…with the ref being distracted even though it’s perfectly legal of course. WASSUP MUFF DIVE ON TORI! X-Pac and Dogg try to leave, and then actually end up trapping the Dudleyz in the dumpster in the ensuing brawl. Sadly for them, the ref is still checking Tori’s injured vagina and they crawl out before being caught. They stack a couple of tables on the outside then position the ring steps in the ring! BUBBA AWESOMEBOMB’S DOGG OFF THE STEPS AND THROUGH THE TABLES! In the midst of celebrating that Bubba Ray took his eye of X-Pac and was caught in a back drop driver off the steps! D-Von crotches Waltman in the corner for a SUPERPLEX through another table! Only Tori stands between the Dudleyz and victory! She tries to hide in the dumpster, and that’s a stroke of absolute genius. It leaves Bubba Ray and D-Von positioned over the open dumpster, and gives the recovered X-Pac/Road Dogg duo the opportunity bash their skulls in with chairs, prompting them to collapse inside. D-X get the win at 09:44
Rating - ** - This was lousy for the first few minutes, but actually developed into a halfway decent little brawl. Road Dogg’s bump through the table stack was arguably the biggest highlight of the entire pay-per-view. I also thought the muff dive spot (which actually marked the turning point of the match) was pretty comical. D-X retain a semblance of credibility (although they are still the weak links of the McMahon-Helmsley group by some distance), and as the Dudleyz only really want to put Tori through a table, winners and losers become relatively academic.
D-X stroll up the aisle celebrating, but are completely unaware they just shut the Dudleyz in the dumpster with Tori. Bubba and D-Von emerge with the captive ‘Green Machine’ moments later to the delight of the crowd. 3-D ON X-PAC! 3-D FROM THE OTHER SIDE ON ROAD DOGG! Tori seems to have injured her shoulder (her arm hangs limp by her side) as D-Von brings in the table with her name on it (literally). POWERBOMB THROUGH THE TABLE! The Dudleyz get their moment of catharsis.
Kurt Angle puts over the importance of winning King Of The Ring. He says the party is over for Rikishi, and once he’s finished with him he’s going on to be WWF Champion. Great little promo…
Kurt Angle vs Rikishi – King Of The Ring Final
The routes these guys have taken to the finals this evening have been drastically different. Despite wrestling for half the match-time that Kurt has, Rikishi is an absolute mess and will be fighting with one arm following post-match assaults from both Chris Benoit and Val Venis. Kurt has looked excellent all night, but had to come through an extremely competitive first round encounter with Chris Jericho en-route to this one. Will his superior fitness, tournament experience and mat wrestling skills be enough to secure the win? Or will be the WWF experience and sheer mass of the Samoan?
Angle doesn’t even wait for Rikishi to get into the ring before attacking him. That isn’t the worst strategy, but next he tries to body slam the big man and that obviously isn’t as successful. Rikishi retaliates with an early Stinkface, only for Angle to counter and continue his belligerent assault on his weary adversary. Rikishi takes what seems like his thirtieth bump against the steel steps of the evening – again its all impact on his right shoulder. Fighting on instinct, Rikishi lands a one-armed Samoan drop, followed by an Ace Crusher for 2. Stinkface successfully ‘executed’ this time, only for Angle to no sell and hit the ANGLE SLAM FOR 2! Rikishi comes back with the standing Banzai Drop…also 2! Kurt punches Rikishi’s bad arm. BELLY TO BELLY SUPERPLEX! Kurt wins at 05:57
Rating - ** - Had Rikishi’s selling of the arm been better I could actually have gone to 3* on this. Although it didn’t go long (outside of Angle/Jericho none of the KOTR matches tonight have got any decent time), they actually did some decent things. As I said, building the whole night around Rikishi wouldn’t have been my first choice of ways to book this thing, but he certainly cut a sympathetic figure. Unfortunately, as the injury he was trying to sell was his right arm, he just KEPT forgetting he was supposed to be injured and using it to hit spots. He’d hit a clotheslines, stop for a second, then suddenly grab his arm like ‘oh sh*t I forgot to sell the arm'. That definitely impacted how much you could get caught up in the contest. Still, it’s a momentous match in Kurt’s career right there.
Vince tries to rally the troops as he, Shane and Triple H wait to go through the curtain for the main event. Hunter isn’t impressed that Mr McMahon let Linda outsmart him again. Still, they are a decidedly more unified team than their opponents as Rock, Kane and Undertaker who make their way to the ring separately
Triple H/Vince McMahon/Shane McMahon vs The Rock/Undertaker/Kane – WWF Title Match
Despite this being a 6-man tag, HHH’s WWF Championship is on the line, and he can lose it even if he’s not the guy pinned at the end of the match. Vince’s domestic squabbles with COO Linda McMahon led to him backing the McMahon-Helmsley Faction into the corner this match represents. His sole hope is that their opponents can’t get along. They all want to be champion and have no real reason to cooperate with each other to any great extent in order to get it done.
