Reviews

WWE Survivor Series 2000 Review

By John Canton • Published 28th October 2021

The 14th Survivor Series event took place at a time when WWE decided to have a show that was a mix of Survivor Series traditions while also furthering some very personal feuds at the time.

The main story going into the show was Steve Austin’s rivalry with Triple H. One year earlier at Survivor Series, Austin was taken out when a car ran him over in a parking lot. In reality, he had major neck surgery and missed 11 months of action leading up to his in-ring return at the October 2000 No Mercy show. It was announced that Rikishi was the driver of the car, so Austin beat him up and then we found out Triple H was the accomplice that put Rikishi up to it. That led to Austin renewing his rivalry with Triple H and a match at Survivor Series.

The other key matches were Rikishi facing off with distant cousin The Rock because he claimed to run over Austin to help Rock’s career. Meanwhile, the new WWE World Champion Kurt Angle was in for a fight against The Undertaker.

In addition to all of that, the Radicalz foursome of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko jumped to WWE earlier in 2000 to make a huge impact as some of the best in-ring performers in the company. I thought 1999 sucked in terms of matches, but once 2000 they cranked it up and it was one of the best years ever for in-ring action. The arrival of those four guys (plus Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle in the second half of 1999) certainly helped in terms of the depth of the roster.

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WWE Survivor Series
Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida
November 19, 2000

The opening video featured Triple H talking about how Steve Austin can’t survive what he can’t win. Triple H was a top heel, Austin just came back from being out of action for nearly a year and was looking for revenge against Hunter. It wasn’t the WWE Title match, but it was clearly the main event of the show.

The pyro went off by the stage and it was a packed house at the Ice Palace in Tampa. Hey, look there’s a shot of WWF New York, which was a failed business venture just like the XFL, which was mentioned during this show.

The announce team was Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler with JR noting that at the last six Survivor Series there’s been a World Title change.

Test, Albert & Trish Stratus vs. Crash Holly, Steve Blackman & Molly Holly

Pre-match notes: Mmmm Trish. Those shorts are fantastic. The T&A team are the heels while Hollys and Blackman are faces. The T&A team beat up the APA so they were wearing T&APA gear.

Blackman tripped up Albert with a kick to the legs, Crash tagged in and got a cross body block for two as Blackman assisted. JR made his first XFL reference. Trish accidentally kicked Albert in the balls. Trish tagged out before Molly could get her. Crash hit a nice headscissors takedown on Test for a two count. Test stopped him with a boot to the face. Albert slammed Crash. Test bumped heads with Crash as both guys went down. Trish tagged in, Molly hit an arm drag and body slam on her. Test pulled down Molly by grabbing the hair. Molly with a suplex. Trish got some kicks in on Molly. The four guys all battled with the faces knocking the heels out of the ring. Trish choked Molly in the corner. Trish hit a bulldog off the middle ropes for a two count. Molly hit a sunset flip off the ropes and that was enough to pin Trish to win the match at the 5:01 mark.

Winners by pinfall: Crash Holly, Steve Blackman & Molly Holly

Analysis: *1/2 A decent match to put over the faces with Molly pinning Trish. At this point in her career, Trish didn’t have that much in-ring experience while Molly was pretty good. The guys were just there in supporting roles more than anything.

My dudes Edge and Christian were backstage as WWE World Champion Kurt Angle walked up to them. Christian acted like he had mono. Angle said they shouldn’t worry about Kurt because he’s going to be fine against The Undertaker – he said he owns him.

There was a clip from earlier tonight with Tiger Ali Singh, D-Lo Brown and Mosh not being allowed into the building because they lacked credentials.

Analysis: They lack credentials, but they are still on the broadcast of the show. That’s some WWE logic for you.

Road Dogg and K-Kwik rapped on their way to the ring. Kwik was R-Truth’s name during his first run in WWE. They teamed with “The One” Billy Gunn and Chyna.

Survivor Series Elimination Match: Road Dogg, K-Kwik, Billy Gunn & Chyna vs. The Radicalz (Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn w/Terri)

Pre-match notes: The Radicalz were the heels. Guerrero was IC Champion and Malenko was the Light Heavyweight Champion. The faces were the three former DX people and Kwik.

