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TJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 05/15/00 Review (Shawn Michaels Returns)

TJR Wrestling

This was the go-home episode of Raw heading into Judgment Day 2000. The main event of Judgment Day 2000 was The Rock defending the WWF Title against Triple H in a 60-Minute Iron Man Match.

The synopsis for this episode on WWE Network is: “Commissioner Shawn Michaels drops a bombshell about his career and the upcoming Iron Man match between The Rock and Triple H.”

Check out our WWF TV in 2000 archives in case you missed anything from earlier in the year. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport and tweet me to talk about this show or anything else. Let’s get to it.

WWF Raw #364
May 15, 2000
From Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio

This edition of Raw is rated TV-14 with the dreaded “S” for Sexual Content.

The Raw intro video aired. The pyro went off, the arena was full, there were signs everywhere and a lot of energy in the building. Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler were on commentary as usual.

The Rock was shown arriving at the arena. He missed the previous week because he was filming The Mummy Returns. It was smart of the WWF to show that he was there to let the fans know he would be part of the show this week.

Let’s Hear from Shawn Michaels

The music of Shawn Michaels hit as the Commissioner of the WWF entered to a huge pop. This was his first time on Raw in 2000. He was wearing a TWA shirt (his wrestling school at the time), a sport coat and a San Antonio Spurs hat. This was over two years after his last match from his first retirement at WrestleMania 14 in 1998. That ovation was loud and well deserved.

Analysis: The wrestling school he ran is where guys like Daniel Bryan, Brian Kendrick and Lance Cade trained to wrestle.

Michaels reminded us that his name is the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and one time years ago, they used to refer to him as the greatest wrestler that ever lived. Since that time, he has been the WWF Commissioner. Michaels said that there have been a lot of things that have gone on that people should have been punished for, but that didn’t happen and that is his fault. Michaels said that he’s got a great number of priorities in his life including the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Alliance, the Texas Wrestling Academy and more importantly than all of that, the biggest priority in his life is his beautiful wife Rebecca and his 4-month old baby boy Cameron. The crowd cheered that. Michaels said that as a result of all that, he hasn’t been good at his job.

Michaels said that he was going to resign as the Commissioner of the WWF because a lot of things have gone on there. He said that the first person that should be punished is him. Michaels claimed that this whole “era” thing in the WWF is his fault and he reminded us that at the first ever Smackdown last August, he put these wheels in motion.

A clip aired of Michaels hitting Rock with a superkick to help Triple H retain the WWF Title with Michaels as the referee.

Vince McMahon’s music hit as the WWF Chairman Vince McMahon walked down to the ring with a smile on his face.

Vince was greeted with the “Asshole” chants as soon as he tried to talk. Vince told the fans not to ruin this moment and said that was some of the greatest archival footage in the history of the WWF. Vince said he didn’t invite him, but he knows Shawn didn’t need an invitation. Shawn replied by saying that actually he was invited by the WWF CEO Linda McMahon, which drew cheers.

Michaels said he had two announcements. On one hand, he did resign as WWF Commissioner. Thanks to Linda McMahon, Shawn is now the official spokesman for the WWF. Michaels added that this Sunday at Judgment Day, there’s the Iron Man Match between the WWF Champion The Rock and the challenger, Vince’s son-in-law Triple H. Shawn said that he was sitting at home with his family and he was thinking there was one dude that he knows that made the Iron Man Match famous (referring to himself). Michaels noted that he wasn’t afraid of it, he’s done it before and he’s gone 60-minutes and he figured he should be the Special Referee at Judgment Day.

Vince said that Shawn caught him off guard and said that there’s no doubt that Shawn was one of the greatest WWF Champions of all time as well as one of the most resilient champions. Vince wondered how resilient Shawn is now. Vince poked Shawn in the chest a few times, so Shawn shoved Vince on his ass, which led to a big pop from the crowd. Shawn’s music played to end it. Shawn left with a smirk on his face while also doing some DX crotch chop mannerisms. The crowd loved this.

Analysis: It was big news to add Michaels to the Iron Man Match as the referee. It was a great idea to add more star power to the match with Michaels clearly in a babyface role.

(Commercial)

There was a replay from the Shawn/Vince segment that took place before the break.

