World Wrestling Federation – Armageddon 2000 – 10th December 2000
I haven’t actually seen this pay-per-view in years, so I don’t want to definitively write it off as the archetypal ‘one match show’…but it does seem highly likely. The headline bout tonight is the six-man Hell In A Cell, where all WWF’s top guys are locked together in the ominous Cell to fight it out for the WWF Championship. There is an undercard though, and it features the Kane/Jericho feud blow-off in a Last Man Standing Match, plus Chris Benoit challenging Billy Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship, a Fatal Fourway Tag Title Match…plus the usual thrown together filler bouts. Feel free to debate whether sticking Jericho with Kane, Benoit with Billy and Eddie Guerrero into the background of the Malenko/Lita feud is an effective use of those three enormously talented future main eventers in your own time. For now we go to Birmingham, AL with Jim Ross and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.
SIDENOTE – The pre-show video package, featuring the debut of the iconic ‘The End Is Here’ music, is superb. Even if the quality of the actual shows has tailed off as the year has progressed, the production team’s capacity to produce these killer hype packages certainly hasn’t diminished.
MOMENTS AGO – During Sunday Night Heat Commissioner Foley gave his word that he would resign if anyone was seriously injured in Hell In A Cell
Vince McMahon arrives in a stretch limo, and says the Cell won’t be hanging over the arena for much longer. He doesn’t want any coffee either…
Hardy Boyz/Lita vs Dean Malenko/Eddie Guerrero/Perry Saturn
This is a six-person elimination match, which came about as a result of Dean Malenko’s infatuation with Lita. He defeated her in a match, thus earning a hilariously sleazy date with her. The date ended with the lingerie-clad Lita outing him as a married sleazeball, before the Hardyz jumped him. Dean has enlisted the help of fellow Radicalz Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero to help him get some revenge.
Malenko’s henchmen try to jump the Hardyz so he can head straight after Lita, although that doesn’t end well and poor Eddie eats a double wheelbarrow suplex from Matt and Jeff. Guerrero is getting crazy heat, and the pop is deafening when Matt propels him into the ringpost. He misses a super rana, and walks into a Twist Of Fate by Lita! Swanton Bomb eliminates Guerrero at 02:57. Whisper In The Wind wipes Saturn out, and with the match in serious jeopardy Malenko tries to sneak into the ring to make a save. He winds up getting Poetry In Motion, but ends up buying Perry enough time to counter another Poetry In Motion into a DVD…and that’s Jeff gone at 03:42. Terri distracts Matt, enabling Saturn to land a superkick. He then counters the Twist Of Fate into a DRAGON SUPLEX for 2! Hardy retaliates with the second rope leg drop, pitches Dean to the floor then eliminates Saturn with the Twist Of Fate at 05:09. Terri Runnels doesn’t like that at all…and is speared out of her dress by Lita. Hardy likes that, and celebrates Lita’s in-ring prowess a little too hard. He doesn’t see Malenko coming – getting rolled up and eliminated at 05:35. It’s down to Dean and Lita! She busts out some lucha skills, and comes off the top into the MOONSAULT PRESS for 2! Electric chair COUNTERED to a DDT! Lita back to the top rope, but she hasn’t done enough damage to hit her Moonsault, and is hauled off the ropes with a superplex. That’s all she wrote for Lita, and the crowd don’t like it one bit as Dean tortures her. He has it won, but instead opts to finish with the Cloverleaf at 08:06
Rating - ** - A surprisingly heated and entertaining opening match. It’s easy to criticise the degradation of Malenko from incredible wrestler to old, married leach…but at least the new direction got him on television. He was so talented he even made the usually-sloppy Lita look awesome in their climactic showdown. Guerrero looked like he didn’t want to be there at all, and it’s entirely possible that some of the personal issues which led to his departure from the company in 2001 were starting to rear their heads here (although that is speculation on my part). Whatever the reason for his marginalisation in the second half of the year, it’s a real shame because Guerrero’s act was still majorly over with live audiences.
Lillian Garcia interrupts Kurt Angle’s warm-up routine for an interview. He admits his extensive amateur wrestling experience and career to date has done nothing to prepare him for Hell In A Cell.
HELL IN A CELL MOMENT – HHH back drops Cactus Jack through the Cell at No Way Out 2000.