Gunn and Chyna hit a double vertical suplex on Saturn. Chyna nailed a flapjack on Saturn followed by a handspring elbow. Saturn caught, but she broke free with a low blow and hit a DDT. Everybody else got in the ring to brawl. Eddie hit Chyna in the back with the IC Title. They used to be a couple. Saturn pinned her.

Chyna eliminated by Perry Saturn

Saturn nailed a back suplex on Road Dogg, who is wrestling in overalls. Guerrero with a senton over the top. The heels worked on Road Dogg in their corner for a bit as Guerrero focused on the left knee of Dogg. Guerrero went up top, Dogg stopped him up there and Dogg hit a superplex. Gunn tagged in for the faces, hit a Gorilla press slam on Eddie and a neckbreaker he called the One and Only that pinned Guerrero.

Eddie Guerrero eliminated by Billy Gunn

Malenko worked with Kwik for a bit, then Benoit tagged in and Kwik nailed a jumping heel kick. Kwik with a headscissors takedown. Benoit caught him and hit a nasty bridging German Suplex to pin Kwik.

K-Kwik eliminated by Chris Benoit

The heels worked over Dogg for a few minutes. Dogg nailed some punches, but Saturn connected with a bridging Northern Lights Suplex for the pin.

Road Dogg eliminated by Perry Saturn

Gunn is the last man left for his team against three heels. When Malenko whipped Gunn into the ropes, Benoit pulled the ropes down and that sent Gunn out of the ring. Gunn avoided a superkick that saw Saturn accidentally kick Benoit. Back in the ring, Gunn avoided a move and nailed Malenko with a Fameasser to eliminate him.

Dean Malenko eliminated by Billy Gunn

Gunn nailed a Jackhammer slam on Saturday that led to Benoit making the save. Benoit with a bod slam followed by a top rope headbutt for two. Gunn punched Saturn to knock him off the apron. Gunn went for a suplex on Benoit into the ring, but Saturn held the foot of Gunn and Benoit covered with Saturn holding the foot while the referee didn’t see the pin. The match time was 12:33.

Billy Gunn eliminated by Chris Benoit

Survivors: Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn

Analysis: **1/2 A cheap finish for the heels, which is fine once in a while. Sometimes you see cheap finishes that are groan-inducing, but it made sense here. The Radicalz were in their first year in WWE and were a cohesive unit at this point, so it was the right move to have them get the win. I always thought “The One” Billy Gunn was a terrible nickname, by the way. He was “The One” that could never get over as a singles wrestler.

The Rock was shown arriving as Lilian Garcia tried to talk to him. Rock just kept walking, so no interview.

Chris Jericho was interviewed by “Mitchell” Cole backstage with Jericho talking about how he’s ready for Kane.

Chris Jericho vs. Kane

Pre-match notes: They feuded because of a cup of coffee that Jericho spilled onto Kane. I’m not kidding. That’s how it started. Jericho’s the cool face while Kane is the angry heel.

Kane was aggressive early on. Jericho came back with a dropkick that sent Kane over the top to the floor. Jericho hit a dive over the top onto Kane on the floor and Jericho didn’t get all of it because part of his leg hit the top rope. Kane whipped Jericho hard into the steel steps. Jericho with a springboard dropkick. Jericho hit a dropkick into the steps that landed on Kane. Back in the ring, Kane caught Jericho jumping off the top and he hit a powerslam for two. Kane slammed Jericho stomach first. Kane with a clothesline followed by a big boot to the head. Kane was still in control as he exposed the turnbuckle. Jericho blocked another attack and Kane crushed him with several punches to the head. Kane tossed Jericho out of the ring by using one hand. Kane with a Gorilla Press Slam sent Jericho back into the ring. Kane went up top, but Jericho tripped him up. Kane jumped off the top and Jericho hit a dropkick. Both guys were down. Jericho got some momentum with a missile dropkick off the top. Jericho shoved Kane shoulder first into the exposed turnbuckle for a two count. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho submission. Kane crawled to the bottom rope and grabbed it to break the hold. Jericho with a facecrusher bulldog followed by a Lionsault. Kane sat right up with his hand on the throat. Kane picked him up and hit a Chokeslam. Kane covered for the win at the 12:32 mark.

Winner by pinfall: Kane

Analysis: **1/4 A strong win for the heel that was always booked strong at this point in his career. Kane was in control for the majority of the match. Jericho had a lot of good moves and a few exciting moments, but I don’t think anybody expected him to win. They had a Last Man Standing Match at the next PPV, Armageddon 2000, that Jericho won.

