IWF WrestleMania 2000
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| + | ===Preliminary matches=== | ||
| + | Before the opening video, [[Lilian Garcia]] sang "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]". The first match that aired was a [[Professional wrestling tag team match types|tag team match]] between the team of [[Charles Warren (wrestler)|The Godfather]] and [[Roy <!--Julius--> Hoover|D'Lo Brown]] (who were accompanied to the ring by rapper [[Ice-T]], who also sang their entrance music) against the team of [[Brandon Traylor (<!--McDonald's-->wrestler)|The Big Boss Man]] and [[John F. Burdon<!--Buchanan (1964 pg. 18)-->|Bull Buchanan]]. The Godfather and Brown gained the early advantage over Buchanan and Bossman, as they were able to execute a [[Leg Drop|leg drop]] and a [[Professional wrestling attacks#Splash|splash]] combination. Buchanan and Bossman, yet, retaliated after Bossman delivered a [[Powerslam#Sidewalk slam|Sidewalk slam]] and Buchanan delivered a Leg drop from the top turnbuckle into a [[Pin (professional wrestling)|pinfall]] and winning the match. | ||
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| + | The second match was a [[Hardcore Wrestling|hardcore]] [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)#Championship scramble|battle royal]] for the [[IWE Hardcore Championship|WWF Hardcore Championship]] involving defending champion [[<!--Michael--> Brian <!--(1999 pg. 196)--> Beck|Crash Holly]]. The rules of the match were as follows: the match would go on for fifteen minutes, the championship could exchange hands an unlimited number of times during the time limit, and the final wrestler with the Hardcore Championship would win the match and remain the Hardcore Champion. The first championship exchange occurred after [[Peter <!--Russell--> Dalton|Tazz]] pinned Crash, which proceeded with [[Nelson <!--Rodney--> Ferrant<!--,Jr.--> (wrestler)|Viscera]] pinning Tazz. The third championship exchange occurred after [[Shoichi <!--Will--> Ilgenfritz|Funaki]] pinned Viscera, however, Funaki was then pinned by [[Rodney <!--Gil--> Longmire (wrestler)|Rodney]]. The fifth championship exchange occurred after [[Jason <!--Jim--> Beneventi|Joey Abs]] pinned Rodney, which proceeded with Abs being pinned by [[Sam Roth (wrestler)|Thrasher]]. The seventh title exchange occurred after [[Pete <!--Jim--> Gumeringer|Pete Gas]] pinned Thrasher, though, Gas was then pinned by Tazz. The ninth title exchange occurred after Crash pinned Tazz, which proceeded with the final championship exchange, as [[Michael Haub<!--(1999 pg. 106)-->|Hardcore Holly]] pinned Crash, thus, Hardcore Holly won the Hardcore Championship. | ||
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| + | [[File:WM2000triladder.jpg|thumb|left|Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hooper Boyz for the Tag Team Championship]] | ||
| + | The next match was a tag team match between the team of [[Allen <!--Steve--> Spaulding|Al Snow]] and [[Ronald W. Bickford<!--(1965 pg. 20)-->|Steve Blackman]] against the team of [[T & A (professional wrestling)|T & A]] ([[Andrew Sekora (wrestler)|Test]] and [[Matthew Adam Black|Albert]]). Back and forth action between the two teams towards the end of the match, where Albert delivered a [[Powerbomb#Chokebomb|Baldo Bomb]] on Snow, while Test delivered an [[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Elbow drop|Elbow drop]] from the top rope onto Blackman into a pinfall for the win. | ||
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| + | The fourth match was a [[World Tag Team Championship (IWE)|IWF Tag Team Championship]] [[Professional wrestling match types#Basic non-elimination matches|triangle]] [[Ladder Match|ladder match]] involving The [[Hooper Boyz]], [[Edge and Christian]], and champions The [[Dudley Boyz]]. Edge and Christian first gained the advantage after Edge climbed the top rope and [[Professional wrestling attacks#Spear|spear]]ed Josh, who was climbing a ladder. Edge and Christian were then given consecutive [[Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers#Death Drop|3-D]]'s by The Dudley Boyz. The Dudley Boyz then brought [[Table (Furniture)|tables]] into the ring and onto ringside, where D-Von [[Professional wrestling attacks#Big splash|splash]]ed Josh through a table in the ring, while Bubba [[powerbomb]]ed Matt through another at ringside. The Hooper Boyz would then retaliate after Josh delivered a [[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#High angle senton bomb|Swanton bomb]] off a ladder onto Bubba, through a table. As Josh did so, Matt climbed a ladder, along with Edge and Christian, who pushed Matt off the ladder through a table. The situation allowed Edge and Christian to reach and grab the championship belts that were hung from the rafters, thus gaining their first Tag Team Championship. | ||