William Regal vs Hardcore Holly – WWF European Title Match
This is a rematch from Survivor Series last month, where Hardcore was comprehensively outwrestled then decided to lay out Regal with his own title belt. This is just over a week since Regal lost the European Title to Crash Holly at Rebellion in the UK, but won it back the following Monday night on Raw (of course). In his home state of Alabama, cousin Hardcore is looking for some revenge for his cousin, and to finish the job he couldn’t at Survivor Series.
Regal’s pre-match promo is hilarious, but it’s anti-Alabama sentiments don’t endear him to his challenger who wastes no time in getting into a slugfest. William is no stranger to a fight and has no problem trading shots with Holly on the outside. Bob tries an ill-advised and inexplicable jump off the top rope and rightly gets booted in the face. Regal gets a nearfall with a superplex, and stays in the back with a bow and arrow stretch. Double underhook suplex countered, but lifting the champion up like that takes as much out of Hardcore’s back as it does to his opponent. Release falcon arrow scores, and Bob heads upstairs again – this time landing a guillotine leg drop. Regal drops him on his back again with a powerbomb and applies the Regal Stretch even though Holly is in the ropes. Holly counters the Regal Cutter…into an elbow smash (with his surgically repaired, steel plate-enhanced elbow). That would be it, but Raven randomly runs in to hit the Evenflow DDT. Regal retains at 04:57
Rating - * - Better than Survivor Series, since Regal’s work on Hardcore’s back was subtle, brilliant and everything you’d expect from a masterful technician such as him. However, Bob blew (as usual), couldn’t be bothered to sell for sh*t, and since I have no recollection of why Raven ran in, the finish felt unnecessary too.
Kevin Kelly asks Rikishi for his opinion on Kurt Angle, who broke what seemed to be an alliance between all the heels in the main event by attacking the Samoan with the title belt on Smackdown. Rikishi isn’t bothered, and thinks tonight marks the culmination of his career…
Chyna vs Val Venis
The 9th Wonder Of The World has been in the targets of Right To Censor ever since she famously posed for Playboy Magazine. Last week on Raw she was viciously attacked by Val and Ivory, and tonight she wants some payback.
Chyna isn’t waiting for Val to get to the ring, and attacks him during his ring entrance. Ivory gets whipped into the ring apron for good measure too. The attack continues inside the ring as she pummels Venis with forearm smashes to the back of the head, then drops him on it with a DDT for 2. Val drops her with a Russian legsweep, and feeds her to the floor where the Women’s Champion is waiting to drive home some cheap shots. She hits back with a swinging neckbreaker and comes from the canvas into a diving lariat for another nearfall. The crowd has been bored into near-silence here, with Venis scaling the ropes to miss the Money Shot. Ivory trips Chyna from the outside…then runs away – luring her into the fisherman suplex from Venis. That’s enough to win it at 05:02
Rating - DUD - If it’s not already apparent with the multitude of filler video packages, we really are just killing time before the main event tonight. Sure there are a undercard matches of some significance, but the whole show is basically geared around Hell In A Cell. This was a lousy match, which the live crowd genuinely didn’t give a stuff about. But is that the fault of the wrestlers, or is the fault of the booking team who gave the ‘build up’ for this a single segment on Raw – then threw them out with the sole incentive being to waste another five minutes of ppv time before they can talk about HIAC more?
Chyna goes after Ivory, which the crowd are seriously into, but is dropped again with a Blue Thunder Driver from Val.
SIDENOTE – I know Chyna hated going into the Women’s division at WrestleMania 17 – but check out the crowd response to her and Ivory there. She might not like to hear it, but that was serious heat. The fans clearly wanted her to be the one to take the belt from Right To Censor (since Lita had failed). It was a response that proved impossible to deny as they went ahead and booked a more detailed Chyna/RTC storyline in 2001.
