– On a pre-note, I am currently selling a good portion of my wrestling tapes/DVDs. Individually or multiple. There are some commons and some rares. As someone who has bought/traded tapes over the internet for years, I can assure you that they are all at a good price, and very cheap. Not only will you be getting a wrestling event for a great price, but you will be purchasing a part of NeelDown merchandise! So, if you would like the list, drop me an e-mail @ markneeley@4sternstaging.com, and I’ll gladly get back at you soon.
– Sort of some odd timing do be doing a WrestleMania, I know, but this one has been there on the shelf like all the others so I figured there was nothing wrong with getting it done now.
The NeelDown: WrestleMania 2000
– From Anaheim, California
– Hosts are Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler
Big Chocolate v. Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
Yeah, I know I used the “Big Chocolate” tag team nickname for D’Lo and Mark Henry last team, but there isn’t much of a difference here with Godfather. D’Lo slugs on Bull to start, but Bull blocks a roll up, so D’Lo leg lariats him. A “nice takedown” as JR would put it. D’Lo’s ring attire is white pants and a white vest. Very pimp-like. The pimps do some double team stuff to isolate Buchanan, but he makes the tag to Bossman who gets knocked down with some clotheslines and the Booker sidekick, for two. We don’t need anyone stealing that move, especially not Godfather. D’Lo comes back in for the ten punches on Bull, but Bull comes back with a snap top rope clothesline. Look at the agility by B-Squared! The heels get a double team version of Jarrett’s slid out of the ring and do a punch while the opponent is hanging in the ropes trick. Bossman gives D’Lo a WEAK boot to the gut setting up a Buchanan axe kick for two. The heels continue working on D’Lo and get a double elbow for two. You’d think they would actually put an opener that would get the crowd pumped up, but they don’t give a shit about this besides a couple pops for the hos maybe. Bossman catches D’Lo and slams him down for two, but the real comedy comes when JR calls it the XFL fair catch. Well, this was the golden era of the Xtreme Football League, I guess that’s what the acronym stands for, and their glorious set of rules, such as “no punting.” D’Lo gets a rana out of the corner and makes the hot tag to Godfather. Big mess leaves Bossman and D’Lo in the ring, D’Lo runs into the Bossman Slam and Bull gets a top rope legdrop for the pin. Um, what’s up with the clean win? This was long, dull, and otherwise pointless, which was a bad choice for an opener, at any rate. **
Winners: Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan (that’s a lot of B’s)
– Meanwhile, on HeAt, the referees have a press conference on the rules of the Hardcore battle royal, and Triple H and Stephanie set a plan to motion.
13-Man Hardcore Championship Battle Royal
They go for fifteen minutes, champion when the time up is the Hardcore champion. Great set of rules, eh? And they wonder why this belt failed soon after. Your participants are Tazz, Big Vis, Pete Gas, Rodney, Joey Abs, Hardcore Holly, TAKA Michinoku & Funaki, The Headbangerz, APA, and the reigning Hardcore champ, Crash Holly. We have a clock on the screen, for good measure. Tazz goes after Crash to start and suplexes him to win the title in 25 seconds. Well, that didn’t take long. Viscera rams Tazz into the post and pins him to win the title shortly after. Big brawl on the outside with everyone choosing targets. The APA use cookie sheets and road signs and all those other typical weapons to pound on everyone. The Mean Street Posse gang up on Viscera, followed by the APA, but Viscera takes them out with the NO PARKING sign. There are ceiling fans, telephones, anything and everything at ringside. JR is even having problems comprehending that Funaki just hit someone with a … box fan. I’m sure this is a ***** match for fans of these matches, but I’m not one of them, so don’t expect it from me. Hardcore Holly smacks Vis with a trash can lid but only gets two. Mosh tries the