March 23, 2000


sportsWIRE is offering this report on the longest hour for WWF fans....
THE HOUR BEFORE WRESTLEMANIA

wrestlemaniaHEAT
The show opened with clips of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley winning the women's championship from Smackdown three nights ago. The show then went live to the pond where Kevin Kelley and Michael Hayes hosted the show and took us to clips from the Axcess fan fest at the Anaheim Convention Center where we heard commentaries from Val Venis, Chyna, Chris Jericho, Terri Runnels, The Big Show, T&A, Shawn Michaels, Mark Coachman, Michael Cole, DVon Dudley, Steve Austin, the Rock and the WWF Fans. The broadcast featured the entrances of Kurt Angle and the Hardy Boyz and also showed a retrospective of the "No Mercy" Tag Team Ladder Match (featuring the Hardyz and The Dudleys) to prep fans up for the WWF Triple Tag Team Championship Ladder Match with the Hardyz, the Dudleys, and Edge and Christian. After a break, the show went to the XFL/NBC merge issue and then featured a Crash Holly interview with Jerry Lawler where Crash left prematurly after referee Jimmy Kordaris entered the set and Crash thought Jerry was after his Hardcore Title. After another break, the Radicals entered and a retrospective on the Euro-Continental situation featuring Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit. Then, Kurt Angle addressed the fans of Anaheim, only to be interupted by Bob Backlund who told Angle he was responsible for the double title defense calling it "Tough Love". Angle returned the tough love by applying the cross face Chicken Wing to Backlund. Pete Rose returned to Wrestlemania in an interview with Jerry Lawler in which Pete told Jerry that he'd give him an autographed bat after the show. This was followed by a retrospective on the "Cat-Fight" situation. Another break came but then the fans spoke on the Fatal Four Way. This was followed by a retrospective on the WWF WrestleMania 2000 Championship Match. Mark Coachman then interviewed Stephmanie McMahon-Helmsley about her new title and the Fatal Four Way. The interview was cut short by Triple H. This interview was followed by another break. The fans were then shown with commentary  by Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. Another retrospective was shown based on the tag team championship situation. Mark Coachman interviewed both the Hardyz and Edge & Christian. The two teams argued in this interview/retrospective. The Hardyz came out to the Pond six minutes before HeAT ended. Kevin Kelley conducted the interview of this team. Edge & Christian's music interupted the interview and sure enough, Edge & Christian came to the ring to talk to the fans while Edge climbed the ladder. The Hardyz attacked the pair to instigate a chase and fight in the aisle and in the mass of humanity in Anaheim. Jerry & JR had the last word before HeAT left the air.



WrestleMania results

Bull Buchnanan & Big Boss Man defeated Godfather and D'Lo Brown
The Federation's "pimpin' duo" came to the ring with some of Anaheim's finest ladies, and special guest Ice Tea! On the other hand, Bull and Boss Man were all business. As the match came to an end, D'Lo climbed to the top rope for the 'Lo Down, but Bull Buchanan pushed him off. Luckily for D'Lo, he landed on his feet; but unfortunately, he soon fell victim to the Boss Man's sidewalk slam. Bull delivered a flying leg drop off the top rope and pinned D'Lo to get the win.

Hardcore Holly wins 13-man Hardcore Battle Royal to become Hardcore Champion
Hardcore Holly came out as champion in a match that saw the title change hands 10 times! According to the rules of the match, there would be unlimited pinfalls during the 15-minute match. The superstar who got the last pinfall before time expired would walk out of WrestleMania as the champion. Tazz was declared champion 30 seconds into the match after pinning Crash Holly with an overhead suplex. Viscera won one minute into the contest after the match after squashing Tazz with a powerslam outside the ring. At the 7:15 point, Funaki won the title after the Acolytes beat the living hell out of Vis and threw Funaki on top. Less than one minute later, after Funaki ran backstage trying to escape, Rodney of the Mean Street Posse threw Funaki into some steel ring barricades and got the pin. About 10 seconds later, follow Posse member Joey Abs delivered a gut-wrench suplex to Rodney on the concrete and got the pin. Less than 30 seconds later, Thrasher of the Headbangers heaved Abs into a metal door and got a pinfall. About 45 seconds later, Pete Gas hit Thrasher with a fire extinguisher and picked up a win. Tazz suplexed Gas outside the ring less than one minute later and won the title for a second time during the match. With less than 40 seconds to go in the match, Crash clobbered Tazz with a metal cookie sheet and won the title back. Tazz got back up and slapped on the Tazzmission. It looked like Crash would be able to hold on until time expired, but Hardcore Holly grabbed a glass candy jar, shattered it over his cousin's head, and got the pin just before time expired.

T&A def. Al Snow & Steve Blackman
The team of Test and Albert (T&A), accompanied by Trish Stratus, got the victory when Test dropped an elbow off the top rope on Steve Blackman.

Tag Team Ladder Match
Edge & Christian def. Hardy Boyz & Dudley Boyz
In a match that words can simply not describe, the three teams took unimaginable risks, executed never-before-seen maneuvers and made an entire Pay-Per-View audience watch an entire match with baited breath. Superstars were dropped off ladders and through tables. It was a match that simply has to be seen to be believed. In the end, Christian and Edge dropped Matt Hardy off one table (that had been balanced on top of two ladders) and through another table below. Edge & Christian then grabbed the titles that were hanging overhead to win the Tag Team Championship.

