Brooklyn Brawlin' 04.15.09: Taking a Look Back at the Best of Backlash

Posted by Dan Torkel on 04.15.2009

It's Backlash, you know the event where Shawn Michaels teamed with God? What, you say you don't like wrestling?

Greetings to the first column of the new wrestling year. First things first, I must pull a Jesse the Body Ventura and send a shout out to my buddy and his Mom in Bayside Queens. Hello Thornhills! Well Wrestlemania is firmly behind us, but good news for those who didn't see the big show… the classic Triple H vs. Randy Orton main event will RETURN next week on Raw. Hopefully they can improve on their totally lackluster (and that is being generous) match from Mania, and by improve, I mean keep me awake.

That main event will headline the post Raw draft. I for one do not even understand the draft anymore. Triple H is back on Raw, okay so what was that last month of shows where Triple H was almost exclusively on Raw. So Smackdown does not have a World Champion, which kind of gives away the end of Backlash as Edge (a SD guy) will most likely regain the Title. Punk may also play into this as a SD guy with the MITB briefcase. They just switched Rey from SD to Raw last year, so who cares about him going back to SD. Maybe he can feud with Edge… again. I hate the move of Matt Hardy and Miz to Raw as they will get totally lost in the shuffle. Raw has Cena, Triple H, Orton, Legacy, Batista, and Shawn Michaels. Where can those new guys get in other than the old mid card? And at this point, there are very few feuds we have not seen at some point. MVP/Matt for the US Title was a year long feud in 2007-2008 and now the heel/face dynamic is different. The Miz/Morrison split I am happy with, because Morrison is a future star. I wrote a column months back about Morrison breaking through, and here's the golden opportunity.

John Morrison is still on ECW, which is as good a thing as Miz on Raw is a bad thing. Morrison can wait for Christian to win the ECW Title and then elevate to a feud with him. Those matches will be great and may even elevate the title. If Christian wins the ECW Title at Backlash, then by June's Extreme Rules ppv, we can get a Christian/Morrison Ladder match! Morrison can spend the rest of 2009 being one of the top guys on ECW and making Smackdown appearances as well. Then he puts in a great showing at the Royal Rumble, and it's off to Wrestlemania, where he wins MITB.

Another possible great feud and build towards Wrestlemania XXVI: Shawn Michaels vs. CM Punk. Punk should issue a challenge to Cena or Edge because his first reign was considered a fluke. He loses the match at a ppv, and thus becomes the first MITB winner (not including Kennedy who never cashed in) to not win the belt with the case. Fan friendly PG Punk start becoming irritated and angry and slowly starts turning heel. He brings out the old ROH-style "straight-edge" character that always goes after the vices and weaknesses of others. After calling out several top names and mocking some top stars (I'm thinking a feud with Jeff Hardy would be great here), Shawn Michaels comes out to stop him on behalf of all people with bad pasts. This leads to an inevitable great feud between the two. Imagine a series of tag matches with Jericho & Punk vs. Shawn & Jeff Hardy.

On the horizon is 11th installment of everyone's favorite post-Wrestlemania ppv, Backlash. Backlash is often thought of as a new beginning for the WWE, but most than usual it is the final chapter of the stories that climaxed at Wrestlemania. Over the years, some of the most memorable, controversial and greatest moments and matches have occurred at Backlash. Who can forget Big Show's classic take on Hulk Hogan with the SHOWSTER in 2000? God's wrestling debut in 2006 when Shane and Vince took on Shawn and "God." The pain in the eyes of Randy Orton after becoming quite friendly with thumbtacks in 2004? This year's card has three matches booked and one isn't complete. We have Legacy against Triple H, Batista,a dn Shane with a ludacris stipulation of it being a title match. This is awful as if Orton wins, he couldn't do it alone, and Triple H can retain with someone else winning: HUH! They tried this back in 2000 at KOTR where Rock/Taker/Kane battled Triple H and the McMahons and Triple H lost the belt to Rock despite VINCE taking the pin. The other headliner will be another Cena/Edge match, this time Last Man Standing. Today, we will look back at the Top 10 greatest matches in Backlash history, and then if you are good, you will get a bonus prize!