The Radicalz were in their locker room. Terri said Triple H arrived and he’ll meet with them later. Benoit just laughed.

Analysis: The Radicalz were loosely in an alliance with Triple H.

William Regal, the European Champion, did a promo ripping on the Florida crowd.

European Championship: William Regal vs. Hardcore Holly

Pre-match notes: Holly was the face and Regal was the heel. I don’t remember this rivalry at all.

Regal was aggressive early on as he worked on the left arm of Holly. He sent it into the ring post. Holly went for a suplex, but Regal pulled him down by grabbing the arm. Wave taunt from Regal to piss off the crowd. Regal with a cross armbreaker submission. The crowd is dead for this match. Regal tied Holly up in the ropes. Holly finally came back with punches and two clotheslines. He tossed Regal over the top to the floor. Holly sent Regal into the steel steps. Holly grabbed the European Title, went back in the rind hit Regal with it to end the match at 5:43.

Winner by disqualification: William Regal

Post match, Holly threw more punches. Regal left the ring.

Analysis: 1/2* Who booked that? Brutal match. Holly never really got going and when he did, he used a title as a weapon. What a stupid ending that I guess was done to show that Holly is used to using weapons in hardcore matches. It was a forgettable match.

Backstage, Trish Stratus showed up to talk to Kurt Angle. He said it’s year two of the Kurt Angle WWF legacy. Trish said that maybe Kurt needs some “special assistance” tonight. He told her to tell T&A no thanks because he can beat The Undertaker on his own. He left.

Analysis: Poor Kurt was oblivious to flirting with a hot woman. Shortly after this, Trish had a bigger role in the company as the mistress of Vince McMahon until she turned on him at WrestleMania 17.

The video package aired for The Rock vs. Rikishi. Rikishi claimed he ran over Steve Austin for The Rock and that they are family. Rock claimed he was lying and told Rikishi to stay out of Rock’s life. It was later revealed that Rikishi did it for Triple H, so Rock wanted revenge on Rikishi.

Analysis: This video didn’t air it, but Rikishi originally said: “I did it for da people, I did it for da Rock.” It was so cheesy.

Rikishi entered to barely a reaction for him. The Rock got a massive reaction full of cheers. He sprinted to the ring.

The Rock vs. Rikishi

The crowd was on fire as Rock brought the fight with a back body drop. Rock brought a chair into the ring. Ref Tim White took it away, which led to a superkick by Rikishi. Leg drop by Rikishi with the announcers noted Rock had a bruised sternum. Rikishi pounded on him with punches. Hard whip into the corner by Rikishi followed by a sidewalk slam by two. Rikishi sent Rock’s head into the timekeeper’s table. Rikishi dropped Rock sternum first on the barricade. The ref was outside the ring with them telling them to get back in the ring. Rikishi whipped Rock into the ref “accidentally” and sent Rock back into the ring. Rikishi grabbed a sledgehammer from under the ring. Rock punched Rikishi before he could use the sledgehammer. Rock hit a Rock Bottom on Rikishi. The ref crawled back into the ring, a tired Rock slowly made a cover and Rikishi kicked out at two because it took too long for Rock to cover. Rock came back with punches, but then Rikishi nailed a headbutt. Running headbutt by Rikishi. Rock tried a comeback, but Rikishi dropped him with a Samoan Drop followed by Rikishi sitting on Rock’s chest for a two count. Running butt splash by Rikishi in the corner. Rikishi teased the stinkface, the crowd was booing heavily and Rikishi did the stinkface. JR was ranting about the huge ass in Rock’s face. Rock came back with a huge clothesline that Rikishi sold by doing a flip bump. Very impressive bump from Rikishi. Rock avoided a superkick and hit a spinebuster. The crowd was on fire as Rock set up and hit the People’s Elbow. Rock said “fuck” with the camera right on him. What a great actor! Haha. Rock crawled over, hooked the leg and that was enough to win the match at the 11:19 mark.

Winner by pinfall: The Rock

Analysis: *** It was a pretty good match with Rock getting the win as expected since he’s the face in the feud. Rock did a good job of selling the chest injury the whole match and when he came back from it, the crowd was totally behind him. It was an easy story to tell with the bigger Rikishi in control for much of the match. I thought he could have used a Rock Bottom or something more for the pin because it looked a bit weak. Rock was higher up on the totem pole while Rikishi wasn’t catching on as a heel as WWE had hoped.

