wrestling / Video Reviews
Hall’s WWE Raw Review 2.7.00
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Monday Night Raw
Date: February 7, 2000
Location: Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 12,893
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
This is from a white hot period for the WWF as everything is clicking and we’re on the way to No Way Out 2000. The big story right now though is the debut of four new wrestlers known as the Radicalz, who showed up last week. Granted one of them is already out of action as Eddie Guerrero broke his arm in his debut match but we’ll get to see where it goes from here. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the Radicalz making their in-ring debuts, with Guerrero getting hurt and Chris Benoit losing to HHH because that’s how you start.
Opening sequence.
Here is X-Pac, with Tori, for a match but the Radicalz interrupt. X-Pac grabs a chair as Perry Saturn talks about how they came here last week to earn a contract. Dean Malenko says they had a chance last week but they just weren’t good enough. Eddie Guerrero thanks the fans and Chris Benoit wants to thank Cactus Jack. Cue Jack for some hugs but HHH and Stephanie McMahon interrupt.
McMahon mocks Jack for the Radicalz losing and asks if he’s going to bring in the Dallas Cowboys to try and beat HHH (in 2000…..yeah I’d bet on HHH). Speaking of HHH, he’s sick of Jack and wants to do this one more time for good. It can be for the WWF Title and Jack can even pick the stipulation (uh oh). There can be no sharp metallic objects though, including barbed wire or thumbtacks. Jack clarifies the rules (Lawler reiterates my “uh oh”) and says that only leaves one option: Hell In The Cell.
HHH knows this is bad before agreeing to the match…if Jack puts his career on the line too (being smart enough to include every Face Of Foley). Jack says he’s done it all in the WWF and lists off his resume (which isn’t bad for just shy of four years) but there is one thing he hasn’t done: main event Wrestlemania. He’s fine with putting his career on the line but if he wins, that’s it. If he wins, there are no more rematches and Jack goes to Wrestlemania and faces the winner of the Big Show and the Rock in the main event.
HHH agrees and is ready to fight right now, though he says that the four Radicalz can either support Jack or the man who gave them their contracts. The Radicalz jump Jack and the beatdown is on, with X-Pac (oh yeah he’s here too) joining in. The Pedigree leaves Jack laying. Awesome stuff here, with the stakes being raised yet again and Jack making you believe that he just might pull the whole thing off.
Post break, HHH says he and X-Pac are teaming up with the Radicalz against Foley and whomever he can find.
Tag Team Titles: New Age Outlaws vs. Edge & Christian
The Outlaws are defending and here are the Dudleys to join commentary. Gunn takes over on Christian to start and everything breaks down rather quickly. A spear drops Dogg on the floor and something like Poetry In Motion hits him in the corner. Dogg takes over on Edge though and Gunn gets two off a Jackhammer.
A double neckbreaker gets Edge out of trouble and it’s Christian coming in to clean house. The reverse layout DDT gets two with Gunn making the save, which earn him a spear. Everything breaks down again and Bubba cutters Christian over the top, meaning it’s the pumphandle slam to give Dogg the retaining pin at 6:12.
Rating: C+. One thing people might forget is just how good Edge & Christian were before the injuries and age took their toll. These guys were as smooth as you could get in the ring at this point and it was a treat to get to see them doing their thing. The Outlaws’ time had clearly come and gone too, as there was no way they could keep up with teams like these guys, the Hardys and the Dudleys.
Post match Edge & Christian go after the Dudleys to chase them off.
Mark Henry is worried about pregnant Mae Young, who needs some more rest.
Here is Kurt Angle to talk about facing Mark Henry, who thinks they’re alike due to both being Olympians. Angle won a gold medal and Henry impregnated an 80 year old woman. While LIVING IN SIN is ok with Dallas, it’s not ok with him!
Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry
Angle easily takes him down for a front facelock to start and gets powerslammed for his efforts. The splash gives Henry two but he misses a charge out to the floor. Mae Young comes in to jump Angle for the DQ at 2:01.
Post match Angle gives Young the Olympic Slam and Henry just looks at things.
Post break Young is taken out on a stretcher but wakes up in the back, saying she wants to be on top. Then she takes her top off and scares an EMT.
Crash Holly is ready to fight the Acolytes but Hardcore thinks he’s hit Crash in the head one too many times.
Hollys vs. Acolytes
Hardcore match and the Acolytes clear the ring to start. The brawl immediately heads to the back and they find a mostly empty concession stand. The Acolytes get some beer (Faarooq just drinks out of the tap) but Holly hits Faarooq in the head with a bottle. Cue Viscera to, after slipping on beer, hit Bradshaw with a 2×4 to give Hardcore the pin at 2:38. Yeah it was stupid and silly, but they were out fast. If you have to do this stuff, don’t waste time with it.
Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. Viscera
Jericho is defe….ok if you don’t know this, I’m not sure why you’re here. Before the match, Jericho calls him the love child of Mr. T. and Fat Albert and he pities the fool that messes with Y2J. An elbow out of the corner staggers Viscera and Jericho gets in a missile dropkick. Viscera kicks him out to the floor and a hard slam drops Jericho again. Back in and Viscera misses an elbow, allowing Jericho to hit the bulldog. There’s the Lionsault, which draws in the Hollys for the DQ at 2:59.
