WWF Judgment Day 2000

WWF Judgment Day 2000 is the next PPV on our list of revisiting the WWF PPVs in the year 2000 and it features what I always felt was the best damned Ironman match in the history of Ironman matches. Does that opinion hold up or does it run the risk of losing its would-be crown to the MJF/Danielson match from this year's Revolution PPV?

Well, the show makes no bones in highlighting the main event with a video discussing all the possible things that could happen within an hour. This then leads us into our opening match, which is a six-man match between Rikishi and Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay... yes, these were actual ring names used on a wrestling show once upon a time; which is no less ridiculous than somebody calling themselves Bad Bunny, but I digress) going up against the tandem of Kurt Angle and the reigning WWF Tag Team Champions, Edge and Christian. E&C have bags featuring a bunch of banjos and hick jokes. Anyway, Too Cool gets the win. The match was a fun piece of business and a good opener.

European Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn to retain the title. These guys came in as a unit, then they'd start feuding, then they'd be back together by the end of the year... and then Saturn would hit his head and fall in love with a mop... sounds good to me. Anyway, another fun match with three talented dudes.

Shane McMahon defeated the FUCKING BIG SHOW in what is essentially a hardcore match where the finish saw Shane dump a bunch of equipment on Big Show, with his leg caught in some of it, which allowed Shane to crack a cement block over Show's head for the pinfall win. There's a bunch of run-ins from Bossman, Test, Albert, and maybe a few others, because no way in hell is Shane beating the FUCKING BIG SHOW on his own. For those wondering, Big Show is the babyface here; fresh off being the guy who does cosplay. Sounds good to me.

Intercontinental Champion Chris Benoit defeated Chris Jericho via submission. Fine match between two guys who have had a series of them. Not much else to add there.

Road Dogg/X-Pac defeated the Dudley Boyz in a Tables Match via some shenanigans from that Tori person who was around for a couple years but never quite stuck to mind. That's not a strong impression. Anyway, the match was your typical Table match fare; some stuff happens before the low blow kicks in and somebody goes through a table. Fun for what it is, I guess.

Triple H defeated WWF Champion THE ROCK in a 60-minute Ironman match to win the title with Hunter scoring 5 falls over Rock's ?. They made a point to mention that during the build, Triple H waived the Sudden Death ruling of the match, so if the falls were tied at the end of the match, Rock would retain his title. I'm sure Bret Hart appreciates that sentiment. Anyway, it's two guys beating the shit out of each other. It's two guys who know each other better than anyone, they've always had great matches together and this is no exception. I remember being weary about this one because I recall watching the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels Ironman at Mania 12 (via VHS) and found myself mostly fast-forwarding through that one. This one flew by fairly quickly because you weren't waiting for that one fall.

The finish was kind of a mess, as the score was tied at five a piece and with only a couple minutes to spare, that's when you had all the big runs from DX, the McMahons, other people, and then the lights go out, a chorus of kids dictate a nursery rhyme before the blaring howls of a motorcycle engine revving up could be heard throughout the arena. And in a moment of pitch-perfect editing, the instant the the words "HE'S HERE" are mentioned, we cut to the return of the Undertaker.

Taker had been out for months due to what I believe was a groin pull (the likes of which Dean Malenko has never seen in his whole life, according to one source... no, wait, that's the other guy) and so this was his first time back (outside of a signing or two). Having traded the spooky Deadman stuff for a cool longcoat, jeans, and a bike, Taker wastes no time in making his presence known by chokeslamming everyone and even lands a Tombstone on HHH for good measure... but oops, special ref HBK recovers from being dead on that note to catch the move and call for a DQ at the last second, giving HHH the last winning fall and thus the title.

Rocky would win the belt back at the King Of The Ring, but that's another story.

Judgment Day 2000 is another quality WWF PPV from the year 2000. The good stuff was good, the weak stuff was weak yet still enjoyable in their own way, and the main event delivered the goods in more ways than one. And yes, I can comfortably call this one of the best Iron Man matches of all time. I may actually enjoy this more than Danielson/MJF on account that this doesn't go into bloody overtime, but that match is also excellent in its own way.

All in all, a fine show, indeed... and then we get King Of The Ring.

Meh.