Post match, Rikishi nailed a superkick to knock down Rock. Rikishi hit a Banzai Drop followed by another as JR noted Rikishi weighed 424 pounds. Rikishi hit a third Banzai Drop and he punched two referees. He went to leave until he went back into the ring and hit a fourth Banzai Drop. Rock sold the pain with JR noting that Rock will never be the same.

Analysis: Rikishi lost, but he got the heat back after it was over. That was their last singles PPV match although both of them were in the Armageddon 2000 six-man Hell in a Cell match.

There was a shot of WWF New York with Raven standing alone. I’m sure he was thrilled to be there.

Steve Austin was shown backstage arriving at the show.

Triple H was in a room on some couches with the Radicalz. Commissioner Mick Foley showed up to say Triple H’s buddies aren’t allowed at ringside. Foley also said he made Triple H’s match with Austin a No Disqualification match. Triple H was fine with that and Foley left.

Women’s Championship: Ivory vs. Lita

Pre-match notes: Ivory was the heel champion that was part of Right to Censor. Lita was a face that was in her first year.

Lita with a hip toss. They had a sloppy exchange and Lita nailed an enziguri. Clothesline from Lita as the announcers mocked the ring attire of Ivory. Lita was bleeding above the left eye. Ivory hit a suplex for a two count. Lita with a headscissors takedown followed by a hurricanrana that dropped Ivory right on her head. Ouch. A replay showed Ivory busted Lita open with a punch. Steven Richards from RTC walked to ringside. Lita tossed Ivory to the floor, went up top and hit a cross body block to take out Ivory and Steven. Back in the ring, cross body block off the top by Lita earned a two count. Steven pulled Ivory out of the ring when Lita went for a moonsault, so Lita hit the mat. Steven distracted the ref and Lita hit a back suplex. Lita ripped off her shirt to show off her bra, which the crowd liked. Cheap pop! Lita went up top for another moonsault, Ivory had the Women’s Title in her hands and Lita hit the title when Lita hit the move. Ivory covered to win at the 4:53 mark.

Winner by pinfall: Ivory

Analysis: *3/4 A cheap win by the heel Ivory. I had totally forgotten about the blood that Lita shed in the match. It was a lot, but she fought through it and earned the respect of the crowd.

They went backstage with Jonathon Coachman saying that The Rock was having a great deal of chest pains and coughing up a lot of blood.

Kane was walking backstage. Jericho showed up with a chair, hit him in the back and drove him back first into a steel door backstage. Jericho hit Kane with some pieces of wood. Referees showed up to break it up.

Analysis: It was a way to continue the feud. Like I mentioned earlier, they had a Last Man Standing at the Armageddon PPV the month after this.

A video package aired to set up WWE Champion Kurt Angle against The Undertaker, who was the American Badass at this point.

The Undertaker was interviewed by Michael Cole backstage. He noted it was ten years since his debut at Survivor Series 1990. It was called a Decade of Destruction. He was confident about beating Angle.

Angle made his entrance. He did a promo telling the audience to take a moment of silence to think back on their favorite Angle moment in the last year. Angle bragged about his accomplishments, but Undertaker’s music hit and Undertaker made his entrance on a motorcycle.

Analysis: I was a huge Angle fan right away. His entire WWE run was so impressive. He had a great rookie year that included a WWE World Title win one month earlier at No Mercy 2000.

What was up with those Undertaker pants? Did he lose a bet or something? Strange. It was the only time he ever wore them on television.

WWE World Championship: Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker

Pre-match notes: Angle was the heel champion. Undertaker was the face. Undertaker was wearing these leopard leather pants. He should have just worn black all the time.

The crowd was into the match right away with Angle going to the floor. Undertaker tossed a chair to Angle and told him to use it. The ref took it away. Angle grabbed it and hit Undertaker in the back. The bell rang. Boot to the face by Undertaker and a leg drop, but he pulled Angle up to give him a body slam followed by an elbow drop leading to Undertaker picking him up again. Taker hit his Old School clothesline. Angle bailed to the floor again. Back in the ring, Undertaker nailed Angle with punches. Angle came back with a German Suplex for two. A clothesline by Angle sent Taker over the top to the floor. While outside the ring, Taker drove Angle back first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Undertaker missed a boot and Angle stomped away on the left leg of Taker. Angle charged in, so Undertaker took him down with an armbar. Edge and Christian showed up at ringside. They were standing on the apron, the ref was looking at Edge and Angle tapped out. Ref never saw it. Christian draped Undertaker’s neck against the top rope, so Angle applied a kneebar. A fan in the crowd has a “nice face” sign. I guess that’s trash talk.