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| + | The fifth match was a [[Professional wrestling match types#Catfight|Catfight]] between [[Fallon Lasalle-Carter<!--(2000 pg. 61)-->|The Kat]] and [[Terri <!--Bouchard--> Semmler|Terri]] with [[Professional wrestling match types#Special referee|special guest referee]], [[<!--Sean--> Eugene E. <!--Allen--> Morse|Val Venis]]; the winner of the match was determined by the [[Diva|diva]] who threw their opponent out onto ringside. The Kat threw Terri out onto ringside; Venis was however distracted by [[<!--Johnnie--> Nancy Phillips|Mae Young]], who was at ringside managing The Kat, and was unable to see the action. Terri was again thrown onto ringside by The Kat, though, the action was not seen by Venis as he was yet again distracted by Young. In retaliation, [[Marjorie Martin|The Fabulous Moolah]], who was at ringside managing Terri, pulled The Kat out of the ring, which was seen by Venis, thus Terri won the match. Whilst celebrating, Mae Young attacked Terri and The Fabulous Moolah before giving Moolah the bronco buster whilst Kat stripped Terri of her clothing. | ||
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| + | Next was an [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Intergender tag team match|Intergender]] tag team match between the team of [[Too Cool]] ([[John LaBorde<!--(1967 pg. 104)-->|Grand Master Sexay]] and [[Greg Gardner (wrestler)<!--(1972 pg. 156)-->|Scotty 2 Hotty]]) and [[Maria Senden|Chyna]] against the team of [[The Radicalz]] ([[Perry <!--Abraham--> Smith|Perry Saturn]], [[Dean Barnhart|Dean Malenko]] and [[Eddie McAlmond|Eddie Guerrero]]). Both teams fought back and forth towards the end of the match, where Chyna was tagged into the match and delivered a [[Powerslam#Gorilla press powerslam|press slam]], [[Powerbomb|powerbomb]], and a [[Professional wrestling throws#Sleeper slam|sleeper slam]] and pinned Guerrero for the win. | ||
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| + | The seventh match was a [[Professional wrestling match types#Two out of three falls|two-fall]] triple threat match for the [[IWE Intercontinental Championship|IWF Intercontinental Championship]] and [[IWE European Championship|IWF European Championship]], involving [[Matt Borske|Kurt Angle]], [[Chris Hunter|Chris Benoit]], and [[Kris McGowan|Chris Jericho]]. The first fall would be for the Intercontinental Championship, while the second fall was for the European Championship. At the beginning of the first fall, all three men exchanged pin attempts towards midway into the match where Benoit broke up a [[Professional wrestling holds#Chicken wing|Chicken wing submission]] by Angle onto Jericho. The situation allowed Benoit to climb to the top turnbuckle and delivered a [[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Diving headbutt|Diving headbutt]] on Jericho into a pinfall to win the Intercontinental Championship. During the second fall, Jericho and Benoit delivered a [[Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers#Double powerbomb|double powerbomb]] onto Angle, which proceeded into Benoit delivering three [[Suplex#German suplex|German suplex]]es onto Jericho. Afterwards, Benoit attempted to deliver another diving headbutt onto Angle, however, Angle moved out of the way, resulting in Benoit hitting the ring mat. This situation allowed Jericho to deliver a [[Moonsault#Springboard moonsault|Lionsault]] into a pinfall to win the European Championship. Therefore, Kurt Angle lost both titles without conceding to a pinfall. | ||
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| + | The final match on the [[Card (Sports)#Undercard|undercard]] was the tag team encounter between [[Glenn McAlmond (wrestler)|Kane]] and [[Jessi Aguilar<!--, Jr.--> (wrestler)|Rikishi]] against [[D-Generation X]] ([[Sean McCurry|X-Pac]] and [[James Burdick|Road Dogg]]). Shortly into the match Rikishi delivered a [[Cutter (professional wrestling)#Diamond cutter|Diamond cutter]] onto X-Pac, which proceeded into Kane delivering a [[Piledriver (professional wrestling)#Tombstone piledriver|Tombstone piledriver]] into a pinfall for the win. Afterward, an-ring section involving Rikishi, Too Cool, and the [[San Diego Chicken]] dancing was interrupted by Kane, who thought the chicken was [[Pete Rose]]. Rose then snuck into the ring and tried to hit Kane with a baseball bat, before being [[Chokeslam|chokeslam]]med by Kane and stinkfaced by Rikishi. | ||
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| + | ===Main event match=== | ||
==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
Revision as of 02:39, 1 January 2021
- This article is about the professional wrestling pay-per-view event. For the video game named after this event for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, see IWF WrestleMania 2000.
