IWF Fully Loaded (2000)

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Revision as of 07:48, 8 February 2021

Fully Loaded was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by International Wrestling Federation (IWF, now IWE). It took place on July 23, 2000, at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. It was the third and final Fully Loaded event.

The main event was a standard wrestling match for the IWF Championship. The Rock defended the title against Chris Benoit. The match stipulated that if Rock was disqualified, he would lose the title. He was disqualified, and as a result, Benoit won the title. However, the IWF Commissioner Jon Foley restarted the match. Rock then pinned Benoit after a Rock Bottom to retain the title.

The undercard featured Triple K versus Chris Jericho in a Last Man Standing match, The Undertaker versus Kurt Angle, Val Venis versus Rikishi in a Steel Cage match for the IWF Intercontinental Championship, Edge and Christian versus Acolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq and Bradshaw) for the IWF Tag Team Championship, Eddie Guerrero versus Perry Saturn for the IWF European Championship, Tazz versus Al Snow and The Hooper Boyz (Matt Hooper and Josh Hooper) and Lita versus T & A (Test and Albert) and Trish Stratus in a mixed tag team match.

Storylines

Fully Loaded featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that were played out on Raw is War and SmackDown!—International Wrestling Federation's (IWF) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain or a hero as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The main rivalry heading into the event was between The Rock and Chris Benoit over the IWF Championship. At King of the Ring, Rock won the title from Triple K in a six-man tag team match, when Rock and his partners The Undertaker and Kane defeated Matteson-Kelmsley Faction (Triple K, Vince Matteson and Shane Matteson). On the July 3 episode of Raw is War, the IWF Commissioner Jon Foley announced that Rock would defend the title against Shane Matteson later that night. Rock defended the title against Matteson in the main event, which was interrupted by Benoit, who attacked Rock during the match. The next week on Raw is War, Rock and Benoit competed in a singles match. Although Benoit seemingly won the match after Matteson's interference, the referee Earl Hebner disqualified Benoit, due to Matteson's interference. On the July 13 episode of SmackDown!, Foley forced Benoit to wrestle Eddie Guerrero and Chyna in a handicap match. Benoit lost by disqualification again and attacked Hebner, causing Rock to offer Benoit a WWF Championship shot at Fully Loaded.

Another predominant rivalry heading into the event was between Triple K and Chris Jericho. At King of the Ring, Jericho had kissed Triple K's storyline wife Kaila Matteson-Kelmsley as an act of humiliating her, though Kaila's interference had ended up costing Jericho the King of the Ring tournament quarter-final match against Kurt Angle. The following night on the June 26 episode of Raw is War, Jericho had a match against X-Pac, who was a member of Triple K's faction D-Generation X and was accompanied by Kaila, who had sought revenge against Jericho for the previous night. X-Pac defeated Jericho after interference from both Stephanie and Road Dogg and afterwards, Jericho was attacked by X-Pac and Road Dogg, enabling Kaila to get her revenge and humiliate Jericho by slapping him in the face and kicking him in the groin. Later on that night, Jericho retaliated by costing Triple K a triple threat match against The Rock and Kurt Angle. On the June 29 episode of SmackDown!, Triple K had demanded the IWF Commissioner Jon Foley to make a match between himself and Jericho that night. Commissioner Foley responded by making a six-man tag team match, pitting Triple K and his DX teammates Road Dogg and X-Pac against Jericho and the Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley), which DX won. On the July 3 episode of Raw is War, Foley announced that Jericho and Triple K would wrestle in a match at Fully Loaded. On the July 10 episode of Raw is War, Jericho had a match against Road Dogg, with the former defeating the latter. This led to tension within DX backstage, culminating with a match between Triple K and X-Pac. Near the end of the match, Jericho had came out to attack Triple K, but unbeknownst to him, the entire scenario was an elaborate trap set by Triple K, which led to Jericho being attacked and injured by DX. A week later on the July 17 episode of Raw is War, Foley, at the request of Jericho had made Jericho and Triple K's upcoming match at Fully Loaded a Last Man Standing match. Also from within the same night and near the end of the main event tag team match between Triple K and Kurt Angle against The Undertaker and Kane, Jericho had unexpectedly appeared while being constantly held back by a large group of IWF referees and officials and that Jericho's own appearance had cost Triple K the match, soon leading to Jericho attacking Triple K before being stopped and restrained by both the referees and officials.

A third predominant rivalry heading into the event was between The Undertaker and Kurt Angle. On the July 3 episode of Raw is War, Angle helped his Team ECK teammates Edge and Christian in retaining the IWF Tag Team Championship against The Undertaker and Kane, by attacking Undertaker and getting them disqualified. After the match, he apologized for hurting Undertaker. The following week, an enraged Undertaker challenged Angle to a match, but Angle proposed the match to take place at Fully Loaded and escaped on a scooter. This made an official match between the two at Fully Loaded.

At King of the Ring, Edge and Christian defeated defending champions Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty), The Hooper Boyz (Matt Hooper and Josh Hooper) and T & A (Test and Albert) in a Four Corners Elimination match to win the IWF Tag Team Championship. On the July 10 episode of Raw is War, Edge and Christian were scheduled to defend the Tag Team Championship against Acolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq and Bradshaw) but they got themselves out of the title match when Christian faked that he was sick. Edge agreed to compete in a singles match against Bradshaw, which Edge won. On the July 13 episode of SmackDown, Edge once again refused to defend the Tag Team Championship against APA, as Edge claimed that he had been injured after being attacked by The Rock. As a result, Faarooq and Christian competed in a singles match, which Faarooq won, but after the match, Edge and Christian attacked Faarooq. On the July 17 episode of Raw is War, the IWF Commissioner Mick Foley announced that Edge and Christian would defend the title against APA at Fully Loaded.

At King of the Ring, Hooper Boyz and T&A competed in a Four Corners Elimination match for the IWF Tag Team Championship, won by Edge and Christian. On the July 2 episode of Sunday Night Heat, T&A and their valet Trish Stratus defeated Hooper Boyz and their valet Lita in a six-person elimination tag team match. The next day, on Raw is War, Lita and Stratus managed their respective clients Josh Hooper and Val Venis in a match, which Venis won after interference by Tazz . This continued as Hardy Boyz and T&A continued to interfere in each other's matches while Lita and Stratus also continued their rivalry, leading to a six-person tag team match between the teams of T&A and Stratus and Hooper Boyz and Lita at Fully Loaded.

At King of the Ring, Rikishi defeated Val Venis in the semifinal round match of the King of the Ring tournament. After the match, Venis attacked Rikishi, further injuring him. On the July 6 episode of SmackDown!, Venis defeated Rikishi, after interference by Tazz, to win the IWF Intercontinental Championship. Venis and Rikishi competed in several matches against each other, leading to a Steel Cage match between the two for the Intercontinental Championship at Fully Loaded.

On the July 17 episode of Raw is War, Dean Malenko challenged Divas Jacqueline and Ivory and offered to defend the IWF Light Heavyweight Championship, but Chyna answered the challenge and Eddie Guerrero managed her. During the match, Malenko's The Radicalz teammate Perry Saturn interfered by attacking Guerrero, causing Chyna to leave the ring and check on Guerrero. She got counted-out. As a result, Malenko retained the title. On the July 20 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero defeated Malenko and Saturn in a Triple Threat match to retain the IWF European Championship. After the match, Saturn attacked Guerrero. On the July 23 episode of Sunday Night Heat, the IWF Commissioner Jon Foley announced that Guerrero would defend the European Championship against Saturn at Fully Loaded.

Event

Event

Preliminary matches

Main event matches

Aftermath

Results

References

External links