TOP 10 MATCHES IN BACKLASH HISTORY

10. IC Title – © RVD vs. Eddie Guerrero in 2002 – This was an excellent match criticized highly at the time because people felt Eddie got in too much offense. If that is a criticism then sign me up ASAP. Eddie left the WWE in mid 2001 after his demons got the best of him, and RVD was the hottest thing in the company from the summer of 2001 onwards. RVD was fresh off getting the IC Title from William Regal at WM X-8 and Eddie was making a triumphant return to the company. The feud was obvious since they shared a finishing move and style. Eddie lied, cheated and stole in this match, but the best part was seeing Eddie again healthy and ready to kick ass. In the end not only did this match rock, but it spawned a series that got better as it went on culminating in a terrific ladder match on free TV. ***3/4

9. Hardcore Title – © Rhyno vs. Raven in 2001 – This was purely and simply the best hardcore match the WWE has ever put on. These two guys are just perfect for a hardcore match as both are actually good wrestlers who just mesh better in the world of extreme. This match was highlighted by Raven wheeling out a shopping cart filled with toys, and then Rhyno going nuts and missing a Gore and getting himself wedged in the CART! Awesome, awesome spot. Raven had a glimmer of hope but Rhino got the GORE and won the match. ***1/2 (I know its lower than the RVD/Eddie match, but for a hardcore match it was great).

8. Light Heavyweight Title – © Dean Malenko vs. Scotty 2 Hotty in 2000 – The WHAT title? Scotty 2 Who? This match today would be a pre-show special, get 5 minutes (maybe) and the crowd would use the bathroom. Dean, the consummate wrestling technician carried Scotty to a MOTYC, working the leg with deadly accuracy for over 10-minutes and then survived the comeback and dropped Scotty with a DEADLY finisher, a Top Rope DDT cementing this match's status in history. ****1/4

7. WWE Title – © John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Shawn Michaels in 2007 – Coming off Wrestlemania XXIII and a very good Cena/Shawn title match, and more recently off their 55-minute classic in London, Cena and Michaels were battling with Rated RKO heading towards this Fatal 4-way match. This was not like last year's boring Backlash main event, but rather a one fall to the finish variety. These four have great chemistry with each other in singles matches, so the four in one match made it even better. This also had a great ending as Cena hit Orton with the FU, but Shawn nailed Cena with Sweet Chin Music. Shawn collapsed and Cena fell unconscious on top of a fallen Orton to get the accidental pin. ****1/4

6. Kurt Angle vs. Edge from 2002 – This is THE match that springboarded Edge from really cool tag team guy to full on main event potential star. Edge went from this match and feud with Angle into being one of the Smackdown Six, and returned from his neck injury to become a top heel star. Here, he stayed on par with Kurt Angle who is unquestionably one of the best wrestlers ever. Several times he had the match almost won and even managed to survive Angle's ankle lock. In the end, Angle was able to counter the spear with a harsh knee to head and deliver the Angle Slam for the win. ****1/4

5. World Title – © Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H from 2004 – The rematch from one of the greatest Wrestlemania main events ever was almost as good. The one issue here was that whereas Wrestlemania's MSG crowd was totally crazed for all the right reasons, the crowd in Montreal was completely anti-Shawn rather than pro-Benoit (a Canadian). Chants of "You Screwed Bret" and Michaels use of the sharpshooter seemed more to generate heat than to add to the match. In a twist of fate, it was Michaels who tapped clean in the Sharpshooter thus giving Benoit back to back tap out wins over DX. And yet he still never got over as Champ because Triple H and Shawn needed to have their main event slot. ****1/2

4. IC Title – © Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho from 2000 – The second of our three entries from 2000, was part 1 of maybe the greatest last hour of a ppv in history. This match went close to 25 minutes and was possibly their all time best match against each other. Counters, suplexes, submissions, you had it here. Even JR couldn't help shower the match with praise. The only blemish, if it was, was the DQ ending as Jericho used the IC Title belt to block the Benoit swandive headbutt. These guys worked so well together and the results were always great. ****3/4