Post match the Acolytes run in for the save. The Acolytes manage a double suplex to drop Viscera, which is fairly impressive.
We look back at the opening segment.
The Radicalz aren’t going to apologize for anything because this is all about the almighty dollar. If Mick Foley can’t find friends, so be it, as Perry Saturn never liked him in the first place.
Luna Vachon rants to Gangrel about a chair being wrapped around her head. That means she’s going to beat Jacqueline (not named here) for the Women’s Title.
Women’s Title: Luna Vachon vs. Jacqueline
Vachon, with Gangrel, is challenging and Jacqueline is the hometown star. The brawl is on to start and the referee gets crushed between them, with Lawler approving. They get back inside and Vachon hits something like an AA, only to miss a Vader Bomb. The German suplex retains the title at 1:14. Women’s wrestling in 2000 everyone.
Post match Gangrel gives Jacqueline the Impaler.
Video on Taz, who only debuted a few weeks ago.
The Rock interrupts Kevin Kelly because FINALLY he has come back to Dallas. Rock asks him if he’s ever had….pie. Kelly says he had some delicious apple pie earlier but Rock meant….pie. Kelly suggests that he’s had quite a bit of pie, which Rock doesn’t believe. He puts a Pie shirt on his face and talks about going to No Way Out to beat Big Show.
After making sure Kelly is still enjoying his pie, Rock says Cactus Jack is officially down 5-2. The Radicalz are told where they can put their contracts and the eyebrow is raised. Looking back on these shows tells you how ridiculous Rock was at times but dang he made it seem cool. It just worked and he knew it did, which was the case again here.
The Godfather introduces D’Lo Brown to his crop of Dallas women.
Godfather/D’Lo Brown vs. Dudley Boyz
The Dudleys interrupt the entrance so Godfather hammers on D-Von to start. Brown comes in and gets slammed but avoids the middle rope legdrop. The Ho Train connects but a chop block breaks up the Pimp Drop. Godfather can’t stand up so Brown comes in for the Low Down and Sky High to D-Von. That’s broken up and it’s a 3D to finish Brown at 2:48.
Post match Bubba loads up BB (an EMT) for a powerbomb through a table but Edge And Christian make a save.
Remember the opening segment that we’ve seen twice now? Here’s a third time.
Cactus Jack says don’t make a mistake by betting against him. He’s been proving people wrong for fifteen years now and he’ll keep doing it. Jack didn’t ask for Rock’s help but he’s not stupid enough to turn it down. Tonight he’s going to prove people wrong again. This was intense Jack and shockingly enough, it was good.
D-Generation X/Radicalz vs. Rock/Cactus Jack
Hold on though as the bell rings and Rikishi and Too Cool run in to make it 5-5. That’s a nice touch as it keeps the energy going, with the fans believing it was a handicap match and then changing it at the last possible second. It’s a huge brawl to start with Rock beating HHH up the ramp and Jack taking Benoit into the crowd. We settle down to Sexay neckbreakering X-Pac and powerslamming Saturn.
Scotty comes in for the Worm to Saturn but Malenko gets in a cheap shot. Saturn’s belly to belly lets Malenko come in so Scotty gives him a suplex of his own. Rikishi runs Malenko over and Samoan drops Benoit, who is dumb enough to try a German suplex. That earns him the running shot in the corner and it’s Jack coming in to stomp Benoit in the corner. HHH is knocked off the apron and it’s Jack getting beaten up on the floor again. It’s off to HHH to stomp away so X-Pac comes in, earning himself a neckbreaker from Jack.
Rock comes in (because the crowd wasn’t going nuts enough) and hits a Rock Bottom but HHH makes the save. The running clothesline hits X-Pac and Sexay gets in the Hip Hop Drop. X-Pac fights up and brings HHH back in to knock the glasses off of Sexay’s face. Saturn drops his own leg for two and it’s back to Malenko for a double dropkick.
The fans clap Sexay back to life though and he hits a double DDT, allowing Jack to come back in and clean house. Hang on though as the referee didn’t see the tag so everything breaks down. In the melee, HHH hits a Pedigree to Sexay so Benoit can hit the Swan Dive for the pin at 10:12 (Jack hit Benoit for the save but Benoit completely ignored it, which was a weird visual but maybe there was some confusion).
Rating: B+. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about this match in reverent terms before and I can see why. The action is good, the match does not stop once throughout, and it is never close to boring. What makes this work though is the crowd, as they are completely on board with everything going on throughout. It feels like you’re on a roller coaster with them the whole time, as the fans stay right there with the heroes through every up and down. Awesome match here and it’s easy to see why it’s so memorable.
Post match the brawl stays on with the New Age Outlaws running in with pipes. The lights go out…and Paul Bearer is here, with the returning Kane (in the awesome inverted color gear). The villains all stop so Kane can beat them up one at a time to end the show.
Results
New Age Outlaws b. Edge & Christian – Pumphandle slam Christian
Kurt Angle b. Mark Henry via DQ when Mae Young interfered
Hollys b. Acolytes – 2×4 to Bradshaw
Chris Jericho b. Viscera via DQ when the Hollys interfered
Jacqueline b. Luna Vachon – Bridging German suplex
Dudley Boyz b. Godfather/D’Lo Brown – 3D to Brown
D-Generation X/Radicalz b. The Rock/Cactus Jack/Too Cool/Rikishi – Swan Dive to Sexay