same thing, and gets the same result, which was a pretty stupid sequence. But hey, no one is exactly praising the creative for this. Things finally get back in the ring, where Vis wacks everybody with the DEADLY COOKIE SHEET. But he makes the annual big man mistake of going up top, where the APA toss him off and wack him with a 2×4 and shoulderblock. The APA put Kaientai on top of him, making Funaki new Hardcore champ after a 7-minute reign by Vis. TAKA gets greedy that Funaki is announced winner, so he chases him all the way backstage, where the Posse beat up on him as we see TAKA simply walk by carrying the Japanese flag. Rodney pins Funaki to win the title, but 24 seconds later he gets pinned by Joey Abs making him new champ. Thrasher pounds on him and gets the pin making him new champ. Now the long Vis sequence seems awfully silly. King notes that this match is like Frogger. Uh, okay. Back near the ramp, the busted open Pete Gas uses the fire extinguisher, which I’m surprised is just making its debut in this one, to take the title from Thraser. Tazz attacks him and gets the Tazzplex at ringside to crown Tazz a two-time champion thus far. Not bad for ONE MATCH. The Hollies pound on Tazz but can’t make the pin, and now Mosh gets involved, stupidly trying yet ANOTHER cookie sheet shot, which not surprisingly gets two. Back inside we have Tazz and the Hollies, who gain the numbers advantage until Crash turns on Bob, resulting in Tazz nailing them both with a can lid. He pins Crash, but he is already champion, so whatever. King makes note of this by saying that Tazz never really had “both oars in the water.” Everyone else just stupidly pound away outside while the Hollies and Tazz take turns on each other. Finally Hardcore tosses Crash out of the ring and dropkicks Tazz for two as we approach the minute mark. Crash sneaks back in and nails Tazz with the cookie sheet to become the new champ. Tazz no-sells it though, and gets up behind him locking in the Tazzmission. Hardcore runs back in at six seconds and nails Crash with a box of candy it looks like. Time White totally f*cks up the finish, with an awkward count that makes it look like Crash got the shoulder up on the pin, even though he didn’t, leaving even JR and King puzzled. Replay shows the shoulder never got up, but JR still acts like he did, as King says the candy jar Bob used was JR’s. So anyway, Hardcore leaves Champion, if anyone cares. All sloppy, garbage brawling with a crappy ending to boot, as if a match of this nature needed that. *
Winner: Hardcore Holly
Al Snow & Steve Blackman v. T & A
Snow has Chester the Cheeseblock, a Mexican guy dressed as a block of cheese come out to start and slap his ass cheeks as he chants “Let’s go Head Cheese.” Don’t ask. JR notes that T & A are making their WrestleMania debut together, as are so many other young lions. Yep, when I think of Albert, the label that comes to mind is “young lion.” Test takes Snow down to start and botches a big boot giving Albert a two count. Snow gets an enzigiri for two, as Test makes the save to prevent the quick finish off that devastating enzigiri. Blackman comes in and sweeps Albert setting up a Snow legdrop for two. Test comes in but gets backdropped out. Meanwhile the cheese mascot is standing right in front of the announce table, probably preventing this match from being viewable. Those lucky ducks. Anyway, Albert makes a comeback with a double hook suplex and makes the hot tag to Test although the crowd is asleep. He tosses Blackman and they get a double powerbomb for two. This match has “bowling shoe tendencies” according to JR, which was certainly a great line that he uses in this heyday. Things get sloppy with a bunch of pin breakups, and Albert looks like it is straining him to do a scoop slam. Finally things clear up and Test gets the elbowdrop on Blackman for the win. Boring and pointless as hell. Hmm, where have I seen that combination before. 3/4* Snow “cuts the cheese” afterwards and attacks Chester. Quick memo: No one gives a shit.
Winners: T & A
– Meanwhile Moolah talks about how she likes the pussycat on a sweater.