3. WWE Title – © Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock from 1999 – The inaugural Backlash ppv was headlined by my favorite and in my opinion the best Austin/Rock showdown. And yes, that includes WM X-7. This match was not only for the WWE Title Austin won at Wrestlemania, but Austin's Smoking Skull belt that Rock had stolen. In a twist, Shane McMahon had dumped his dad from the Corporation and Vince was SUPPORTING Stone Cold. This match was great, better than the previous month's Mania main event, and the ending led to the Rock's face turn which sparked his surge towards being one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. Shane McMahon accidentally took out Rock with a belt shot and Austin hit the Stunner and a second belt shot to recapture his gold. ****3/4

2. IC Title Streetfight – © Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack from 2004 – The feud that led to Rock's return at WM XX led to this classic of violence and hatred. Where Kurt's match with Edge MADE Edge in a losing effort; this match cemented Randy Orton as the future of the company. Think about how Orton went from this to winning the World Title just a few months later over a guy who Triple H and Shawn Michaels couldn't beat. This was possibly the most hate filled and violent Streetfight the E had had up till that point including some sick spots especially Randy taking the bareback first bump on the tacks, and then going flying off the stage. That said he out "hardcored" the Hardcore Legend and used the barbwire bat to beat Foley and retain his title. This was where "Legend Killer" was born! ****3/4

1. WWE Title – © Triple H vs. Rock from 2000 – Triple H did the impossible. He walked out of Wrestlemania 2000 as a heel champion. Not only that but this match was booked with the Rock facing incredible odds. Shane McMahon was the special ref. Vince amd Stephanie would be at ringside. Vince had guaranteed us earlier than Rock's appointed backup Stone Cold Steve Austin was NOT showing up. Rock simply could NOT win. Cue the overbooking! Austin, fired ref Earl Hebner, Linda McMahon, chairs, stooges, simply AWESOME! This was the perfect storm of lunacy and made for one of the most fun and entertaining matches ever. This should've been the WM main event and Rock got his moment in the sun. *****

And now your prize: It may seem obvious that Backlash 2000 was one of my personal favorite ppv ever; in fact I think it deserves mention with the other greatest shows like WM XX, WM X-7 and Great American Bash 1989. Here is my review that I posted for the old RollingGermans website years ago, with some new comments strewn in. Hope you enjoy.

BACKLASH 2000
We are live from Washington DC. Your hosts are J.R. and The King.

Match 1. Tag Titles: (Champs) Edge and Christian vs. Road Dogg and X-Pac (with Tori):

Debra does the intros and looks drunk off her ass. E&C are merely one-time tag champs at this point having won them at Wrestlemania. I hate typing X-Pac so I'll call him Syxx making it easier for me. He starts with Edge and they do a nice little sequence. Edge gets a spinning heel kick forcing DX to regroup. Road Dogg comes in but catches a headscissors, and E&C debut do Poetry in Motion on him. Both E&C, and the Hardys stole that from Sabu and RVD. Dogg goes to the eyes and Syxx comes back in and gets caught in a neat powerslam by Christian. Christian for the 10 punches in the corner but Road Dogg hangs him on the top rope. Dogg tosses him into stairs and Christian is your Canadian blonde in peril. Dogg gets the tag and a front face lock. Syxx distracts the ref, causing him to miss the tag to Edge. The ref forces Edge back allowing for the double team. That exact spot would be copied in all 3 tag matches on this show. A little formulaic don't you think. Broncobuster by Syxx pops the crowd. Dogg snapmares him and hits 2 stiff kicks to the back for 2. We hit the chinlock, but Christian fights out only be caught by Dogg with the Juke-N-Jive and then the shaky leg knee drop for 2. Christian reveres a whip and they collide in midair for a double KO. Syxx tries to come in, which distracts the ref allowing Edge to sneak a Swandive headbutt. Christian rolls over for 2. DX tries a double atomic drop but Christian slips out and takes out both guys with a double reverse DDT. Sweet move there. Hot tag and Edge comes in on fire. Syxx tries a rana but Edge powerbombs him for 2 as Dogg breaks the pin. Dogg tries the pump handle slam, but Christian stops that and tries an Impaler, which is countered and Syxx spin kicks him. WOW!!! Edge spears Dogg, and Tori jumps on the apron to distract him. Unfortunately the bitter hand on irony slaps her, as Syxx knocks her off and Edge rolls him up for 2. X-Factor out of nowhere, but the ref is busy with Tori and Christian sneaks in with the ring bell and WALLOPS Syxx for the pin. X-Pac cuts a wicked blade job to boot. Great opener with an extremely hot ending. E&C would continue cheating until they were full heels and the rest as they say is history. ****