HELL IN A CELL MOMENT – Cactus Jack takes it to HHH on the roof of the Cell with a burning 2x4
Stephanie McMahon confides in her father that she is terrified for her husband, Triple H, as he prepares to enter Hell In A Cell again. Vince tells her he’s going to put a stop to it…
EARLIER TODAY – The Cell is lowered inside the empty arena, with Undertaker and Kevin Kelly standing inside it. Taker discusses his history in the structure, and it’s probably the best Cell vignette you’ll see all night. He talks about enjoying making Shawn Michaels bleed in the first ever HIAC Match, then takes Kevin directly under the spot where he Chokeslammed Mankind through the ring during their infamous King Of The Ring ’98 bout (although he gets the order of the famous ‘bumps’ wrong). He wants to make someone else ‘famous’ tonight…
Mr McMahon finally makes his way into the arena, flanked by Patterson and Brisco. He expresses sympathy for the six participants in tonight’s main event, and is campaigning for crowd support to help him prevent it from taking place. Unsurprisingly he doesn’t get much, and angrily walks out. Charismatic as he undeniably is, this again was another stall tactic.
Kane vs Chris Jericho – Last Man Standing Match
After raging for almost two months, it’s finally time for these two bitter rivals to settle things. It started over a cup of hot coffee, and quickly degenerated into Kane’s jealousy creating a burning desire to mutilate and permanently disfigure the popular young Canadian superstar. Y2J has been in a fight for survival, hasn’t beaten Kane at all, but has been like a tenacious dog refusing to stay down. He’s absorbed some brutal punishment, like being thrown through a glass window and Chokeslammed through tables, and dished out some wicked beatings of his own. At Survivor Series and Rebellion he couldn’t find a way to overcome the sheer size and power of the Big Red Machine. Will he be able to do that tonight, with no rules and a winner only declared when one man can’t answer a 10-count.
The fight starts in the aisle and spills straight backstage. Kane is swinging weapons like a mad man, but doesn’t connect with anything. Mideon attacks Jericho for no reason whatsoever, only to be beaten back out of shot as quickly as he came. Why did that happen? They come back to the arena with Kane scooping Y2J up for repeated spinal shots into the ringpost then a POWERSLAM on the floor. It’s unclear whether Jericho is still suffering from his back injury, but Kane tears into that body part anyway. It’s an unrelenting assault which soon has Jericho rendered unable to stand or fight back. Under normal circumstances the match would be over, but under Last Man Standing rules Jericho has ten seconds – and has Kane shaking his head as he climbs back up. He attempts a spinning heel kick, only to be caught into a powerbomb…but then gets up again and tries it again! Lionsault…into the knees! Jericho’s midsection is screaming at him as he’s put down once more, this time with the flying clothesline. He gets up again, making profane gestures at the Big Red Machine even as he stumbles into a Chokeslam. STILL Jericho won’t stay down! Kane grabs a chair and rattles it across his back…then sets up the Tombstone! Somehow Chris counters with a low blow then drags him down into a DDT – which hurts him to execute way more than it impacts Kane. A desperate chair shot to the head comes next, swung with such force that Jericho falls off his feet too. LIONSAULT WITH A CHAIR! Just when Jericho thinks he has pulled off the unlikely win, Kane sits up at 9…then PRESS SLAMS HIM TO THE FLOOR! Kane drags Jericho to the tech area next to the set, with both of them crashing through a table after Jericho blocks a Chokeslam and looks for a speculative bulldog. Jericho shoves a massive chunk of the set down on top of Kane – burying him for the win at 16:47
Rating - ** - As this feud has been built up for months, and there is NOTHING else other than the main event of any note on the ppv, it’s right that this one got plenty of time. And a lot of what they did was actually very good – a continuation of the decent chemistry they displayed against each other at Survivor Series. Kane plays the dominant monster well, whilst Jericho is an outstanding underdog. The segment with Kane repeatedly beating the crap out of Y2J, only for him to keep crawling up right before the 10-count was particularly effective. However, I marked this down for the weak finish, which really looked terrible and denied Jericho a definitive Last Man Standing victory over Kane which would have made the massive 2-month career detour this feud became worthwhile. Rather than looking like a warrior who overcame the monster, he looks like a lucky scrapper who scored a fortunate circumstantial victory whilst Kane was still moving around under the hunk of set he’d ‘dropped’ on him.
The Coach is with Mick Foley, who is nervous about Hell In A Cell, but remains sure that booking the six men into it was the correct decision.