The Dudley Boys v. Edge & Christian v. The Hardy Boyz – Tag Team Championship Triangle Ladder Match
E&C jump the Hardyz to start and things spill to a brawl on the stage, where the Dudleyz get involved. Back in the ring Christian dropkicks Matt and they go back out. Jeff gets the Poetry in Motion on Bubba but Bubba presses him down and gets the full nelson slam, prompting a “whose the man?!” yell. I think Bobby Roode might have took some notes of Bubba’s career at this point. A ladder gets set up inside but everyone ignores it and just brawls. The Hardyz use it to sandwich Bubba then take out Edge and D’Von with it. Matt gives D’Von a WEAK slam on the ladder and follows with a leg drop for D’Von seizure like selling. Jeff gives Bubba a single-arm DDT, which seems out of place. Jeff tries a 450 Splash, which seemed WAY out of place, but it misses and he eats ladder. Edge rides the ladder as it tips over from the corner onto Matt. D’Von takes Edge out with one, as there are now three in the ring. Bubba uses a ladder on his shoulders with his head through the middle steps to level everyone, but the Hardyz nail him with a dueling dropkicks to take him out. E&C drop D’Von into a corner ladder, then set it up by the ropes, where Christian climbs up and splashes Bubba and Matt on the outside. Add a table and that might have looked cool, but remember this is no TLC match, as it hadn’t been invented yet, though it certainly paved the way. Jeff climbs for the belts in the ring, but Edge comes off the top with a Spear to knock him off. D’Von climbs, inspired by the encouraging coaching from Bubba, but gets knocked off via another ladder shot. Christian climbs, but Bubba punches him in the ass to prevent that. Talk about an unused concept. Bubba then climbs up on another ladder and gives him a neckbreaker from the top. Apparently that was sold off as a 3D, despite it just being a normal neckbreaker and D’Von wasn’t even involved. The Hardyz give Bubba a legdrop/crossbody combination from the ladders. Christian and D’Von go up on opposite sides of a ladder. Edge meets them up there on another ladder, and he and Christian suplex D’Von off. Edge and Christian climb one ladder and the Hardzy the one next to it. They each take each other off with a facebuster on one side and a neckbreaker on the three. This gives the Dudz enough leeway to climb, but Bubba sets up ANOTHER ladder below the titles, despite two already sitting there and set up. Each team has their own ladder now, with everyone slugging at everyone, and everybody gets tipped over. It leaves the Dudleyz down in the ring, who sandwich Christian with some ladders, then nail Edge with the 3D. Is Home Depot sponsoring this match? The crowd wants tables, and the Dudleyz get said. Bubba has had 1,000 chances to climb and simply get the titles by now, as even King notes, but he instead worries about the tables, and they put one of bridged across two ladders. Hardyz try coming back in and attacking, but that fails and some other various tables get set up. D’Von tries splashing Jeff through a table but Jeff rolls off, as Bubba powerbombs Matt through one outside. Jeff tries running off the barricade but Bubba throws a ladder at him as he goes into flight. Bubba sets up a 17-footer on the stage, then sets up a table below it. And exactly what could the Dudleyz do off of a ladder? Bubba sets Jeff on the table, but Christian sneaks up and nails him with the ring bell. Jeff takes care of him, rolls Bubba on the table, then climbs up and nails the insane Swanton Bomb through the table. The only thing missing from that sequence is a chair. Meanwhile, back inside, Matt gives D’Von the Twist of Fate and Jeff returns, Matt and Christian climb onto the ladder. Edge climbs up and shoves Matt through a table, allowing him and Christian unlatch the titles. This of course was did not look as pretty as all of the TLC matches that would follow it between the teams, but still a crazy spotfest. ****1/4
Winners: Edge & Christian
Terri v. The Kat – Katfight
Val Venis is your special guest referee, who makes out with both of them, causing jealousy and they pull hair and whatnot. Moolah and Mae Young, who are serving as managers, get involved, and Mae sneaks in and kisses Val. Somehow, Terri is declared winner, I guess because Kat was counted out or something. Good LORD this was painful. And you know I don’t bust out the multiple negative star rating except in extreme circumstances, and now would serve as one, generously. -***
Winner: Terri
The Radicalz v. Too Cool & Chyna
