WWF 2000 appreciation thread.

[digforvictory]

Then Backlash followed and what went down there was probably the best main event of the year. In fact, Backlash 2000 was the best PPV of the year, just stunning.

I still think its the best none big four PPV they've ever done. Canadian Stampede did have that amazing atmoshpere and match the close the show, but the reaction for Austin's return and the Rock's title win might have been the loudest a crowd has ever been on a WWF/WWE show. Backlash 2000 had every type of match imaginable as well. Cruiserweight match, the workrate battle, fast paced tag team match, mental comedy hardcore match, a red hot main event with a feel good ending, a return of an old star, comedy. I'd probably put it above WrestleMania 17, if I had the choice.

 

It's my all time favourite ppv. Just top to bottom it's outstanding, everything you could ever want from a wrestling show. The period between when the glass shatters and when hebner counts to 3 are probably my favourie moments in the WWE. I may be wrong but it never seems to get mentioned in the list of great WWE moments which is a crime.

 

I can't see the WWE ever topping 2000 to be honest. To be both critically and commercially successful to that extent is something I can't see happening for a long time.

[Max Power]

Agreed. When fat Austin comes down swinging the chair its just superb. Then the spinebuster and the People's Elbow ice the cake. Then Austin comes back down and 17 year old Max needs the tissues.

[PunkStep]

I marked like a fucking mentalist after that match. I was a huge Rock fan, and he was one of the main reasons why I got back into wrestling in 1999. They built up him winning the title for so many months. I mean, here you have their biggest babyface and he hadn't held the title in over a year. As it that would happen now! What great suspense. This was the perfect example of the babyface chasing the heel champion being such a great base. They threw in a few sidetracks to this feud- such as Big Show winning the title, Triple H feuding with Vince and then Cactus Jack, Show turning heel on Rock etc.

 

But it all came back to Rock and HHH. And HHH during that period, in my opinion was the most dominant heel top-liner that I've watched as a fan. He was the best, and it fucked you off to know it because he was so easy to hate that you wanted to see someone beat him so badly. He literally came across as unbeatable, and when Backlash rolled around I thought that Rock was the only person in the world capable of beating him- and he did. Getting all misty eyed just at the thought of that period.

[neil's bitch]

I thought this thread was going to be about the game WWF 2000, which IMPO was the absolute bomb and way better than No Mercy.

 

[King Pitcos]

It was called WrestleMania 2000.

[neil's bitch]

It was called WrestleMania 2000.

ARGH! Boo-Urns to me, of course it was........its way to early....

 

 

*Back to bed for me*

[LaGoosh]

Yes Backlash 2000 was amazing. I remember when The Rock won the title my jaw literally dropped. Triple H had been built up so well as a dominant champion I didn't think anybody would actually ever beat him. Judgement Day 2000 and Fully Loaded 2000 were also fucking great pay per views.

 

Sadly I think the shows dropped in quality when Stone Cold came back at Unforgiven as by then some of the acts were getting a bit stale (Too Cool for example), Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit weren't really going anywhere and RTC were fucking shit.

[Professor Paul's Bin]

With all this talk about Backlash 2000 I've had to wack it on. Tagged Classics <3

 

Would anyone recommend the KOTR 99 + 00 Tagged Classic? Been tempted to get that as I have seen neither of the events

[Sexy Dad]

KOTR 2000 isn't as good as the other events around this time and the main event is a six man tag which wasn't anywhere near as good as Rock vs Triple H at Judgment Day a month before or Rock vs Benoit at Fully Loaded a month after. I haven't seen KOTR 99 though.

[CleetusVanDamme]

No, they're both awful shows.

[air_raid]

Agreed, KOTR '99 is very tedious.

 

As for 2000, I'm going to shun repeating what's been said about the general brilliance - and it was brilliant - of the whole year, and speak about my thoughts on a very specific topic - Triple H.

 

As already stated in this thread, Trips staked a very good claim for best wrestler in the world in 2000, and was even recognized as such by Power Slam, giving him the number one spot in the PS50, back when a match didn't have to last 30 minutes for Fin to want to watch it.