Match 2. Light Heavyweight Title: (Champ) Dean Malenko vs. Scotty 2 Hotty:

Haha, remember the Light Heavyweight title…me neither. Dean won it back from Scotty on Smackdown so this is the rematch. Dean attacks immediately but Scotty gets the better of him on the exchange. Back body drop and clothesline get 2 early. Dean tries a powerbomb but Scotty arm drags him. They do another nice sequence and Scotty gets a backdrop suplex and hits the Moonwalk. Dean tries an atomic drop but Scotty blocks and goes for Worm but gets DECAPITATED by a lariat. Dean tosses him and runs him back first into the apron. They head in and Dean begins a full on assault on Scotty leg. Dropkick, elbows and knees to the leg; as my manager John would say, Scotty is "FOKKED!" JR makes mention of Dean as "the Man of 1000 Holds." WCW did exist! He kills the leg and Scotty just takes the beating. He tries an enzigiri, but Dean calmly ducks and continues the legwork. This is a psychology lesson. He grabs a leg lock and puts his feet on the ropes for leverage. The ref sees and stops it. Dean kicks the back of Scotty's knee and Scotty does a complete flip for effect. Shinbreaker by Dean, but Scotty pulls an enzigiri out of nowhere. Dean tries a figure-4 but Scotty kicks him to the buckle and rolls him up for 2. They battle through the ropes and outside. Dean rolls in and Scotty goes up, but Dean catches him with a superplex. Scotty gets a backslide out of thin air for 2. Dean tries the Cloverleaf but Scotty rolls him up for 2. Dean tries another powerbomb and Scotty flips out and hits a bulldog, and then DESTROYS 10 MINUTES WORTH OF PSYCHOLOGY as he WORMS on the bad leg. Idiot!!! Dean rolls him up but the ref catches him with feet on the ropes again and forces a break. Dean hits an awesome Tiger Driver for 2 ½. He misses a charge, but catches Scotty in a powerslam. He goes up but Scotty catches him and tries a superplex, which Dean counters with perhaps, the sickest finisher I have ever seen, A TOP ROPE DDT!!! Is Scotty kicking out? Survey says NO!!! Great match minus the fuck up by Scotty. Dean is a miracle worker. ****1/4.

Match 3. Bull Buchannon and Bossman vs. The Acolytes:
Come on, after two ****+ matches, we are forced to watch this. As my grandmother would say, "Oy Vey." Can anyone watch this and seriously believe that a mere 4 years later BRADSHAW would be World Champion. Bradshaw and Bull start and Bradshaw gets a quick DDT, and goes up. He hits a nice shoulderblock for 2. Bull FLIPS over Bradshaw and lariats him. Bradshaw spears him a hits a neckbreaker. Faarooq in and hits a few clotheslines. Bull walks the ropes and hits a clothesline and then ruins everything by tagging Bossman. Faarooq gets a backdrop suplex, shoulderblock and clothesline in that order, and then dumps him. The APA do heel tactics, as they allow one to pound a guy outside. I don't care as long as they hurt the Bossman. Bradshaw gets tagged in and he tosses Bossman to Faarooq. Bossman takes control after a missed charge and he and Bull use frequent tags to beat down Faarooq. This match is really starting to suck. Bull walks into a spinebuster and Bradshaw gets the not-so-hot tag. Another shoulderblock (enough with that move) and a DDT. He climbs to the top again but Bull catches him with a superplex for 2. Bossman grabs the nightstick and KO's Faarooq as Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from the lower reaches of purgatory on Bull. Bossman gets on the apron and decks Bradshaw with the nightstick and Bull comes off with the top with a scissors kick for the pin. It started decent but went down faster Missy Hyatt in the guys' locker room. Bull kicked ass here and should've been pushed. *1/2.