There was a “during the break” video of Shawn Michaels leaving the arena. While Michaels left, Degeneration X was shown arriving in a limousine. Big Show went up to them looking for Shane McMahon, but he wasn’t with them.

The Dudleys made their entrance. Steve Blackman and Al Snow were shown backstage getting ready for their match. Snow was meditating because he’s a serious person now.

The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) vs. Al Snow and Steve Blackman

Pre-match notes: The Dudleys were faces. Snow and Blackman were heels after they stopped doing comedy bits.

D-Von started with Snow while Road Dogg, X-Pac and Tori were on the ramp watching the match since DX faces the Dudleys at Judgment Day. D-Von hit a back elbow on Snow. Snow with a back body drop on Bubba and a punch. Blackman charged in, Bubba grabbed him and hit a slam. D-Von up top with the headbutt to the groin on Blackman while the referee wasn’t looking. Snow tripped up D-Von and sent him face first into the ramp. D-Von hit a double clothesline. Bubba got the hot tag with clotheslines, back body drop on Snow, belly to back suplex on Blackman, D-Von back in and Blackman hit a dropkick on Bubba. They messed up some spot there because Bubba and Blackman just walked out of the ring. JR: “They look lost in there.” Yep. Bubba went back in the ring, the Dudleys hit 3D on Snow and that was it at 3:07.

Winners by pinfall: The Dudley Boyz

Analysis: 1/4* That was an ugly mess. I don’t know who screwed up or where it went wrong, but they clearly got mixed up towards the end of the match. It was at that point where they just went to the finish. Dudleys getting the win made sense since they were getting a push while Snow/Blackman were barely on TV.

Post match, Blackman kicked D-Von and Bubba threw Blackman out of the ring. X-Pac hit the X-Factor on Bubba. D-Von was sent out of the ring. Bubba grabbed a table and set it up on the floor. X-Pac set Bubba up on the table, Dogg teased a dive, but Tori said she’ll do it. Tori went up top and splashed Bubba through the table. That was impressive and as you can see from the image posted, they filmed it from the ground, so it was the perfect angle for it.

Tori celebrated with a DX chop over Bubba along with X-Pac and Road Dogg celebrating. Bubba was down on the broken table.

Analysis: That was well done. The story was about Bubba wanting to put Tori through a table like he has done to other women, so giving Tori and DX the upper hand was the right move here to build up to Bubba getting his hands on her at a later date.

(Commercial)

They showed a replay of Tori putting Bubba through the table.

Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von were in a hallway with Bubba in a trance. D-Von said that at Judgment Day, they will get their revenge.

Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, who was the Women’s Champion that didn’t defend the title, appeared on the stage for a promo. Stephanie said she is so incredibly proud of Tori putting Bubba Ray Dudley through that table while adding that Tori isn’t the only woman to suffer humiliation and degradation. She called for footage of Rikishi nearly giving her the Stinkface on Smackdown, but Triple H saved her. The acting by Stephanie in this segment was poor. Stephanie said that tonight, Rikishi faces a man that feels the exact same way that she does.

Kurt Angle entered. He went in to try to hug Stephanie, he stopped and they shook hands instead.

Angle said that maybe the Stinkface is how people in Samoa greet eachother. Angle said that rubbing butts is the kind of behavior in Samoa and Cleveland, then said that’s how Cleveland got their name (the Cleveland Browns actually got their name from former owner Paul Brown, but it was good heel line from Kurt). Angle said that the Stinkface is not a sanctioned wrestling move and it does not belong in this ring.

Rikishi vs. Kurt Angle

Pre-match notes: They dumped the “Phatu” part of the Rikishi name officially, so it’s just Rikishi now. Angle was the heel and Rikishi was the face.

Rikishi with punches, Angle went for a slam, which didn’t work and Rikishi hit a body slam followed by a leg drop. Angle went for a sunset flip, Rikishi moved and Rikishi hit a corner clothesline. The trio of Edge, Christian and Pat Patterson appeared on the stage. Rikishi went for the Stinkface, so E&C ran into the ring. Rikishi hit them with clotheslines and the referee called for the bell at 1:04.

Winner by disqualification: Rikishi

Analysis: DUD It was barely a match due to the DQ finish one minute into it. Give these guys more time, please.

Rikishi sent Edge, Christian and Angle against the turnbuckle. Rikishi with a running back splash on the three heels. Too Cool ran out to the ring, so the three faces cleared house and the heels retreated. Rikishi and Too Cool did their dance as the crowd cheered them.