 

Well, I say that, but Hunter wa s involved in an excellent match that last double that length, in his tour de force with the Rock at Judgment Day 2000. Everything the original 60 minute Iron Man match * wasn't, they traded big bombs and mixed it up solidly for an energetic 11-fall thrill ride. The storytelling in the middle of the match was superb, where HHH took a disqualification off a brutal chair shot, but promptly levelled it up with a pin mere moments later, and really capitalized with further falls from a sleeper and piledriver. The pacing was superb, as Rocky only pulled out the People's Elbow - to an explosive reaction in his "equalizing" fall. The chaotic finish which would probably be slagged off in some circles for "ruining all the good work they put in" or cheapening the finish, was actually perfect for the chaotic nature of WWF main events at the time, especially when you consider the manner in which Rocky has taken the title the month before.

 

Yes, The Rock was also amazing in 2000, but as previously mentioned, it takes two to tango. Hunter was the "general" at the time, and despite what a lot of journalists, other forummers and one or two wrestlers (such as Jericho) have written, I firmly believe The Rock never looked as good as when he was wrestling Tripper. It's a testament to their chemistry that even after seeing them have two programs over the Intercontinental title and a semi-main feud the previous summer, that their main event run continued to attract attention both on telly and in PPV buys.

 

There is plenty of love too for the streetfight with Cocktoos-uh Jacko from the Rumble, and largely deserved, but it's fair to say the intrigue surrounding the match in my little group of fan mates, was largely created by Hunter. Honestly we all thought Mick was fat and knackered with two dodgy knees and his title shot was a shameless time-waste to hold off the inevitable (we thought) HHH v Rock singles collision until WrestleMania. However, the conviction with which HHH sold Cactus' re-emergence on Raw made us all believe he was terrified of Jack, that he was getting in the ring with an absolute psychopath. The match of course, delivered in spades with a healthy dose of violence and convincing finish, but the work before the work was, like so often, what made it something to look forward to and get excited over, and I give Hunter a load of credit for that, since it had been ages since I was genuinely excited over a Mick Foley match. I still don't understand, despite how well-received the Cactus matches were, why they didnt run with the biggest singles match they had going on 'Mania, but no-one really cares since they got it so right at Backlash.

 

There's plenty more, of course. He had great matches with Jericho, Benny and Angle, showed that great comedic timing hadn't deserted him in various skits, was a major contributer to the success of his wife's heel character and their verbal sparring with Y2J and love triangle with Angle, and was basically the nuts on every PPV the company put out. He was so over that he took only a few short weeks off between Armageddon and the first Raw of the New Year, but when he came back even after a brief absence, it was earth-shattering. Skip to about 13:00 for Hunter's return. What a beast.

 

He'll never go down in a lot of fans eyes as carrying a company on his back the way that Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan did in their primes, but I honestly think the top end of WWF cards in 2000 was as good as it was because our Trips was the best in the world. Yes, he had plenty of good hands to work with, but short of Shawn Michaels at the peak of his powers, there's no-one I'd have wanted more in that position to wrestle them all.

 

I thought this thread was going to be about the game WWF 2000, which IMPO was the absolute bomb and way better than No Mercy.

 

I'm going to struggle with this one. They used the same engine, but No Mercy had an up to date roster, better graphics and more MOVEZ~! for your CAWs. What did you prefer about WM2000 brother?

 

 

 

* If you're thinking "huh, he refers to the "original" Iron Man match as though Bret/Shawn was the first, he doesn't know about all the ones they did on house shows YEARS before WMXII!" - I do, and disregard them. You're a twat.

[GPW Kristian Zane]

I started watching wrestling in the year 2000. Thinking back to that period, it started because people were talking about it at school, the big thing was obviously the Triple H/Cactus Jack feud which sounded really interesting. So, when No Way Out aired on Sky Sports, I recorded it and watched the Hell In A Cell match and after that I was tuning in every week.