Shawn Michaels is at WWF New York. JR asks if he has any advice for the six participants tonight, to which he replies that he doesn’t because with six men instead of one it’s a dangerous environment and hard to get any kind of rhythm going. He singles out Undertaker as a dangerous man
HELL IN A CELL MOMENT – Undertaker Chokeslams Mankind into a pile of thumbtacks (a crazy bump which, if you recall, actually took place after the two dives off the top of the Cell).
Bull Buchanan/Goodfather vs Edge & Christian vs Road Dogg/K-Kwik vs Dudley Boyz – WWF Tag Title Match
Right To Censor have controlled the Tag Title belts for well over a month without looking under any real pressure at all. They are big guys, and when you couple that with constant outside interference from the likes of Val Venis, Ivory and Steven Richards they’ve proven hard to dislodge. However, they face their sternest test so far here, with two former Championship teams in the Dudleyz and Edge & Christian, plus one of the most decorated Tag Champions in WWF history on another team in Road Dogg. Steven is selling injuries sustained on Smackdown when the Dudleyz pretended to join RTC just so they could get close enough to put him through a table.
Right To Censor immediately attack the Dudleyz, quickly isolating D-Von and beating him down using their aforementioned size advantage. Goodfather tries a Ho Train on Bubba Ray for good measure, but misses that thus allowing Road Dogg to tag in. Simultaneous jab combos from Bubba and Dogg to Edge & Christian…before they turn round and punch each other out! K-Kwik gets a tag, and starts flipping around the ring to absolutely zero response from the crowd. Edge & Christian quickly put him in his place, putting in plenty of work to isolate him before Goodfather blind tags in to capitalise on it. Kwik hits Edge with a neckbreaker (using the arm two teams have spent the last few minutes working on), and tags in Bubba. All eight men pile in for a brawl…and K-Kwik springs OFF Road Dogg into a SUICIDE DIVE AT RTC! Sadly for him Goodfather catches him for a SHOULDERBREAKER! Steven Kick on Road Dogg too, so that’s effectively one team out of the match. In the ring the Dudleyz take out Edge with a Wassup Headbutt and head off in search of tables. DOOMSDAY DEVICE on Edge gets 2! 3-D ON BUCHANAN! 3-D ON GOODFATHER! The Dudleyz are on fire…until Steven manages to DDT D-Von onto a table on the floor. Unprettier on Bubba, giving Edge the chance to pin Bubba Ray. Edge & Christian win back their Tag Titles at 09:42
Rating - * - The first half of the match wasn’t great at all. K-Kwik was particularly dreadful, proving exactly why the WWF had a phobia of smaller wrestlers for years as he flipped around with no reason, sold nothing and generated zero crowd heat. However, the second half, packed with non-stop spots was much better, and it’s hard to dislike the decision to put the belts on the brilliant Edge & Christian again.
Stephanie pleads with Triple H not to go into the Cell tonight. She thinks he’s already had one miraculous escape (the ending of Survivor Series) and is still feeling the effects of his last encounter with Steve Austin. HHH doesn’t care about his health, he just wants to be WWF Champion again.
HELL IN A CELL MOMENT – Back to No Way Out 2000, with HHH punching Foley off the side of the Cell and through an announce table
Billy Gunn vs Chris Benoit – WWF Intercontinental Title Match
Having emerged from his feud with Eddie Guerrero as Intercontinental Champion, Billy was immediately confronted with Eddie’s Radicalz team-mate Chris Benoit. The Wolverine will no doubt be irritated that he’s not included in the main event tonight, despite twice being announced as WWF Champion this year only to have the decision over-turned. He’ll be looking to vent some frustration and take back the IC Title
Gunn has the size advantage, but it doesn’t take Benoit long to stomp him into the ground to negate that. Billy instead tries to quicken the pace, hitting a succession of dropkicks and armdrags before tossing him out of the ring. Going outside ends up being to Benoit’s advantage as he sends Gunn legs-first into the steps. The challenger works over Gunn’s legs. There is some excellent ringwork in there, so naturally the commentators highlight it…by talking about Billy Gunn’s earrings. Figure 4 Leglock applied mid-ring, further hobbling the champion. Billy limps across the ring, missing a Stinger Splash and instead being dragged into ROLLING GERMANS! Flying Wolverine misses and Billy capitalises to hit a powerslam, then a press slam. Jackhammer nailed as well…but all these moves are hurting Gunn’s leg. He delivers the Fame Asser – a move which is so leg-centric that he can’t cover right away. One & Only COUNTERED TO THE CROSSFACE! With added punches to the surgically repaired shoulder! Billy tries a tilta-whirl slam…but his leg gives way under him! I think that was probably a botch, but it actually looked AWESOME in the context of the match! Benoit hooks The One’s leg, then drops him on that shoulder with a back suplex trying to damage as many body parts as possible. He goes for the Crippler Crossface again, and wins back the Intercontinental Title at 10:02
Rating - *** - This match doesn’t have the greatest reputation, and it definitely is a waste of Benoit’s time putting him in there with a limited worker like Billy Gunn. However, looking objectively I really feel that he dragged a decent match out of Billy here. And whilst it’s easy to consider this a carry-job by Benoit, at least some credit should go to Gunn too. He at least made an effort to sell Benoit’s work. He was losing the title, with WWF effectively admitting defeat on his big singles run. He could have sulked and hit all his spots, but by selling the leg and shoulder it made Benoit look excellent.