Analysis: It was a basic angle to build to the six-man tag team match at Judgment Day with Angle, Edge and Christian facing Rikishi and Too Cool.

Big Show was shown in the parking lot waiting for Shane McMahon. A replay aired from Smackdown with Shane McMahon attacking Show when he was put through a table.

(Commercial)

The Godfather entered with the ho’s. Godfather did his usual pre-match promo with the crowd chanting along with everything. Crash Holly was the opponent in a Hardcore Title match.

Hardcore Championship: Crash Holly vs. The Godfather

Pre-match notes: Crash was a tweener, but I would say more like a face. The Godfather was a face.

Godfather with a running shoulder tackle followed by a boot to the face. Godfather hit Crash with the dreaded broom to the face, a body slam and Godfather missed an elbow. Godfather sent Crash over the top to the floor. Godfather whipped Crash into the scale that Crash brought to ringside. Back in the ring, Godfather hit a powerslam. Crash countered a Ho Train attack with a Stop sign to the head of Crash. D-Lo Brown went down to the ring, punched Crash in the back of the head and hit the Low Down splash off the top on Godfather. Brown hit a Sky High on Crash, but Godfather broke up the pin. Brown punched Godfather and Godfather gave him a back body drop out of the ring, so they left. A Ho in a really short pink skirt covered Crash, the referee counted and the new Hardcore Champion is…a Ho at 2:32.

Winner and New Hardcore Champion: A Ho

Analysis: 1/2* It was one of the most boring hardcore matches you’ll ever see with a comedy finish.

I think WWE forgot about this moment when they talk about the Women’s Evolution. Gee, I wonder why!

Crash got back up, he gave the Ho the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! for the pinfall win and he’s the champ again.

Winner by pinfall and New Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly

The trio of Triple H, Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley were shown walking backstage for a promo. Meanwhile, Big Show was still waiting to fight Shane McMahon in the parking lot.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from the McMahon-Helmsley Regime

Triple H entered along with wife Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and the WWF Chairman Vince McMahon for a promo. It was the top of the second hour.

Vince announced that Shawn Michaels has left the building (a nice nod to the early HBK gimmick in 1993) and it’s a damn good thing that he has. The fans were chanting “Asshole” at Vince as usual. Vince informed the crowd that the WWF Champion The Rock will be in this very ring where he will face the Intercontinental Champion Chris Benoit and Vince made it a Submission Match. Hunter said Rock doesn’t know any submission moves.

Hunter took over saying that Rock is going to answer his challenge, which is the 60-Minute Iron Man Match at Judgment Day on Sunday. Hunter spoke about how nobody wants to try to do this match because they don’t have the ability to do it. Hunter wondered if Rock had that ability and then stated that he had that ability and then some. Hunter said that he’s going to be the undisputed WWF Champion at Judgment Day. It was the usual Triple H promo where he repeated things he said in previous weeks.

Hunter spoke about Shawn Michaels saying they have had quite of a past together. Hunter noted he had a hell of a past with Shawn, but he didn’t know if he had a present. Hunter said that if Shawn doesn’t call it down the middle then he will have no future.

The Rock made his entrance to a thunderous ovation with JR noting that Rock was back from Morocco filming The Mummy 2 (The Mummy Returns), which was his first movie role and why Rock wasn’t at WWF TV the previous week.

The Rock started off letting us know he has finally come back to Cleveland. Rock said that since he is officially back on Raw, he said he is going to officially kick Triple H’s candy ass at Judgment Day. Lawler: “For an hour?” Yep. Rock said he realizes there is something that makes Triple H have nightmares and it’s the fact that as good as Triple H is, The Rock is simply better. Rock said he’ll prove that at Judgment Day.

Rock said that he smells a rat with Shawn Michaels as the referee. Rock pointed out that the last time, Michaels cost Rock the WWF Title. Rock said that Michaels better call it down the middle or Rock will take his boot and shove it straight up his candy ass.

Rock spoke about tonight’s Submission Match with Chris Benoit and Rock said he’s going to get the job done. Rock told Triple H at Judgment Day, he may think one hour is too long for Rock, but Rock said that one hour isn’t long enough…if ya smell and you know the rest.