Match 4. Hardcore Title: (Champ) Crash vs. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Saturn vs. Tazz vs. Hardcore Holly:
Rule here is you can ONLY pin Crash. It starts in the ring and Saturn T-bones Crash and Hardcore powerbombs him. I already feel bad for Crash. Tazz suplexes him and he runs. They all chase him to the entrance way and Crash climbs the set to get away. Matt Hardy follows and hangs Crash upside down. Everyone gangs up on Crash and Matt leaps off the set onto everyone to a big HOLY SHIT chant. Jeff grabs the sets and uses it to propel him onto Saturn and he headscissors him. Hardys double up Crash in the ring and Tazz brings in the weapons. Garbage cans and a 2X4 are weapons of choice. Everyone beats on everyone and they all try pinning Crash outside. Nice spot as Hardcore is choking Crash out, and Saturn comes from behind and German suplexes him. Crash is just getting destroyed here. Brainbuster by Saturn but Hardcore breaks and delivers the Hollycaust (Falcon Arrow with awful name) on a chair for 2. Poor, poor Crash. Hardys bring out a ladder to a huge pop. Matt hits the Twist of Fate and Jeff hits the Swanton from the top of the ladder. He covers and Matt breaks it up and it's the Fox special…WHEN BROTHER ATTACK…EACH OTHER!!! 9 years later they are still fighting. Tazz tosses them both and locks in the Tazzmission a big pop, but Saturn comes in and smashes his face in with a stop sign. Hardcore pulls Saturn out and the Hardys come off the ropes onto both of them leaving Crash in the ring to pin an unconscious Tazz for the 3. Wow, Tazz jobs. That makes me happy. Smell the sarcasm. Not as fun as Wrestlemania 2000's Hardcore battle royal but still good with some sick bumps and Crash taking a marvelous beating. **1/2

Match 5. Kurt Angle vs. The Big Show:
Angle comes down first and cuts a funny promo about how he is like many of DC's great former presidents, but unlike the lying one we have now, (it was Clinton back then for those who didn't get it). And then it happens… "WHEN IT COMES CRASHING DOWN AND IT HURTS INSIDE!!!" You know the words. THE SHOWSTER marches out, in complete Hogan dress. He cuts a hilarious Hogan-esque promo making sure to use the words "Brother" and "Dude" more than a few times. The crowd is on the floor, chanting for Hogan. Isn't it funny that Big Show brought about bigger Hogan chants 2 years ago, than the actual Hogan is drawing now? Angle attacks and Show hulks up. He no-sells the punches! Big Boot!!! Leg Drop!!! It gets only 2. Angle attacks the leg, but that only pisses the Big Show off and he finishes with the chokeslam a few minutes later. This was what sports entertainment is all about folks. It's not meant to be thrown in our faces every minute of every show. Put it in doses, like this and it's a total winner. The crowd was laughing hysterically, as were practically everyone watching on ppv. 2 years later and I'm on the floor. This is one of the single most memorable moments in wrestling history. ***** For originality and pure fun. The match sucked but honestly, no one cared. It didn't hurt Angle's push either because it was a pure comedy match.