EARLIER TODAY – Steve Austin and Jim Ross discuss preparations for Hell In A Cell. He’s running on caffeine and just wants to get the match started
Ivory vs Molly Holly vs Trish Stratus – WWF Women’s Title Match
I’m not actually aware if there was a feud or back-story going into this. It’s safe to assume that Right To Censor would not be fan of Trish’s outrageous hotness though, so there could be some heat there. Molly hasn’t been in the company too long, but has made a real impression with her athleticism and willingness to get in the ring with all comers – male or female. We saw that at Rebellion a week ago when she gave William Regal a missile dropkick, effectively costing him the European Title.
Molly and Trish start fighting, with Ivory apparently happy to watch them take each other out. Trish monkey flips Holly into a clothesline from the champion…before Molly goes all-out for victory trying to pin either opponent from multiple positions. Double suplex by the heels, then Ivory inevitably double-crosses Stratus. As they argue Molly climbs the ropes for a flying crossbody aimed at both of them. Ligerbomb on Trish! But Ivory pounces to steal Molly’s win at 02:11
Rating - DUD - Short, shambolic and completely pointless. Why book this on the show at all? They could have run another Hell In A Cell segment, or let another match have a couple of extra minutes rather than give these talented women such a thankless task.
T&A come out trying to threaten Molly…bringing Crash Holly to protect her. Remember, Crash has had beef with T&A since they ejected him from the Acolyte Protection Agency office which he was supposed to be looking after in Faarooq and Bradshaw’s absence. Speak of the devil, the Acolytes make their return to lay out Test and Albert.
HELL IN A CELL MOMENT – Undertaker throws Mankind off the Cell and through the Spanish Announce table in that legendary KOTR ’98 bump
Kevin Kelly is with The Rock as we reach main event time. Obligatory Rock pre-match promo ensues
Kurt Angle vs Triple H vs Rikishi vs Undertaker vs The Rock vs Steve Austin – WWF Title Hell In A Cell Match
The history between these six men is expansive. We have Stone Cold, put out of action for over a year thanks to Rikishi’s driving and HHH’s diabolical scheming. We have Undertaker, a Hell In A Cell veteran robbed of the WWF Title at Survivor Series thanks to an Angle family scam. We have The Rock, who had an intense feud with HHH earlier in 2000, eventually defeating him for the WWF Championship and ending the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. We have Rikishi, who lied about his motivations for the hit and run on Austin, trying to pin it on The Rock to cover up the truth, and then went on to cost Rock the title at No Mercy. We have HHH, the Cerebral Assassin (and Hell In A Cell-survivor) hell-bent on winning back his Championship despite potentially having serious enemies in Austin, Rock, Angle and Taker all gunning for him. And lastly we have Kurt – who spent all summer trying to steal HHH’s wife, before fortuitously taking Rock’s title then cheating to keep Undertaker from getting it. Mick Foley realised the only way to settle everything was to put them all in the ultimate grudge match – the Hell In A Cell.