Undertaker broke free, left the ring and punched Edge and Christian repeatedly. The referee sent Edge and Christian to the back. Back in the ring, Undertaker hit a Chokeslam. The ref was still dealing with E&C. When Hebner got back into the ring, Angle kicked out at the two count because the ref wasn’t there. Angle rollup gets two. Taker got a side Russian legsweep for a two count. Angle tripped up Taker again and rammed his left leg into the ring apron a few times. Angle applied the Figure Four Leglock to weaken the leg more. Undertaker reversed it and Angle got to the ropes. A powerslam by Undertaker earned a two count. Angle pulled him to the ring post and applied the ringpost Figure Four, which is a move Bret Hart made famous. Angle broke the hold after a five count. Undertaker fought back with punches and sent Angle face first into the top turnbuckle for a two count. Angle hit a low blow that the ref apparently didn’t see even though he was standing right there. That was weird. Undertaker wanted a Tombstone, but Angle fought out of it and Undertaker punched him out of the ring. Angle crawled under the ring. Undertaker pulled Angle back out and hit a Last Ride Powerbomb. Hebner counted one…two…and stopped. He pointed at the guy. The real Kurt Angle showed up, rolled up Undertaker from behind, did the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! while grabbing the tights and won the match at the 16:12 mark.

Winner by pinfall: Kurt Angle

Post match, the announcers wondered what happened. The camera focused on the face of the guy in the ring and he looked like Angle. It was later revealed it was one of Angle’s brothers.

Analysis: **1/2 It was a very cheap win for Angle, which is how they booked his title reign especially at the start of his title reign. Good offense from Angle all match long, but working on the knee didn’t factor into the finish at all. There were several segments earlier in the show where Angle said he had it figured out. It paid off because he had his brother there as a decoy for the finish. Undertaker was a part of the Armageddon six man WWE Title match inside Hell in a Cell one month after this. Their best match was No Way Out 2006 if you want to check that out on WWE Network. It was one of the best matches that year.

After replays aired, Angle was shown running into the parking lot and he jumped into a car. He drove off.

There was a commercial for the XFL cheerleaders with the tagline: “Don’t worry, we’ll teach them how to cheer.” My reaction? Don’t worry, you’ll lose a lot of money.

Survivor Series Elimination Match: Edge & Christian, Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather (w/Val Venis) vs. Jeff & Matt Hardy, Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley

Pre-match notes: The Edge & Christian along with RTC guys were the heels while the Hardys and Dudleys were the faces. Buchanan and Goodfather were the Tag Team Champions.

There were some quick tags in the match with different people working. Matt nailed a running clothesline on Edge and a body slam on Christian. Neckbreaker by Matt to Edge. The Dudleys and Hardys worked together to hit a triple DDT on three of the heels. Hardys took off their shirts to show they had Duley Boyz gear and then took off their shirts so they could wrestle shirtless. Val tripped Matt while he was on the ropes (the ref didn’t see it) and Edge hit the Edgeomatic to pin Matt.

Matt Hardy eliminated by Edge

D-Von hit a neckbreaker on Edge followed by a clothesline. Double clothesline by D-Von on E&C. Buchanan nailed a cheap shot on D-Von and Christian hit the Unprettier to eliminate D-Von.

D-Von Dudley eliminated by Christian

Jeff and Bubba were left for the faces as Jeff nailed a moonsault. Christian whipped Jeff into the ring post as the fans chanted for tables. Press slam from Buchanan on Jeff. Bubba tagged in with slams and back body drops for the heels. He dumped Goodfather out of the ring. He avoided an Edge Spear that hit Buchanan and Bubba pinned Buchanan.

Bull Buchanan eliminated by Bubba Ray Dudley

Bubba hit a Full Nelson Bomb on Edge. Christian off the top, Bubba avoided a splash and Christian hit Edge with it. Bubba’s elbow eliminated Edge.