Chyna’s pyro bazooka was kind of a nice addition. Eddie starts with Scotty, and shoulders him down, but Scotty monkey flips him and gets a backbreaker, then tags in Chyna sending Eddie running for a tag to Malenko. Why wouldn’t Eddie accept to be in the ring with the woman he’s been wanting? Grandmaster and Chyna double suplex Malenko and Chyna dances. Eddie comes back in and dropkicks Sexay, then brings in Saturn who puts on the du rag, as pointed out by King, since JR calls it a “lid.” Eddie suplexes Sexay and rids the ring of the rag, thankfully. Scotty gets a tag but Eddie drops him on the ropes. Eddie takes Chyna out but gets slugged on by Scotty, and Sexay dumps him to the floor with a suplex from the apron. Scotty bulldogs Saturn onto Malenko and gets a double Worm. Eddie comes back in and shoves the ref into Chyna in a weird, sloppy sequence. Things finally settle down to Eddie and SIIH, and Saturn adds a superkick and top rope elbow. Eddie goes up but gets crotched down, and superplexed by Scotty. Chyna gets the hot tag and cleans house on the Radicalz, including the handspring elbows on Saturn and Malenko followed by two low blows, but Eddie knocks her down. Chyna slips out of a powerbomb and powerbombs Eddie, then squeezes his testicles and slams him down. She then locks in a sleeper but quickly takes him down and gets the pin. Whole story here was the Eddie-Chyna fiasco, so all of the other parts seemed silly. Still a considerable step up from the “other” tag matches we’ve witnessed thus far. **1/2
Winners: Chyna & Too Cool
– Shane encourages Big Slow, who is sporting the incredibly fashionable “Big Mustard” singlet. Angle locks Bob Backlud in his own Chicken Wing.
Kurt Angle v. Chris Jericho v. Chris Benoit – Intercontinental & European Championship
Listen to the rules, because they are a dozy. It’s 2 out of 3 falls, with the first fall being for the IC title, and the second fall for the European, as Angle is holding both belts. And for the record, oddly enough, this is the WrestleMania debut of all three guys. Jericho comments before the match that he won’t lose to Kirk Angel or Mr. Roboto. Jericho attacks everyone to start, and dumps Benoit, then dropkicks Angle. He tries to follow with the springboard dropkick but Benoit pulls him off the ropes in a pretty sweet little spot. He winds up getting the dropkick however, on both guys. Angle slows down Jericho’s momentum by dropping him on the steps, then suplexing him back inside. Benoit breaks up that pin and goes for one of his own, but Jericho prevents that. Benoit and Jericho exchange chops and Jericho gets a backbreaker on Kirk. Benoit tosses Jericho FAR, all the way to the announce table, then suplexes Angle for two. He hooks him for another one, but Jericho dropkicks him from behind. Missile dropkick on Angle gets two, which brings his dropkick total to about 27 so far. Jericho bulldogs Angle for two. Jericho locks Benoit in a camel clutch, but Benoit suplexes out of it, which isn’t a counter just anyone could pull off. Angle gives Jericho an overhead suplex for two. Jericho tries a sunset flip out of the corner on Benoit, but Benoit hooks his legs instead, Angle dropkicks his back to break it up. Angle and Jericho do a series of quick reversals and Jericho ends up trapped in a grounded sleeper. Benoit adds the SWAN DIVE OF DOOM and gets the … three count?! That sleeper must have added a heaping TON of damage to Jericho, because I have no idea how the headbut just ended a match. Anyway, that makes Benoit the new IC champ. Now time for round two for the European. Like I said, should have read the rules. Benoit suplexes Jericho off the top and Angle tries his moonsault, but it misses resulting in a triple-KO. Jericho tries the Walls on Angle, but Benoit breaks it up via head kick. Angle pounds on both guys but Jericho makes the comeback and a spin kick rids the ring of Benoit, leaving Jericho to double-powerbomb Angle. He tries a pin, but has to turn his attention the sneaky Benoit returning. Benoit gives Jericho the rolling germans, then gives Angle a german bridge suplex which almost fails, but it gets a close two. Jericho bumps into Tim White then gets locked in the Crossface. Jericho taps, but yeah, no ref. Jericho locks Benoit in the Walls then instead, but Angle sneaks in and levels Jericho with the belt. On the pin Benoit pulls Jericho out, then slugs it out with Angle. Benoit gets a backdrop suplex and tries the SWAN DIVE, but Angle avoids it. Jericho gets the Lionsault on Benoit then, as apparently Angle couldn’t make the save after dodging that headbut, making him the new European champion. This was a breath of fresh air after big load of crap put on us before it, and just a fantastic showcase, even if it was too earlier than prime. ***1/2
Winners: Chris Benoit (IC title), Chris Jericho (European title)
– Trips and Stephanie are at it again in the back.
