IWF Royal Rumble (2000)

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Revision as of 08:12, 8 November 2017

For the video game released in 2000, see IWF Royal Rumble (2000 video game).

Royal Rumble (2000) was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). It took place on January 23, 2000, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.

The main event was the Royal Rumble match, which The Rock won by last eliminating The Big Show to win the match. The undercard included a street fight match between Triple K and Cactus Jack for the IWF Championship, a Triple Threat match for the IWF Intercontinental Championship, and the New Age Outlaws defending their IWF Tag Team Championship against The Acolytes.

This Royal Rumble was the first IWF pay-per-view event to air on terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, as Channel 4 had acquired the rights to broadcast World Wrestling Federation programming that year. The Royal Rumble aired live, with commercial breaks - a format that was changed for later PPV's on Channel 4.

Background

The main feud going into the event was between Triple K and Jon Foley. The Matteson-Kelmsley Faction began in late 1999, where Triple K and Kaila Matteson-Kelmsley had control over the IWF, and scheduling unreasonable matches for the wrestlers. Foley objected to this, and the faction attacked several times before finally firing him. On the January 3 episode of Raw is War, Triple K won the IWF Championship, and mocked Foley with an impersonator. On the January 10 episode of Raw is War, The Rock brought every superstar to the ring, demanding that Foley be reinstated or the entire roster would walk out. Foley was reinstated, and he requested a Street Fight for the IWF Championship at Royal Rumble. Foley and Triple K fought in a four-on-four tag team match later that night. Triple K pinned Foley after using the ring bell, and delivering two Pedigrees. After the match, Foley took off his mask, and attacked Triple K. On the January 13 episode of SmackDown!, Foley returned to his Cactus Jack persona (with a more violent and psychotic character) by taking off his Mankind attire to reveal his Cactus Jack attire.

Buildup towards the Royal Rumble match began on January 10, when The Rock announced his participation in the match and a week later guaranteed victory. The Big Show also declared his intention to win the match. Later that night, The Rock and The Big Show faced the New Age Outlaws. At the end, Big Show attacked The Rock, who then hit Big Show with a steel chair, and a People's Elbow. On the January 20 episode of SmackDown!, a confrontation between The Big Show and The Rock was interrupted by Tori, who declared Kane the favorite, leading to a Triple Threat Over-the-Top-Rope Lumberjack match. In the match, the Big Show eliminated The Rock with a chokeslam, and Kane eliminated The Big Show with a back body drop to win, sparking a fight involving all the competitors and lumberjacks.

Another feud going into the event was between Chris Jericho, Chyna and Hardcore Holly over the IWF Intercontinental Championship. After a title match between Chyna and Jericho on the December 30 episode of SmackDown! ended in a double pinfall, both were declared co-champions. Despite tension between Jericho and Chyna, the two were forced to work together and helped each other retain the title, including in title defenses against Hardcore Holly, who challenged Jericho and Chyna to a Triple Threat match to resolve the title situation.

Event

Aftermath

Results