Edge eliminated by Bubba Ray Dudley

Goodfather dumped Jeff out of the ring. Goodfather and Christian worked together. Goodfather hit a Death Valley Driver to eliminate Bubba.

Bubba Ray Dudley eliminated by The Goodfather

Jeff collided with the Goodfather to knock him off the apron to the floor. Christian hit the ring post after missing a corner charge. Jeff slammed him, went up top and hit the Swanton Bomb to eliminate Christian.

Christian eliminated by Jeff Hardy

Goodfather missed a corner charge on Jeff and collided with his buddy Val on the apron. Jeff covered to eliminate Goodfather at the 16:42 mark.

The Goodfather eliminated by Jeff Hardy

Survivor: Jeff Hardy

Analysis: **1/2 It was an okay match. Like I always say when champions are in title matches, they often fail to win since they are already carrying titles. The story was about how Jeff Hardy was able to win when he was the last man left against two guys.

Post match, Steven Richards ran down to the ring so all four Right to Censor guys were in the ring. Goodfather hit a Death Valley Driver on Jeff and Val hit a top rope splash. The Dudleys and Matt hardy saved Jeff with a 3D plus Matt hitting the Twist of Faith twice. D-Von hit the diving headbutt to the groin of Val.

It was “GET THE TABLES” time. The crowd went wild for that. The four faces set up two tables in the ring. Matt jumped off a table and put Val through the table with a leg drop. Bubba gave Richards a Powerbomb through a table. The Dudleys music played to end the segment.

Analysis: The crowd went wild for the tables during the match and they got them after the match was over. A feel good moment for the crowd.

Steve Austin was shown walking backstage for his match with Triple H.

Triple H was backstage with the Radicalz with Benoit saying we know what to do and Triple H telling them to do it.

A video package aired to set up Austin vs. Triple H. There was a huge segment with Triple H admitting that he was the accomplice with Rikishi as they left Austin a bloody mess. Triple H noted that he gained the most while Austin was gone because he held the WWE Title the most, he married the boss’ daughter and he ran the company in Austin’s absence. Foley put Austin in a match at Survivor Series.

Analysis: The story made sense with Triple H as the top heel in the company that took out the top face for a year. Since Rikishi flopped as a heel, it was a way to transfer a lot of the heat over to Triple H because he was the one that ordered the hit.

Triple H made his entrance alone with JR saying that Hunter was one of the most psychotic human beings that any of us have ever encountered.

The glass broke and Steve Austin made his entrance. Loud ovation like usual for the Rattlesnake. He didn’t do his customary posing on the aprons. He went right for Triple H.

Analysis: I was pumped for this match. Austin was my favorite guy in the company and I missed him a lot when he was gone. While he was gone, Triple H had an incredible year in 2000 and it was one of the best years of any wrestler in any year. I was excited to see what would happen.

No Disqualification: Triple H vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Pre-match notes: I think I covered it, but Triple H is the heel and Austin is the face.

Austin was aggressive early with a barrage of punches. Eye poke by Triple H created some space. Austin with a knee to the gut. Facebuster by Triple H and Austin came back with a Thesz Press followed by the punches and an elbow drop. They went brawling up the aisle with Austin in control. Triple H came back with punches of his own. They went over near the technician area. It went to the backstage area, but Austin came back with punches and a running clothesline. Suplex by Triple H by the entrance area on the floor because there was no ramp. They went back to the ringside area with Austin whipping Hunter shoulder first into the steel steps. Both announce tables were cleared off. Austin hit Triple H in the head with a monitor. Austin walked away, which gave Triple H a chance to blade himself and he was bleeding. Austin hit Triple H in the head with a beer cooler and then he drank a beer. He said he was thirsty. Austin slammed Triple H’s head into the steps. Austin to somebody at ringside: “Clean that shit up!”