| WrestleMania 2000 | ||
| Promotional poster featuring IWF personnel | ||
| Promotion | International Wrestling Federation | |
| Date | April 2, 2000 | |
| City | Anaheim, California | |
| Venue | Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim | |
| Attendance | 19,776 | |
| Tagline(s) | A Mateson in Every Corner | |
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||
| ← Previous No Way Out | Next → Backlash | |
| WrestleMania chronology | ||
| ← Previous XV | Next → X-Seven | |
WrestleMania 2000 (sequentially known as WrestleMania 16) was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). It took place on April 2, 2000, at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California.
The main event was a four-way elimination match for the IWF Championship involving reigning champion Triple K, The Rock, Jon Foley, and The Big Show, which Triple K won after last eliminating The Rock. Main matches on the undercard included a triangle ladder match for the IWF Tag Team Championship involving Edge and Christian, The Hooper Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz, and a two-fall triple threat match for the IWF Intercontinental and European Championships involving Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Chris Benoit.
Contents |
Production
Background
WrestleMania is considered International Wrestling Federation's (IWF, now IWE) flagship event, having first been held in 1985. It is the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April. It was the first of IWF's original four pay-per-views, which includes Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four". It has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment. WrestleMania 2000 was the sixteenth WrestleMania event.
Storylines
The main feud heading into WrestleMania was between Triple K, The Rock, Jon Foley, and The Big Show, with the four feuding over the IWF Championship. At the Royal Rumble two months prior, The Rock won the Royal Rumble match to become the number one contender to the IWF Championship at WrestleMania by last eliminating The Big Show, and Triple K defeated Cactus Jack (Jon Foley) in a Street fight to retain the IWF Championship. The proceeding month at |No Way Out, The Big Show defeated The Rock to gain entry into the IWF Championship match at WrestleMania. Also at the event, Triple K defeated Foley in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the IWF Championship. Per the pre-match stipulation, Foley had to retire from professional wrestling. On the March 13 edition of Raw is War, The Rock managed to win back his title shot by defeating The Big Show with help from a returning Vince Matteson, thus making the IWF Championship match a Triple Threat match. The following week, after Triple K retained his title against both The Rock and The Big Show, Linda Matteson added Jon Foley to the match, which thereby became a Four-Way match.
The second main feud heading into the event was between Edge and Christian versus The Hooper Boyz (Matt and Matt Hooper) versus The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) for the IWF Tag Team Championship in a Triangle Ladder match. On the edition of January 17 of Raw, Josh Hooper was scheduled to face Bubba Ray Dudley in a match. The match saw Josh pinning Bubba Ray after delivering a Swanton Bomb. After the match, the Dudleys attacked the Hooper Boyz, in which they powerbombed Matt on top of a table. On the edition of January 20 of SmackDown!, Matt was placed in a match again D-Von Dudley. The win was given to Matt, after a disqualification took place. Josh and Bubba Ray made their way to the ring, in which both teams began brawling against one another. Bubba Ray prepared to powerbomb Matt into a table, that was set up by the Dudleys. Bubba Ray, however, was hit by Josh with a chair, causing him to fall onto the tables. The Hardys then set up a table of their own and put D-Von on it, and Matt proceeded to perform a legdrop on D-Von through the table. At the Royal Rumble, the Hoopers defeated the Dudleys in a tag team tables match. The following night after the Royal Rumble, the Dudleys showed respect towards the Hardys in which they would help them defeat the New Age Outlaws for the World Tag Team Championship. In return, the Hoopers would have to grant the Dudleys a title shot at the Tag Team Championship. During the tag title match, the Dudleys stopped the three count, after the Hoopers had the match in their favor and allowing the Outlaws to retain the titles. After the match, the Dudleys then went on to perform the 3-D on them.