Match 6. The Dudley Boys vs. T&A:
The back-story here is that Buh Buh Ray Dudley (Bubba, for my convenience), began putting all the WWF divas through tables. The crowd actually cheered them for this and it turned them into huge faces ironically. When it came time for Trish to go through, (she was managing Test and Albert) she kissed Bubba, and escaped. They spent weeks flirting with putting her through the table, and every time she narrowly escaped by seducing Bubba. So here we are.
Bubba immediately chases Trish to start and Test takes his head off with a clothesline. Dvon and Albert start inside and Dvon clotheslines him for 2. Bubba gets the tag and puts Albert down and elbows him. The Duds double suplex him and the not-yet named Wassup Drop gets 2. Albert nails a huge scissors kick as the crowd is slowly drifting into unconsciousness. T&A use the one move they had that I like and of course the camera misses it totally. If you're wondering, it's the one where Albert avalanched the opponent and ran him right into Test's big boot. Dvon fights back but Test gets a falling powerbomb for 2. How come he never does that anymore? Al comes in and T&A do a nice reverse tilt-a-whirl slam. Albert presses Test onto Dvon for 2. The crowd is now into it screaming for tables. JR gets a great line, pondering how the crown can cheer for an "inanimate object." For the third time tonight, the ref misses the hot tag and shoves Bubba back to his corner. Albert runs over Dvon and slingshots into the bottom rope for 2 as Bubba breaks it up. Test clotheslines him and Albert comes charging and misses. Dvon sunset flips him from the middle rope for 2. Albert gives a shout out to Droz by using his old finisher, the sit out Powerbomb for 2. He climbs up but Bubba distracts him long enough for Dvon to superplex him for a double KO. HOT TAG, HOT TAG!!! Samoan drop for Test, and he dumps Albert. The Duds get the reverse 3D but Albert breaks the pin. Baldo Bomb for Bubba and Test goes the top rope elbow but Dvon pulls Bubba out of the way. Albert gets dumped and they call for the 3D as crowd is now nuts. Trish jumps on the apron to prevent Bubba from finishing the move and Test takes out Dvon and nails the big boot on Bubba for the pin. T&A's celebration is cut short and the Duds take them both out. 3D for Albert and Dvon gets the table. Trish tries to kiss her way out, but Bubba will have none of it and she takes the Bubba Bomb through the table. Surprisingly good tag match will ultra hot ending. *** In a sad addendum, if you could not tell, I was a huge Test fan and thought he was a sure thing with the company as he was big, could actually work, and showed some good skills on the mic when given the opportunity. Triple H cut his balls off and took his woman (literally) and he was shunted into the mid card for the rest of his WWE career. And now he's just another wrestler found dead with painkillers all over the place. It's a sad sport sometimes.

Match 7. European Title: (Champ) Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chyna) vs. Essa Rios (w/ Lita):
Quick quiz for current WWF fans: Whom did Lita manage before the Hardys? I'm willing to put money down that less than 10% of the current audience knows. Anyway, this feud started when Eddie and Essa tagged up and Lita accidentally hit Eddie with a moonsault causing their team to lose. Eddie also had his prom (!) that night so he is full tuxedo outfit, and Chyna is in a long red gown. Eddie wrestles in his tuxedo pants and bow tie. Speaking of sad stories; God I miss Eddie Guerrero. Eddie gets a pair of dropkicks early. He tries a tilt-a-whirl but Essa counters and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker of his own. Eddie comes back with a Saito suplex (God damn I love that move), and works the arm. Essa tries the ropewalk rana but blows it and the crowd isn't appreciative. He gets a pair of arm drags and tries a pescado but splats on the outside. Eddie rolls him in and hits the slingshot senton. He dumps him in Chyna's direction and she pounds him. Essa dropkicks Eddie and hits a missile dropkick for 2. He hits the chinlock and Eddie uses a stunner-like jawbreaker to escape. A whip reversal allows Essa to monkey flip Eddie the entire length of the ring in an awesome spot. Eddie sends him outside where Chyna again pounds him. Eddie tries a powerbomb on the outside and Lita goes up, but Chyna flings her off into the announce table. Essa backdrops out of the powerbomb and hits an Asai Moonsault landing on the announce table. Back in and Essa hits another missile dropkick sending Eddie outside again and Essa follows with an INSANE SOMERSAULT PLANCHA over the ring post. WOW!!! He rolls Eddie in and goes up but gets crotched by Chyna and Eddie superplexes him. Brainbuster sets up frog splash but Essa pops up and arm drags Eddie off the top. His huge moonsault hits knees and Eddie finishes with the Gory Special neckbreaker. After the match Chyna gets her dress ripped off by Lita, and Eddie likes what he sees. Disappointing match between these two, but it was still good. **1/2

Match 8. Intercontinental Title: (Champ) Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho:
No need to bring up the theme of sad stories here because it is still hard to watch this. This is about 3 weeks after Jericho's 9 minute reign as World Champ, which was conveniently forgotten about when Triple H told him that he had never beaten him.