X-Pac & Street Puppyy v. Kane & Rikishi
Kane goes after Tori to start, and Rikishi cellulite faces one of the DX, didn’t catch which. He tries one on Tori, but they drag her out and try walking. They break that up, and haul them back in where X-Pac lands the Bronco Buster on Rikshi. Road Dogg pounds on him and gets the kneedrop for two. Rikshi makes the ROLLING TAG to Kane, who cleans house setting up a cellulite face on X-Pac, but Tori yanks him out. Tori comes in, but Kane tosses her into the corner where it looks like she took a face bump, and she finally receives the cellulite-in-face treatment experience. A tombstone finishes things. At least it was short. 1/2*, afterwards Too Cool and the San Diego Chicken make their way out during the Paul Bearer meeting, and Rikshi joins Too Cool and they all dance, including the chicken. Everyone expects the chicken to be Pete of course, but it is really a fake, as Kane chokes the chicken, no pun intended, and Pete sneaks in with a baseball bat but Rikishi holds him back, and Kane chokeslams him. A cellulite face is added, for good measure. Pete solidified his spot in the Hall of Fame after the cellulite face, I’m afraid.
Winners: Kane & Rikishi
– The Rock does not care about the HHH-Stephanie marriage, Mick’s retirement or, “Big Show”, since there was nothing catchy to say about him.
Triple H v. The Rock v. Mick Foley v. Big Show – WWF Championship
This is the fatal fourway where each has a McMahon in their corner. Yes, in HHH’s corner is WWF women’s champion Stephanie. In The Rock’s will be Vince, in Mick’s will be Linda, and Big Show’s will be Shane. HHH’s early water bottle Game entrance seems to awkward with the DX music. HHH goes after Foley to start, and Show goes after Rock. Foley slugs HHH down and gets the running knee in the corner, as Show chokes Rock in the other. The BIG NASTY MUSTARD, as his singlet would reveal, takes down everybody and presses Rock down. HHH gets the same treatment. Mick however just gets some headbuts. Foley tries a sleeper, which it is WAY too early for, but Show drops back. Rock tries attacking Show but runs into a sideslam. HHH comes off the top and gets caught in Chokeslam position, but Foley takes him down. This is elimination you know. HHH, Foley and Rock all pound on Show, and three clotheslines are able to take him down. HHH turns on Foley then, so Foley clotheslines him over the top leaving Show to big boot Rock. Foley uses the no DQ rule to his advantage and wacks HHH with a chair outside. Shane trips up Rock, Foley hits Show with a chair from the apron and he walks into a Rock Bottom, eliminating Show. Show blames Vince for it. Everybody just stops and waits for Show to get done arguing and leave. Rock and Foley attack HHH as Stephanie gets worried. They dump him where they continue to pound on him and he gets whipped into a clothesline. Rock gets the LETHAL RING BELL and tries wacking HHH with it, but misses and hits Foley, as expected. Foley comes in with a barbed wire 2×4, but misses wacking HHH with it and gets low blowed in exchange. HHH gets it then and shoves it in Mick’s gut. Rock comes in and attacks HHH, but HHH tosses him to the floor. He turns around and Foley DDTs him then brings our Mr. Socko for the Mandible Claw, followed by a belt shot on HHH by Rock. Now Rock falls victim to the sock, and starts to fade out but HHH low blows Foley to break it up. Again must I point out that this is elimination, so why worry about breaking up someone else submitting? A chair gets tossed in by Linda, as Foley takes down Rock for two. Foley gets the double-arm DDT on Rock for a CLOSE two. Foley tries