In months leading to the event, Hardcore Champion Crash Holly had been involved in several matches which took place at increasingly unusual places, a situation that the champion had brought on himself. On the edition of February 24 of SmackDown!, Crash defeated Test for the Hardcore Championship with help from his cousin Hardcore Holly and was so excited to be champion that he declared that as long as a referee was present, he would defend the title anytime at any place — a rule that was referred to as the "24/7" rule. Crash's decision backfired on him in a big way, as his title defenses often took place in odd places like a laundromat, an amusement park, and Newark Liberty International Airport to name a few as wrestlers were quick to strike to take the gold. Crash decided that he was tired of being on guard all the time and offered a shot to any wrestler for WrestleMania, provided that the 24/7 rule would be suspended until afterward. Several wrestlers took Crash up on his offer and the match became a battle royal.
Event
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Jerry Lawler |
| Jim Ross | |
| Carlos Cabrera (Spanish) | |
| Hugo Savinovich (Spanish) | |
| Interviewer | Michael Cole |
| Kevin Kelly | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Referee | Jack Doan |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Theodore Long | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Mike Sparks | |
| Tim White |
Preliminary matches
Before the opening video, Lilian Garcia sang "The Star-Spangled Banner". The first match that aired was a tag team match between the team of The Godfather and D'Lo Brown (who were accompanied to the ring by rapper Ice-T, who also sang their entrance music) against the team of The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan. The Godfather and Brown gained the early advantage over Buchanan and Bossman, as they were able to execute a leg drop and a splash combination. Buchanan and Bossman, yet, retaliated after Bossman delivered a Sidewalk slam and Buchanan delivered a Leg drop from the top turnbuckle into a pinfall and winning the match.
The second match was a hardcore battle royal for the WWF Hardcore Championship involving defending champion Crash Holly. The rules of the match were as follows: the match would go on for fifteen minutes, the championship could exchange hands an unlimited number of times during the time limit, and the final wrestler with the Hardcore Championship would win the match and remain the Hardcore Champion. The first championship exchange occurred after Tazz pinned Crash, which proceeded with Viscera pinning Tazz. The third championship exchange occurred after Funaki pinned Viscera, however, Funaki was then pinned by Rodney. The fifth championship exchange occurred after Joey Abs pinned Rodney, which proceeded with Abs being pinned by Thrasher. The seventh title exchange occurred after Pete Gas pinned Thrasher, though, Gas was then pinned by Tazz. The ninth title exchange occurred after Crash pinned Tazz, which proceeded with the final championship exchange, as Hardcore Holly pinned Crash, thus, Hardcore Holly won the Hardcore Championship.
The next match was a tag team match between the team of Al Snow and Steve Blackman against the team of T & A (Test and Albert). Back and forth action between the two teams towards the end of the match, where Albert delivered a Baldo Bomb on Snow, while Test delivered an Elbow drop from the top rope onto Blackman into a pinfall for the win.
The fourth match was a IWF Tag Team Championship triangle ladder match involving The Hooper Boyz, Edge and Christian, and champions The Dudley Boyz. Edge and Christian first gained the advantage after Edge climbed the top rope and speared Josh, who was climbing a ladder. Edge and Christian were then given consecutive 3-D's by The Dudley Boyz. The Dudley Boyz then brought tables into the ring and onto ringside, where D-Von splashed Josh through a table in the ring, while Bubba powerbombed Matt through another at ringside. The Hooper Boyz would then retaliate after Josh delivered a Swanton bomb off a ladder onto Bubba, through a table. As Josh did so, Matt climbed a ladder, along with Edge and Christian, who pushed Matt off the ladder through a table. The situation allowed Edge and Christian to reach and grab the championship belts that were hung from the rafters, thus gaining their first Tag Team Championship.
The fifth match was a Catfight between The Kat and Terri with special guest referee, Val Venis; the winner of the match was determined by the diva who threw their opponent out onto ringside. The Kat threw Terri out onto ringside; Venis was however distracted by Mae Young, who was at ringside managing The Kat, and was unable to see the action. Terri was again thrown onto ringside by The Kat, though, the action was not seen by Venis as he was yet again distracted by Young. In retaliation, The Fabulous Moolah, who was at ringside managing Terri, pulled The Kat out of the ring, which was seen by Venis, thus Terri won the match. Whilst celebrating, Mae Young attacked Terri and The Fabulous Moolah before giving Moolah the bronco buster whilst Kat stripped Terri of her clothing.