They lock up and tumble outside where they exchange friendly bitchslaps. They do a wrestling sequence and a pinfall sequence and then unleash the choppage. This is brutal!!! Benoit gets the Rolling Germans but third one is blocked so Benoit backdrops him over the top. He tries a suicide dive but Jericho moves and Benoit lands head first, to which JR says, "Benoit can suffer career shortening injuries." A little foreshadowing there, as a little over a year later, Benoit would lose a year to a neck injury. Ok, again eerie as it's those types of spots that probably speeded up the concussions. In a spot that is so good, it's frightening, Benoit whips Jericho to the stairs, but Jericho leaps them and turns to attack, but Benoit dropkicks the stairs into his ribs in mid air. WOW!!! Benoit gets 2 back in. He nails a sickening kitchen sink, and gut wrench rib breaker. He kicks at the ribs like a mad dog, or a rabid wolverine if you want to get technical. Jericho battles back but misses a dropkick and Benoit slingshots him to the buckles and suplexes him on the top rope. Another kitchen sink and snap suplex gets 2. He applies an abdominal stretch, which makes sense because it works the ribs. Jericho counters the move and hits a back elbow and Lionsault but his ribs are too hurt for him to cover. The two idiot announcers completely miss the fact that his ribs hurt and sit pondering if Benoit got his knees up. More vicious chops from both and Jericho avoids a charge and hits a spin kick. Cross corner whip is reversed and Jericho gets a facebuster out of the corner for 2. Jericho blocks the 3rd attempted kitchen sink with a rollup for 2. The battle over a suplex and Jericho puts Benoit on the apron. He tries the springboard dropkick but Benoit swats him away and goes up. Jericho catches him and tries a super backdrop but Benoit counters in mid air and lands on top for 2. Gutwrench is blocked and Jericho turns it into a backslide and now its FLAIR, ITS STEAMBOAT, FLAIR, STEAMBOAT…and Jericho's turns out of the backslide and hits the double powerbombs. He covers and Benoit rolls over into the Crossface. That was so sweet. He holds it on and Jericho finally makes the ropes. He drags him back and tries again but Jericho counters it to the Walls and now Benoit makes the ropes. The crowd has been hot for this whole match!!! Benoit reverses a whip and Jericho tries flying forearm but Benoit ducks and the ref gets nailed. Benoit scampers to the ringside table and grabs the IC title belt. He KO's Jericho and wakes the ref but it only gets 2. Benoit is in shock. He suplexes Jericho on the belt and goes up for the Swandive headbutt but Jericho blocks it with the title belt. The ref sees this and DQ's Jericho. MOTHERFUCKER!!! First time I watched this I thought it was great. Well I was wrong. This was FUCKING AMAZING!!! Any other ending in the world and its *****. Even JR admits how shitty that decision is and says he would've enjoyed that match all night. I calm myself by going back and watching their 3 other pay per-view matches within that calendar year, all of which clocked in at ****+. This one was as close to perfect as you can get. ****3/4.

Match 9. WWF Title: (Champ) Triple H (w/ Stephanie and Vince) vs. The Rock (Special ref- Shane):
Back-story: Vince screwed Rock at Wrestlemania and joined forces with Shane and Stephanie. Triple H had an issue with Earl Hebner. Triple H was coaxed into defending the WWF title against Chris Jericho on Raw and lost it when Hebner counted a fast count. Triple H threatened to beat the FUCK out of Hebner unless he reversed the decision. Hebner obliged wiping the record clean of Jericho's 9 minute reign as champion. Triple H then fired Hebner and beat the shit out of him. Rock meanwhile won the opportunity to fight THE GAME at Backlash by beating Bull and Bossman of all people in a cage match. Linda came back saying she felt the Rock was outnumbered and said Stone Cold Steve Austin would be in his corner to even the odds.