Analysis: Great promo from Rock as usual. He was missed. Hunter’s promo was repetitive because that’s what he liked to do.

(Commercial)

Chris Jericho and Hardcore Holly entered for a Hardcore Match. No pre-match promo from Jericho was rare.

Hardcore Match: Chris Jericho vs. Hardcore Holly

Pre-match notes: Jericho was the face and Holly was the heel.

Jericho and Holly got into a brawl early on. JR accidentally called Jericho “Benoit” two times in the first 20 seconds of the match, but then he got it right. They left the ring with Holly whipping Jericho into the steel steps. Jericho with a drop toe hold that sent Holly into the steel steps. Holly came back with a clothesline. Holly had a chair and Jericho hit a baseball slide dropkick into the ribs of Holly. Jericho dumped Holly over the barricade leading to another slugfest between them. They went over to a railing to try a spot, but that wasn’t happening and they went back over the barricade after Holly gave Jericho a back body drop onto the floor. Holly grabbed a leather strap from under the ring and hit Jericho in the back with it. Holly jumped off the top with a trash can, but Jericho hit a dropkick into the trash can to knock Holly down. Jericho hit Holly in the head with the trash can. Jericho slapped on the Walls of Jericho submission, but Chris Benoit ran down to the ring and slapped on a Dragon Sleeper on Jericho. Holly went back into the ring, hit Jericho in the head with a steel chair and covered for the win while Benoit left. It went 4:30.

Winner by pinfall: Hardcore Holly

Analysis: **1/2 That was an intense brawl with a predictable cheap finish since it was a Hardcore Match. Jericho losing to Holly didn’t make Jericho look good, but since there was interference, Jericho was at least protected in that way.

Here’s a photo of Holly’s win and a sign that says “I sucked a monkey’s nipple 4 these seats” on it. The Rock liked to reference monkey nipples sometimes. I don’t want to know what this fan would suck to get an even better seat.

Big Show was shown in the parking lot as a limousine pulled up to the arena because he thought it was Shane McMahon. Show pulled the guy out of the limo and it was a random guy with a mustache.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Shane McMahon

Shane McMahon entered the ring for a promo. Shane said that Big Show can stop asking “which way did he go?” because Shane is in the ring now. Shane complained about fans chanting “Shane’s a pu**y” at him and he pointed out that it means he’s a cat. Shane said that he is so frisky as a cat that is Young Simba and he’s going to face Big Show in a No Disqualification Match at Judgment Day. Shane said that after he has defeated Big Show as Shane is victorious, the only question that is left is: “Which way did he go?” And here comes Big Show.

Analysis: It took them a while to officially announce the Shane vs. Show match, but they got there. I think they could have announced it earlier instead of six days before Judgment Day.

Big Show did a promo saying he was happy to get Shane in a match at Judgment Day. Show said he’s a “Big Nasty Bastard” like it says on his shirt. When Show got in the ring, Shane left the ring and told Show he has a Handicap Match right now against T&A.

Big Show vs. Test & Albert (w/Trish Stratus, Gerald Brisco & Shane McMahon)

Pre-match notes: Big Show was a face. T&A were the heels that were working with Shane in the weeks leading up to this.

Big Show was in his t-shirt and jeans to make it look like he wasn’t ready for the match. Show even had his wedding ring on. Show worked over Test with a big boot, clothesline and he tossed Test across the ring. Show gave Albert a powerslam. Show teased a Chokeslam, so Test did a chop block to the back of the left leg. Albert with a splash and Test hit a boot to the face. Test and Albert hit a double suplex on Show for two counts for each guy. Show avoided a splash from Albert, Show with a clothesline on Test and Show with a sidewalk slam on Albert. Trish gave Test a steel chair and Show punched the chair into Test’s face to knock him down. Show hit a spinebuster on Albert. Trish went into the ring, she slapped Show and Show grabbed her by the throat, which drew a big pop. Brisco went into the ring, so Show gave Brisco a Chokeslam. Shane hit Show in the back with a steel chair leading to the DQ finish at 3:37.

Winner by disqualification: Big Show

Analysis: ** That was okay as a story to make Show look dominant while Shane was the coward that used the chair for the cheap shot. It was a better match than I expected going into it. Handicap matches happened way too often in this era, but they got through this fine.