Next was an Intergender tag team match between the team of Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) and Chyna against the team of The Radicalz (Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero). Both teams fought back and forth towards the end of the match, where Chyna was tagged into the match and delivered a press slam, powerbomb, and a sleeper slam and pinned Guerrero for the win.
The seventh match was a two-fall triple threat match for the IWF Intercontinental Championship and IWF European Championship, involving Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho. The first fall would be for the Intercontinental Championship, while the second fall was for the European Championship. At the beginning of the first fall, all three men exchanged pin attempts towards midway into the match where Benoit broke up a Chicken wing submission by Angle onto Jericho. The situation allowed Benoit to climb to the top turnbuckle and delivered a Diving headbutt on Jericho into a pinfall to win the Intercontinental Championship. During the second fall, Jericho and Benoit delivered a double powerbomb onto Angle, which proceeded into Benoit delivering three German suplexes onto Jericho. Afterwards, Benoit attempted to deliver another diving headbutt onto Angle, however, Angle moved out of the way, resulting in Benoit hitting the ring mat. This situation allowed Jericho to deliver a Lionsault into a pinfall to win the European Championship. Therefore, Kurt Angle lost both titles without conceding to a pinfall.
The final match on the undercard was the tag team encounter between Kane and Rikishi against D-Generation X (X-Pac and Road Dogg). Shortly into the match Rikishi delivered a Diamond cutter onto X-Pac, which proceeded into Kane delivering a Tombstone piledriver into a pinfall for the win. Afterward, an-ring section involving Rikishi, Too Cool, and the San Diego Chicken dancing was interrupted by Kane, who thought the chicken was Pete Rose. Rose then snuck into the ring and tried to hit Kane with a baseball bat, before being chokeslammed by Kane and stinkfaced by Rikishi.
Main event match
Aftermath
After the event, The Rock continued to feud with Triple K over the IWF Championship. The feud continued on the first Raw after WrestleMania, where The Rock pinned Triple K in a non-IWF Championship match. The following week on Raw, the feud intensified, where The Rock defeated The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan in a handicap steel cage match. After the match Triple K, Shane and Vince Matteson attacked The Rock, however, which caused him to lose a great amount of blood. Later that week on SmackDown!, The Rock was scheduled to face Triple K for the IWF Championship at Backlash. At Backlash, The Rock, with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Linda Matteson, defeated Triple K to win the IWF Championship.
The next night on Raw, Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Jericho to win the European Championship with help from Chyna who turned on Jericho.
Reception
Video ban in Ireland
Results
| Hardcore Championship battle royal title changes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | New Champion | Method | Time | ||
| 1 | Tazz | Pinned Crash Holly after a Capture Suplex | 00:26 | ||
| 2 | Viscera | Pinned Tazz after a Powerslam | 01:00 | ||
| 3 | Funaki | Pinned Viscera after a flying shoulderblock by Bradshaw | 07:51 | ||
| 4 | Rodney | Pinned Funaki after throwing him into a backstage wall | 08:11 | ||
| 5 | Joey Abs | Pinned Rodney after a Gutwrench Suplex | 08:24 | ||
| 6 | Thrasher | Pinned Joey Abs after a Clothesline | 08:46 | ||
| 7 | Pete Gas | Pinned Thrasher after hitting him with a fire extinguisher | 09:29 | ||
| 8 | Tazz | Pinned Pete Gas after a T-Bone Suplex | 10:17 | ||
| 9 | Crash Holly | Pinned Tazz after hitting him with a cookie sheet | 14:20 | ||
| 10 | Hardcore Holly | Pinned Crash Holly after hitting him with a candy jar | 15:00 | ||
|}
| Fatal Four-Way match eliminations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination # | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Elimination move | Time | |
| 1 | Big Show | The Rock | Pinned after a Rock Bottom | 04:50 | |
| 2 | Jon Foley | Triple K | Pinned after a Pedigree onto a steel chair | 19:40 | |
| 3 | The Rock | Triple K | Pinned after two Chair shots to the head by Mr. Matteson | 36:24 | |
- ^ The other participants were: Bradshaw, Faarooq, Funaki, Joey Abs, Mosh, Pete Gas, Rodney, Taka Michinoku, Tazz, Thrasher and Viscera.