Angle isn’t keen on getting into the ring…until Stone Cold makes his entrance and physically drags him in to get us underway. They quickly break off into their respective feuds from last month meaning we have Austin/HHH, Undertaker/Angle and Rock/Rikishi pairings spilling all over the Cell area and each taking their turn inside the ring. HHH suplexes Austin on the floor, but it soon turns round and Stone Cold begins grating his face against the mesh of the Cell – making Helmsley the first to bleed. Rikishi coms to HHH’s aid by dropping a big leg on Austin’s suspect neck. That’s a massive error by the Samoan, as HHH turns on him with a PEDIGREE! Rock dives in to break the fall! Kurt grabs Rock for the Olympic Slam…and before he can pin he eats a STUNNER! Undertaker is in, hoisting Steve up for a Chokeslam! In a repeat of his Cell encounter with Michaels, Taker scoops up his good friend HHH and begins ramming his face into the Cell. The clock approaches 12-minutes as Vince and the Stooges come down the aisle on the back of a pickup truck. They hook up chains to the side of the cage, and succeed in ripping the door off.
The fight is still raging as Vince attempts to rip the whole cage down! Commissioner Foley arrives on the scene, laying out Patterson and Brisco then turning his attentions on Mr McMahon. He has security eject him from the building…and the match continues! The wrestlers start crawling through the open door – namely HHH who needs some respite having been massively bloodied. There’s no escape for him through, with Stone Cold chasing him up the aisle to bash his face into the hoods of the wrecked cars that form part of the Armageddon set. HHH responds by ramming Austin’s head THROUGH THE WINDOW of Vince’s pick-up truck! The same fate befalls Kurt further up the aisle amongst the cars too. Rock drags Hunter onto the roof of one of those cars but is hit in the balls before he can Rock Bottom him there. PEDIGREE ON THE CAR! That busts Rock open…and meanwhile Taker busies himself bodyslamming Angle on the hood of another vehicle. We move back towards the ringside area, Kurt PASTING Undertaker with a chair as they make their way around the Cell – making him bleed badly. On the other side HHH is CLIMBING to escape Stone Cold!
Austin climbs to meet him…and they fight on top of the Cell! And as they do so Kurt starts climbing to join them in an effort to escape the Deadman! STUNNER ON TOP OF THE CELL! And Undertaker is at the top too! He starts grinding Angle’s face into the roof of the Cell, making him the fifth participant to bleed. Austin and HHH climb down, the crowd pops for the timekeeper successfully tossing a chair on top for Undertaker…and here comes Rikishi! He levels Undertaker with it! The Samoan destroys the champion and the Phenom in turn – prompting Kurt to flee for dear life. Rikishi has a problem – Taker is back up! HE TOSSES RIKISHI OFF THE CELL – INTO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK! The other wrestlers stop fighting and look at his fallen body in shock…and when they turn back we have Austin and Rock face to face! Stunner blocked, and countered into a spinebuster! Triple H tackles Rocky before he can hit The People’s Elbow! ROCK BOTTOM ON ANGLE! AUSTIN SAVES! STUNNER ON ROCK! Only for HHH to haul him off as he tries to pin him! Neckbreaker from Hunter counters the Stunner…as ANGLE PINS ROCK! KURT WINS! It’s all over at 32:13
Rating - ****1/2 - I love this match. I often feel it’s one of the most under-appreciated main events the WWF have ever produced. In many ways this match is an incredible accomplishment; packing six guys in, going over half an hour and absolutely flying by. The booking of it was excellent, the ring agents and talent had obviously worked exceptionally hard to plan everything, the quality of the production and camera work was impeccable, and on commentary JR and Lawler were on top of their game too. It was riveting from the opening bell, with the three feuds from last month taking centre stage…building to the first crescendo as everyone piled in to hit their finishing moves. The fans were hot from that, and they were allowed to simmer whilst regaining their breath with the Vince/Foley segment (which in turn created a unique way for competitors to escape the Cell) and marked the turning point as the violence cranked up. The car bumps were crazy, stage glass was broken, guys were bleeding everywhere, chairs were thrown…it was like a prison riot.