Shane left the ring after Show no sold the chair shot and Show slowly chased Shane up the ramp. Show managed to get his hands on Shane. Show launched Shane into the WWF.com sign above the entrance. Test and Albert tried to attack Show, but Show gave them headbutts and put them down. Show left standing tall. The crowd loved all of this.

Analysis: This angle was very effective in terms of getting Big Show over as a face. The comedy bits worked in the previous month, but you can tell going into Judgment Day there was more of a focus of making Show a more serious face. It was easy to get the crowd behind Show because the fans hated Shane.

(Commercial)

Eddie Guerrero and Chyna vs. Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn

Pre-match notes: Eddie and Chyna were faces with Eddie as the European Champion. Malenko was the Light Heavyweight Champion and a heel with Saturn. The Judgment Day match was Eddie vs. Dean vs. Perry for the European Title.

Saturn suplexed Guerrero over the top to the floor. Malenko backbreaker on Chyna. Guerrero knocked Saturn off the top. Chyna worked over with punches followed by the handspring elbow to a nice pop. Guerrero with an athletic dropkick on Saturn and a belly to back suplex on Malenko. Guerrero with a jumping side kick. Malenko with a baseball slide dropkick on Guerrero while he was on the floor. Saturn and Malenko sent Guerrero into the turnbuckle followed by a gutbuster knee to the ribs. Guerrero got a rollup on Malenko and Malenko hit a clothesline. Saturn with a body slam. Saturn went up top and he connected with an elbow drop for two. Saturn went back up, Guerrero knocked Saturn off the turnbuckle and hit a hurricanrana off the top. Chyna got the tag with clotheslines for the two heels, Chyna with a powerslam on Saturn and a back body drop on Malenko. Chyna with a DDT on Malenko, Guerrero worked over Saturn and Guerrero was whipped into Chyna. Chyna hit a low blow on Guerrero because she thought it was Saturn and Saturn hit a brainbuster on Guerrero to get the pinfall win at 5:09.

Winners by pinfall: Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko

Analysis: **3/4 Good action from the moment it began. The three guys worked really well together. Chyna was a step slow compared to them, but she got through it fine. The accidental low blow finish was clever.

Edge and Christian were in the hallway when Michael Cole showed up for an interview, who asked why they were putting their titles on the line. Christian asked Cole why he would dye his hair like a 14-year-old. Christian rules. Edge said they had something special for the fans in Cleveland.

(Commercial)

Edge and Christian made their entrance. They are the WWF Tag Team Champions while JR let us know that Shane McMahon has been taken to a “local medical facility” because WWE doesn’t like to say hospital.

E&C said they had a special five-second pose that they called a Cleveland Indians relief pitcher that led to them re-enacting a baseball scene where they watched a home run.

The Hardy Boyz and APA entered to complete the entrances for this triple threat tag team match.

WWF Tag Team Championships: Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) vs. The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw)

Pre-match notes: Edge and Christian were the heel WWF Tag Team Champions. The Hardys and Acolytes were faces.

The Acolytes brawled with the Hardys while E&C left the ring. Bradshaw with a kick to Matt. Edge went into the ring with a clothesline on Matt. Jeff hit the Poetry in Motion corner attack on Edge. Edge came back with a back body drop on Jeff. Christian tagged in leading to a double headbutt from E&C on Jeff. Jeff hit a springboard corkscrew moonsault on Christian. Matt tagged in against Edge with a neckbreaker. Jeff hit a cross body over the top on Bradshaw on the floor. Matt hit a Twist of Fate on Edge, but the referee wasn’t there. When the ref Teddy Long showed up, Matt got back up. Long went back to looking at the guys on the floor, so Christian hit the Unprettier on Matt and Edge pinned Matt for the pinfall win at 2:25.

Winners by pinfall: Edge & Christian

Analysis: *1/2 That felt like the kind of match where they were rushed for time and they made sure to get everything in without telling much of a story. The Acolytes were not even tagged into the match at all. It also made no sense that referee Teddy Long would be watching the guys on the floor when there was action in the ring, but Long was often booked to be an incompetent referee.

(Commercial)

Vince McMahon was shown in the locker room talking to Chris Benoit about the main event. Michael Cole showed up, Vince left and Cole asked Benoit what he was talking to Vince about. Benoit said that he’s the Intercontinental Champion with the most devastating submission hold in the WWF, the Crippler Crossface and said he’ll show it to Chris Jericho. Benoit asked how many submission holds does The Rock know? Benoit left.