Cat Fight
Terri w/ Fabulous Moolah def. The Kat w/ Mae Young
Special referee Val Venis, who Jim Ross astutely called the "luckiest man in Anaheim," came to the ring to officiate the Cat Fight. The match would end when one woman threw her opponent out of the ring. Kat ended up throwing Terri out on two occasions, but Val was busy attending to Mae Young. Moolah grabbed the Kat and tossed her out, and then rolled Terri back in the ring. Val turned around and awarded the "match" to Terri. After the contest, Mae executed a bronco buster on Moolah, while Kat tried to pull the clothes off Terri!

After the match, it was announced that next year's WrestleMania would take place at the Houston Astrodome!

Chyna & Too Cool def. Perry Saturn, Eddy Guerrero and Dean Malenko
Citizens in Anaheim must have thought there was an earthquake - but it was actually the globe-shaking ovation Chyna and Too Cool received upon making their entrance. At one point, fans were treated to a "double worm" when Scotty 2 Hotty executed the maneuver on both Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn. All through the match, Eddy Guerrero was trying to avoid Chyna. When the Ninth Wonder of the World finally got her hands on him, she finished him off with a powerbomb and then a sleeper hold into a reverse neckbreaker-type maneuver.

Two-falls Triple Threat Match
Chris Benoit def. Chris Jericho & Kurt Angle to win the Intercontinental Title
Chris Jericho won the European Title
The Intercontinental Championship was up for grabs in the first fall. Kurt Angle locked Jericho into the cross-face chicken wing, but Benoit broke up the move when he dropkicked Angle right in the face. Benoit then tossed the Olympic champion out of the ring, and hit Y2J with a headbutt off the top rope to get the win and become the new Intercontinental Champion! In the second fall, Chris Benoit missed a swan dive attempt on Angle. Jericho seized the opportunity and delivered an Asai moonsault off the second rope and pinned Benoit to win the European Title! After the match, Angle was irate that he had lost both championships without being pinned.

Rikishi Phatu & Kane def. Road Dogg & X-Pac w/ Tori
Kane finally got his opportunity for revenge on X-Pac. The Big Red Machine finished off X-Pac with a Tombstone, securing the victory for his team. After the match, Too Cool appeared - as did the Famous Chicken! Rikishi & Too Cool, along with the Chicken, did their famous dance. Meanwhile, Kane stood in a corner and didn't take his eyes of the Chicken - who he assumed was Pete Rose. (Rose had dressed in the Chicken costume and attacked Kane at WrestleMania XV after Kane Tombstoned him at WrestleMania XIV.) After the dance, the Big Red Machine grabbed the Chicken, but Pete Rose came from behind with a baseball bat. Pete's plan failed for the third consecutive WrestleMania. Rikishi grabbed the bat away from Pete, and Kane gave Charlie Hustle a chokeslam! Then Too Cool positioned Pete in a corner, and Rikishi gave Pete a face full of ass!

Fatal Four Way Elimination Match
Triple H def. Big Show, Mick Foley and The Rock
Shane McMahon's interference led directly to the Big Show's elimination. Shane tried to trip The Rock, but the People's Champion turned around and socked Shane right in the face. Meanwhile, Mick Foley clobbered the Big Show from behind with a chair, and The Rock followed up with a Rock Bottom and pinned the Show! It would be an understatement to say that the Show and Shane left under duress. Later in the match, Triple H hit Mick with the Pedigree, but Mick miraculously kicked out! Triple H practically snapped, as he hit Mick in the side of the head with a steel chair and then Pedigreed Mick on top of the chair. This time, Mick was unable to kick out. Mick was about to leave the ring area, but then he changed his mind, came back, and clobbered Triple H right in the head with a two-by-four wrapped in barbed wire. His head held high, Mick retreated to the locker room for the last time. Foley's elimination left The Rock and Triple H and the last two competitors. At one point, Vince got involved, hammering the champion with several rights and lefts. Shane McMahon ran from the back and attacked his father from behind and even hit him with a television monitor! Vince got up and punched and kicked his son a few times, but Shane grabbed a chair and smacked his father with it, busting Vince wide open. Vince had to be assisted back to the locker room by Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco. Shane took a chair into the ring, but The Rock monkey flipped Triple H, who went flying into Shane. The Rock hit the champion with the Rock Bottom, but he was too exhausted to make the cover. Shane tried to use the chair on The Rock again, but Vince sprinted from the locker room and knocked Shane out. Then Vince picked up the chair and hit … The Rock! Somehow The Rock managed to kick out when Triple H covered him. A shocked Vince hit The Rock again, and this time Triple H got the 1-2-3 to retain the Federation Championship. After the match, Stephanie and Vince embraced, and Shane and Vince appeared to be reconciling as well. Suddenly, an irate Rock returned to the ring and dropped both Shane and Vince with a Rock Bottom. The Rock glared at Stephanie, who got up and got in his face - and slapped the "Great One." Stephanie had crossed the line, and The Rock gave her a Rock Bottom as well! The Rock followed up by knocking Triple H off the ring apron and then giving Stephanie a People's Elbow. WrestleMania came to an end with three McMahons knocked out.



Here are some great WWF operated links for your WrestleMania enjoyment!
wrestlemaniaHISTORY
wrestlemaniaNEWS
wrestlemania MAIN EVENT
wrestlemaniaMATCHES
wrestlemaniaINTERACTIVE
WrestleMania's Official Site
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