 

The first RAW I watched in full was the one where Linda McMahon announced Mick Foley was going to be in the Wrestlemania main event, I don't recall much about that show other then that angle but it was something we all thought was pretty cool. Missed Mania though, had a problem with the vcr.

 

I also remember vividly, the night Jericho won the WWE title, first time I "marked out", funny though cause I didn't stay up to watch the rest of RAW so I was surprised to see Triple H was once again WWE Champion by Smackdown. Stuff like that encouraged me to watch RAW every week.

 

As people have said yeh, Backlash 2000, a great pay per view, Malenko vs Scotty, Edge and Christian vs DX, Benoit vs Jericho, Eddie vs Essa, the Hardcore match and of course the main event which I thought was quality. Its funny to think as well that in the year 2000, tag teams were actually feuding with each other instead of just going after the belts from the off. I mean on Backlash itself, in addition to E and C vs DX, The APA were feuding with the Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan and The Dudleys were feuding with T and A. Plus, once the Dudleys were done with T and A they went on to fight DX, while the Hardys went into a feud with T and A.

 

Marked out when the British Bulldog returned and won the hardcore title at Insurrection.

 

Mid card was great, you had Val Venis, Hardcore Holly, Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho all battling it out for the Intercontinental title and then later Eddie and Rikishi entered the mix, again feuding with each other rather then going straight for the belt.

 

Hardcore division was fun, Crash Holly's 24/7 defences and then the Steve Blackman era leading into that hardcore match at Summerslam with Shane McMahon. Everyone was after that belt unlike today where the mid card belts are largely ignored.

 

Also liked the returns, still being new to wrestling when Shawn Michaels turned up on RAW and superkicked McMahon, big deal, likewise Austin returning at Backlash, couldnt wait for his proper return. Then there was the Undertaker, was quite surprised to see him as the "American Bad Ass" after all I'd been told about the character but still cool.

 

Big Rock fan at the time, seeing the title defences against Benoit and the Summerslam triple threat and the Unforgiven 4 way match. Gutted when he lost to Angle at No Mercy, I mean now I understand wrestling I'm glad Angle won but back then I was gutted.

 

So yeh great year, loads of great pay per views and moments. Compared to now though, if I tuned into RAW for the first time and saw it the way it is now as my first impression, I don't think I'd be a fan, the year 2000 ticked all the boxes in relation to storylines and character development and making me care whereas nowadays I care very little, I mean its still fun but not as good as it used be, which is why I'm thankful for the British promotions, never tire of Grand Pro or Futureshock etc.

[neil's bitch]

Agreed, KOTR '99 is very tedious.

I thought this thread was going to be about the game WWF 2000, which IMPO was the absolute bomb and way better than No Mercy.

 

I'm going to struggle with this one. They used the same engine, but No Mercy had an up to date roster, better graphics and more MOVEZ~! for your CAWs. What did you prefer about WM2000 brother?

 

 

To be honest, it might just be me being picky, as to be fair again they are both near-on the same anyway. I just personaly though the graphics where about the same, although No mercy has some sort of thing where peoples heads where really small........although again that might just be me.

 

Bar that, i just loved the level of customisation (which again was about the same in no mercy). I had the games for years, just changing people Attire. I changed Ministry taker, to badass taker and back again.

 

That and you could create you own titles, which kept a record of defences also. I had the hardys with 99 defences of the tag belts hah.

 

So yeah, again suppose it is just me being picky as bar the rosters and the few odd bits......its mostly the same game, I'm just showing the Mania 2000 love, as i feel i gets over looked when mentioning awesome wwe games!

[simonworden]

With all this talk about Backlash 2000 I've had to wack it on. Tagged Classics <3

 

Would anyone recommend the KOTR 99 + 00 Tagged Classic? Been tempted to get that as I have seen neither of the events

 

Although not as good match for match as other events either year, both shows really show the roster and what they were doing with it at these points.

[Pier Six Brawler]

is a great music video of all the great stuff that happened in 2000.