The Rock was shown walking backstage because the main event was up next.

(Commercial)

Chris Benoit was up first as the Intercontinental Champion with not much of a reaction, but there were some boos.

The Rock entered with the WWF Championship in his hands as the crowd gave him a huge ovation as usual.

After The Rock’s entrance, Triple H and wifey Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley entered the arena to watch the match at ringside.

Submission Match: The Rock vs. Chris Benoit

Pre-match notes: The Rock was the babyface WWF Champion and Benoit was the heel Intercontinental Champion. Neither title was on the line.

Benoit took down Rock with a takedown by the left leg as JR correctly pointing out that Rock doesn’t use finishing moves. Rock hit a DDT. Rock tried for an armbar, but Benoit got to the ropes and Benoit hit the knee to the ribs. Vince McMahon walked down to the ring. JR: “Oh God. Some call him the devil himself.” Benoit with a suplex on Rock. Benoit slapped on a Sharpshooter submission with JR referencing Bret Hart and Rock got to the bottom rope to break the hold. Rock came back with a whip into the ropes followed by a clothesline. Benoit with two German Suplexes. Rock fought back with a Rock Bottom leading to both guys laying out on the mat looking exhausted. The referee Tim White counted them down while JR wondered why White was counting because this can only end with a submission. They got back up with Rock dominating with punches followed by a spinebuster. Rock slapped on the Figure Four Leglock on Benoit. It didn’t look that great, but it got the job done. Stephanie distracted the referee, so Triple H pulled Benoit to the ropes to break the hold when the ref noticed it. Rock punched Triple H off the apron. Benoit took down Rock with the Crippler Crossface, so Vince did his Montreal 1997 Screwjob actions saying “ring the bell” at the timekeeper to end the match at 6:55. The Rock did not give up, but Benoit was announced as the winner.

Winner by submission (sort of): Chris Benoit

Analysis: **1/2 Good match with the classic screwjob finish that the WWF loved doing way too often. They even did a similar ending a week earlier when Triple H called for the bell when Benoit “won” back the IC Title from Jericho. This ending was so cheap that it didn’t hurt Rock to lose the match.

Post match, Vince made Lillian Garcia announce the result as Benoit winning by submission.

Triple H went into the ring as the heels stomped away on Rock with punches and kicks against the turnbuckle. Rock fought back with punches. Vince went into the ring, Rock stared at him and Vince left. Chris Jericho showed up to prevent Vince from leaving up the ramp. Rock grabbed Vince, then Hunter saved Vince and Jericho went into the ring. That led to Jericho slapping the Walls of Jericho on Triple H while Rock hit Benoit with a Rock Bottom. The crowd was loving all of this.

Road Dogg and X-Pac went into the ring to attack Rock and Jericho. They stomped away on them. The Dudleys showed up with a table in their hands. The Dudleys set up the table in the ring. The Dudleys punched X-Pac and Road Dogg out of the ring. Jericho and Benoit left the ring too.

Rock and Triple H battled in the ring with the table in there with them. Hunter went for a clothesline, Rock grabbed him and Rock gave Hunter a Rock Bottom through the table.

Analysis: That was set up well with the Dudleys out there to set up the table for the Rock/Triple H spot while the Dudleys and the others left the ring. Good execution of show-ending angles was something the WWF did very well during this period.

The Rock posed with the WWF Title as he stood tall to end the show. JR shilled Judgment Day and that was all for Raw this week.

This episode of Raw had a runtime of 1:33:11 on WWE Network.

Three Stars of the Show

  1. The Rock
  2. Shawn Michaels
  3. Vince McMahon

Final Thoughts

This Raw episode gets a 6.5 out of 10.

The second half of the show was very good with a hot ending angle although I was tired of the screwjob finishes. The first half was just average, aside from the Shawn Michaels return, which was nice to see. It was good to have The Rock back because the way the crowd reacted to him was on another level from everybody else.

Congrats to that Ho on becoming Hardcore Champion too. It was truly an iconic moment in WWF history…or not. You decide.

Check out our WWF TV in 2000 archives for my reviews of every other previous Raw, Smackdown and PPV from 2000 as well.

Thanks for reading. My contact info is below.

John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport

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