Vince announces that Stone Cold will NOT be here tonight. JR gets the "Ironic quote of the night honors" by saying to Lawler, "At least I don't kiss McMahon's ass." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. To the match…a long stare down, and they trade punches. HHH tries the pedigree early but Rock backdrops out. Shane gets in Rock's face and HHH gets a neckbreaker. Rock fights back with a backdrop suplex and punches away on "The Game." HHH tosses him outside where Vince gets involved and tosses Rock into the post and then back into the ring. Rock fights back but HHH gets the high knee for 2. Nice suplex and the Flair jumping knee get three 2's. Yeah you read it right. Rock whips him but HHH gets a sleeper. He drags Rocky down and puts his feet on the ropes. Shane conveniently misses that blatant cheating. Rock battles up again, and again gets taken down. Triple H does the 10 punches in the corner but Rock drops down and HHH goes head first into the buckle. Double clothesline leads to double KO and Shane gently taps HHH to get up first. Vince jumps up on the apron and decks Rock with the title belt and HHH crawls over for 2. Rock comes back and layeth the smacketh down on HHH's candy ass. Clothesline and he tosses Triple H over the top. Rock follows and drops him on the announce table. They head in and HHH gets the chinbreaker, but Rock fires off a DDT. Rock covers but Shane won't count it. That silly Shane O-Mac. Rock decks him over the top rope and HHH dumps him from behind. They prep the Spanish Announce Table, but HHH has pedigree blocked and Rock sets up for the Rockbottom. Shane protests, and Rock grabs him and ROCKBOTTOMS BOTH MEN THROUGH THE TABLE AT ONCE!!! Are you kidding me!!! Shane is out, so Vince comes in and goes after the Rock. Rock goes ape-shit on Vince but HHH low blows him before any real damage can be done. Pedigree but there's no ref. Cue the overbooking (as if it wasn't already), as Brisco and Patterson run down in ref shirts. Patterson counts 1, 2, NO!!! So the Stooges, with Vince and HHH begin to kick the shit out of Rock while the crowd is literally screaming AUSTIN, AUSTIN. All of a sudden, GLASS SHATTERS and Austin comes out with a chair. Chairshot for HHH, chairshot for Brisco, chairshot for Patterson, chairshot for Shane, chairshot for Vince!!! HHH returns and Austin's all KICK WHAM CHAIRSHOT!!! EVERYONE IS OUT!!! Austin leaves and Linda McMahon walks down the aisle with Earl Hebner!!! She shoves down Stephanie on her way. Meanwhile in the ring, HHH grabs a chair and charges the Rock but he's all spinebuster and People's Elbow on his ass. Linda sends in Earl, and we have a long dramatic 1, 2, 3!!! We have a new WWF Champion. Austin then returns in style driving his pickup and hauling the DX Express bus behind him. He gets in the ring and offers Rock a beer. I still remember watching this 9 years ago screaming for Austin to give Rock the Stunner. They each toast the WWF title belt and share a beer as the show ends. This was (as the Pitbulls/Raven & Stevie match from ECW) the perfect amount of overbooking in the perfect scenario. It made for one hell of an epic main event, which in hindsight should have been the main event of Wrestlemania. *****

Final Analysis: HOLY SHIT!!! WHAT A SHOW!!! 9 matches, and I have 4 at ****+ stars. The Dean/Scotty match is an acquired taste as it's mostly ring psychology. Only one match sucked, but that was expected to, so that disappoints no one. The final hour might be the best final hour of any WWF pay per view with Benoit/Jericho at ****3/4 and Rock/HHH at *****. Add in, what in my opinion is the funniest moment in modern wrestling history and we have one of the best shows of all time. Get this tape, Get it now, Love it!!! Highest Recommendation


Final Death Count – 9 years later: 5 (Test, Crash, Bossman, Eddie, and Benoit)

Hope you enjoy, Have fun Storming the castle.