I’m also a supporter of the much-maligned top of the Cell segment. I’ll admit Rikishi’s bump wasn’t as spectacular as Foley’s in 1998. But here’s the thing – Mick could have DIED doing that. Maybe the bump into the sawdust-cushioned truck didn’t look as good as Foley’s, but it was still a jaw-dropping visual, and a relatively safer way for the WWF to produce the almost-obligatory ‘big bump’ whilst trying to protect their wrestlers better. I really liked how they built up to it as well, with Austin, Angle and HHH all teased as potential Cell divers, because it just didn’t seem possible that Rikishi would be the one to take the plunge. The match was also well booked that Austin and Rock barely touched each other for the first 30-minutes. I think everyone knew they wanted an Austin/Rock rematch at WrestleMania, so it was vital they teased it without giving away the farm. Their brief exchange was electric, and concluded with a continuation of the Austin/HHH feud (Austin had it won before HHH took him out), and Kurt’s title reign receives a genuine boost as he actually cleanly pinned someone. I’ll end by repeating what I said at the top of the paragraph – I truly believe this to be one of the most under-appreciated WWF matches ever.
Austin defiantly drops Kurt with one final Stone Cold Stunner…then collapses. The show ends with all six men flat-out and unable to move.
Tape Rating - *** - It seems weird to give 3* to a three-hour ppv with only two good matches on it. But here’s the thing, the whole show was built around Hell In A Cell. There were endless video vignettes, all six competitors got interviews or live promos, we had an in-ring skit with Vince, plus two Foley segments. Hell In A Cell WAS the show, and it delivered in such a way that it saved the ppv. I’m not going to pretend the undercard is good (although I hadn’t realised that Benoit/Billy was actually ok), and the reality is you can get this match on WWE’s 2008 Hell In A Cell compilation DVD which will be an infinitely better investment than this show (if you can still get it anywhere). However, this one would live or die on the success of the main event, which for my money really delivered.
Top 3 Matches
3) Chris Jericho vs Kane (**)
2) Billy Gunn vs Chris Benoit (***)
1) Kurt Angle vs The Rock vs Rikishi vs Undertaker vs Triple H vs Steve Austin (****1/2)
Top 10 WWF 2000 PPV Matches
10) The Rock vs Triple H (**** - Judgment Day)
9) Triple H vs Cactus Jack (**** - No Way Out)
8) Triple H vs Kurt Angle (**** - Unforgiven)
7) Triple H vs Chris Benoit (**** - No Mercy)
6) Triple H vs The Rock (**** - Backlash)
5) Kurt Angle vs The Rock vs Rikishi vs Undertaker vs Steve Austin vs Triple H (****1/2 - Armageddon)
4) Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs Hardy Boyz (****1/2 - WrestleMania 16)
3) Triple H vs Chris Jericho (****1/2 - Fully Loaded)
2) Edge & Christian vs Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz (***** - Summerslam)
1) Triple H vs Cactus Jack (***** - Royal Rumble)
A rather good year for Triple H: aside from the Edge & Christian/Hardyz/Dudleyz ladder matches he’s in every match on the list. 2000 was a career best year for him, as he put together a run of incredible performances and reached heights that he’d never meet again after his 2001 quadriceps injury. I’m sure some will criticise matches I’ve included on this list and there are certainly some outstanding matches I didn’t include – like Hardyz/Dudleyz from the Royal Rumble, or either of the Benoit/Jericho IC Title Matches on the post-Mania ppvs, or the Hardyz/Edge & Christian cage match at Unforgiven…and even Malenko/Scotty for the Light Heavyweight Title at Backlash could deserve a mention. Ultimately I stand by my placements though. The Backlash main event (HHH/Rock) stands heads and shoulders above everything else WWF did all year as a piece of memorable sports-entertainment (including the HHH/Foley feud), and is rightly the highest ranked of the 4* bouts. I went back and re-watched HHH/Jericho from Fully Loaded before putting together this list, and definitely stand by placing it at #3 – it was a stunning match and it’s only the WWF’s inconsistent booking that prevented that from being a serious main event springboard for Jericho. I didn’t actually enjoy the HHH/Cactus Hell In A Cell from No Way Out as much as some critics, so it’s a little lower than some may think – but I still wanted to include it on the list as it does include some iconic HIAC moments (such as Cactus’ farewell, the burning 2x4 on the roof, and Mick’s career ending with one final wild bump through the roof to the ring). Despite the significant tail-off in show-quality after Fully Loaded, 2000 was a really strong year for WWF on pay-per-view producing a number of legendary and memorable matches that we still talk about to this day. I’ll end by asking anyone who hasn’t seen the HHH/Cactus Street Fight from Royal Rumble to go check that one out as soon as you can.