running the chair into Rock in the corner, but is met with Rock’s boot for two. HHH and Foley team up to try to eliminate Rock, and they give him a couple of knee lifts for two. Double suplex and WRATH OF KNEE DROP by HHH gets two. They take Rock to the floor for some more abuse but Rock turn the tide and sends Foley to the steps for his crazy steps bump. Foley comes back quickly though and nails Rock with the steps. Meanwhile Linda and Stephanie starts to argue, and JR gets REALLY mad that someone would talk to their own mother like that. Rock gets set up on the Spanish table and Foley tries an elbow drop through it, but misses and hits the end of the table. You could see him whispering to HHH to scoot Rock over more, but he attempted it anyway, so kudos. HHH attempts to carry it out anyway, but simply dropping some elbows on the table. UGLY spot. Back in HHH gets the Pedigree on Foley, but only for two, so HHH shoves the ref. HHH gets a chair and wacks Foley with it, then Pedigrees him onto the chair, thus eliminating him from this match and ending his WWF career. A HUGE “Thank You Foley” sign is held up on the camera side, almost like a f*cking tarp it’s so huge. It is sad to see it end on a Pedigree, it really is. Foley heads up the ramp but comes back and wacks HHH with the barbed wire 2×4. Rock makes the cover, but it only gets two. You would expect a soon ending here that we’re down to the final two, but nope. Rock clotheslines him out and they head up to the stage area where Rock suplexes him and sends him into the set. They brawl their way back to ringside through the crowd, where Rock backdrops him back in over the railing. Rock grabs the steps, but HHH nails them with a chair, then wacks them a few times as Rock is trapped under the steps. HHH follows with a piledriver on the steps. That gets two inside. Rock fights back and tries the Rock Bottom, but HHH counters to the Pedigree, but Rock backdrops him to the floor. As if things couldn’t get any longer or duller with the mindless brawling, a punch by the Rock sends HHH out for some more crowd brawling. HHH grabs a fan’s funky hat and throws it down at Rock. I smell a lawsuit. At ringside Rock is able to reel him in for a weak spinebuster. Rock suplexes him through the announce table, which actually breaks this time, in about four pieces. JR has never seen carnage like this. Vince attacks his son-in-law and sends him into the post. Shane returns to take out Vince and does a weak sequence where he drags Vince down supposedly making it look like a monitor bump. Then he grabs a monitor and nails Vince with it as Stephanie looks on. Vince gets back up and him and Shane brawl to waste some more time, as HHH and Rock just lay around in the ring. Shane wacks Vince with a chair, so Vince has to get helped to the back. Finally the action turns to, you know, the people who are actually in the match, and Rock leyeths the smackdown with a DDT for two. Scoop slam gets two. Rock runs into the facebuster and HHH wacks him with the 2×4. Rock counters the Pedigree and catapults HHH into Shane who was wielding a chair, then gets the Rock Bottom on HHH. Vince returns and low blows Shane then takes him out. He then wacks Rock with the chair, to everyone’s surprise. He adds another one to Rock, for good measure, giving HHH the cover and retain. Vince and Stephanie hug as the crowd bombards the ring with cups and popcorn and such. Incredibly LONG match with all the McMahon interference to boot, which really dulled it more than anything. All of the working throughout couldn’t earn it neccesarily a bad rating, though. ***
Winner: Triple H
End of show.