Back in the ring, they got into another slugfest. Hunter hit a low blow kick to take control. Austin came back with a Stunner attempt, but Triple H countered with a neckbreaker. That was a good sequence. Hunter was on offense for a bit. Austin nailed a spinebuster. He went for an elbow drop off the middle rope and Hunter moved out of the way, so Austin crashed into the mat. They went outside the ring with Hunter teasing a Pedigree on the steps. Austin countered it with a back body drop on the English announce table. The timekeeper and ref were clearing off the table, so you could tell that was coming. Austin slammed Hunter onto the broken table. They went back into the ring with Hunter backing off from an attack. Hunter stumbled around and Austin hit a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin didn’t go for the pinfall as JR said he didn’t understand this. Austin placed a chair around the left ankle of Hunter. Hebner told him not to do it, so Austin put the chair around the neck. The crowd was cheering wildly for it! Hunter broke free and left the ring. JR called them “two magnificent stallions” as they brawled up the aisle again.

The action spilled backstage with Austin pounding on Hunter. Austin tossed Hunter into a vending machine. The Radicalz showed up to attack Austin. Eddie helped Hunter up while the other three guys pounded on Austin. Hunter left the arena and went into the parking lot. Referees showed up to break it up. Hunter was shown getting into a Lincoln car in the parking lot. Benoit ran into the parking lot and Austin followed him.

Match Result: No Contest

Analysis: ***1/2 A very good match with an ending that pissed people off. They had a very physical brawl with no points in the match where it felt dead. The No DQ stipulation allowed them to brawl outside the ring, so that’s what they did for a lot of the match. There weren’t that many nearfalls early on because they told the story that this match was a fight rather than a typical wrestling match. There were a lot of punches and kicks with no rest holds to put over the idea that it was a brutal fight. I know those kinds of matches aren’t for every fan, but it worked for these performers in this feud because they had a blood feud and that’s the kind of match it should have been. Their match at No Way Out 2001 was one of the best matches in the history of the company. I absolutely loved it. Check that one out if you’re looking for the best Austin/Hunter match.

A camera in the parking lot showed Benoit and Austin fighting again. Benoit threw Austin into a truck. Hunter asked Benoit where Austin went. Benoit went back into the arena. Hunter was shown in the car. Austin commandeered a forklift. He put the forklift on Hunter’s car. Austin told him he had a hell of a ride coming. Austin raised the car up with Hunter yelling at him he’s going to regret this. The car was raised about 15 feet high in the air as Austin flashed the middle fingers. They switched camera angles to a wide shot, Hunter goes “holy shit” and the car dropped face first. The crowd in the arena cheered wildly. Austin walked out of the forklift and JR was yelling about how it was the Rattlesnake’s revenge as the show went off the air.

Analysis: I remember people being angry about the ending. They wanted a conclusion to the match that was more of a regular wrestling match finish. It bothered me a bit, but I didn’t hate it like most people because I figured that they would do more. That was the match at No Way Out 2001 that I wrote about as one of the best matches in the history of the company. If you’re wondering how they followed it up, Hunter was only out for one week and returned to action without selling the car crash on the November 27 Raw, so eight days after that.

The show had a run time of 2 hours and 42 minutes.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

– There were three main matches as part of this show with Steve Austin vs. Triple H, Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker and Rock vs. Rikishi as the big three. Only Rock vs. Rikishi had a clean finish of the three. I think that’s why this felt like more of a transitional show rather than something that ended rivalries.

– A lot of this show felt like something done to set up the Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2000. That’s weird because Survivor Series should be considered the more major show. In looking at the buyrates, this show did 400,000 while Armageddon did 465,000, so it can be argued that Armageddon was the more important show with a unique HIAC main event match.

– I didn’t have any memory of the elimination matches before I watched them for this review. It was good to see Jeff Hardy booked to do so well because he was a star on the rise.

– Lita’s blood loss was a big surprise to me too because I had totally forgotten about that. It was not a blade job or intentional in any way. It was just a rare thing that looked bad. I’m glad she was able to get through the match. I’m assuming she earned a lot of respect with her ability to fight through that.

– I wonder if The Undertaker regretted his choice of pants at this show. They looked awful and so unlike anything he would normally wear. I’m not sure what he was thinking with that outfit.

Show rating (out of 10): 5.5

It was a disappointing show considering the lineup they had. The year 2000 had the best PPVs of any calendar year in WWE history and this was on the low end of shows that year.

OPINIONS

Best Match: Steve Austin vs. Triple H

Worst Match: Hardcore Holly vs. William Regal

Most Memorable Moment: The car stunt was a unique way to end the main event match.

FIVE STARS

1. Steve Austin

2. Triple H

3. The Rock

4. Jeff Hardy

5. Kurt Angle

That’s all for me. Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Thanks for reading.

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