HHH tries to convince the McMahons that he should start, but Shane doesn’t listen and starts with a cheap shot on Kane. As you’d expect, Kane shakes Shane-O’s punches off like they don’t exist before manhandling him in the corner. Even when he tries to leave the ring Undertaker is on hand to toss him back in to his brother. The Big Red Machine preps a double chokeslam to Vince and Shane, with only Triple H’s intervention saving them. HHH backs off as The Rock blind tags in though! He wants no part of Rocky and leaves him to Shane instead. Taker forcibly tags his way into the match before Rocky can inflict any real damage though. He drops the heir apparent with a chokeslam…but only gets 2 before The Rock comes in and breaks the fall. Vince smirks as his plan comes to fruition, and the dissension in the opposition ranks gives Helmsley the chance to lay in some cheap shots on Undertaker. The Phenom hits back with a running DDT, only to have his second viable pinning chance again stopped by a member of his own team (Kane this time). The fight spills outside, with the McMahon-Helmsley trio triple-teaming Rocky in front of the commentary tables. The Brothers of Destruction join the party which leads to an inevitable six-person brawl all over ringside. HHH hits the Pedigree on Rock for 2. Kane and Taker want a tag, but since he can’t win the title if he’s not in the match Rocky refuses – almost voluntarily turning his back on them into another beating from the champ. The Rock spends the next few minutes at the mercy of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction and still refuses to tag out even when the opportunity presents itself. Replacing Road Dogg’s bump from earlier, the new moment of the night happens as Vince tags in then saunters across the ring to cockily back hand Kane in the face like he’s a disrespectful house boy. Kane and Undertaker have had enough of waiting and haul the McMahons off the apron for a fight on the floor. Rock sets up The People’s Elbow on Triple H. KANE CHOKESLAMS ROCK! Their team is imploding! Hunter has a good laugh about that but isn’t smiling seconds later as Kane scoops him up for the TOMBSTONE! Undertaker drags his own brother out of the ring and levels him with a chair! UNDERTAKER CHOKESLAMS SHANE OFF THE TOP ROPE THROUGH THE DAMN ANNOUNCE TABLE! Meanwhile The Rock is still down…and Vince lines up the Chairman’s Elbow! COUNTERED WITH THE ROCK BOTTOM! NEW CHAMPION! The Rock regains the WWF Championship at 17:53!
Rating - *** - This match and angle have garnered a certain amount of criticism. It was indeed a real shame that HHH’s stunning run as the heel focal point of the company ended without him even being pinned and with him being SO embroiled in the McMahon ego circus. BUT, to defend this match, it was actually far more fun than I remember it being. The stipulations led to some amusing interactions between Rock, Taker and Kane. Shane and Vince were seriously brilliant in what they did too (particularly Shane with that ridiculous table bump)…and the face in peril portion had a real urgency and significance to it as usual ‘get out’ of a hot tag wasn’t available to The Rock since he wanted to win the title and couldn’t if he wasn’t the legal man. You don’t see the WWF Title defended under these circumstances too often so, if nothing else, this felt very unique.
The show ends with Rock getting the ultimate payback for Wrestlemania as he lays Vince out with the title belt, then stands on the unconscious owner of the company.
Tape Rating - ** - This show has a bad reputation, and rightly so. BUT, I’m actually going to start by defending it (to an extent). I’m not going to stand here and say that I agree with how the King Of The Ring tournament was booked. However, you can’t argue that Kurt was an awesome choice to win it. Sure there are justifiable cases for Jericho or Benoit (Guerrero was nowhere near ready for it at this stage), but nobody can deny that Angle winning the KOTR this year propelled him to the next level and gave him a ‘top tier guy’ credibility that Jericho and Benoit didn’t need. The theme of the whole tournament, with Rikishi getting his ass kicked and somehow defying the odds to make the final was also extremely well played out. Can you realise criticise a tournament just because, from a ‘smark fan perspective’, we didn’t get to see a ‘dream’ semi-final line-up of Angle, Jericho, Benoit and Guerrero? Most of the matches were decent, (albeit incredibly brief) sprints. The main event too, is very under-rated in how well-worked it was by the six men involved. It wasn’t boring, it flowed well, there was no dead time and the stipulations made EVERY tag significant – and a new champion to end a ppv always helps.
But having praised some elements of this show, now lets get into slating it. There was FAR too much stuff booked on this show. A whole tournament, plus three title matches, plus D-X/Dudleyz was too much to cram into a three hour slot. Whilst I don’t necessarily resent the WWF for not giving me a Benoit/Guerrero semi-final, or an Angle/Benoit final, I do resent that the seven KOTR matches tonight actually only got a total in-ring time of like 38 minutes. When you have workers the calibre of Benoit, Jericho, Angle, Guerrero (you can throw Venis and Rikishi into that too) then an average of five minutes per match in a tournament of this magnitude does them a massive disservice. How much more memorable would Kurt’s win have been if he’d have survived a 20-minute classic with Benoit, instead of a forgettable five minute anti-climax with an already-injured Rikishi? Oh, and whomever suggested the Patterson/Brisco debacle should be fired. That was an atrocity. Even the easily guided fans, in one of the WWF’s hottest periods ever, knew that they were watching complete garbage.
Ultimately, this isn’t a good show. Did the WWF drop the ball on what could potentially have been one of the best King Of The Ring tournaments of all time? They absolutely did. Was the booking of a 6-man WWF Title Match slightly convoluted, silly and McMahon-centric? It absolutely was. Did we really need to cram a FOUR TEAM elimination match, a mediocre tables match and an all-male evening gown atrocity onto an already crowded card? Obviously that was a mistake. This is a poor show and the WWF were rightly criticised for it. I’m just making the argument that it isn’t completely without its merits. The main event entertained. The Rikishi run to the KOTR finals was a story well-told. And Angle’s entire career sky-rocketed from this show, proving that he was absolutely the right call to win it. If you do happen to find yourself watching this you may (as I was) be surprised that this wasn’t *as bad* as you remember it being
Top 3 Matches
3) Val Venis vs Eddie Guerrero (**)
2) Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho (***)
1) Triple H/Vince McMahon/Shane McMahon vs The Rock/Undertaker/Kane (***)