WrestleMania 2000, also known as WrestleMania 16, was a 2000
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
(PPV)
event produced by the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 16th annual
WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2000, at the
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...
. This was the second WrestleMania at this venue, after
WrestleMania XII in 1996. A total of nine matches were contested on the event's card.
The
main event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
was a
four-way elimination match for the
WWF Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
involving reigning champion
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer.
Levesque began his wres ...
,
The Rock,
Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador.
Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...
, and
The Big Show, which Triple H won after last eliminating The Rock, in the first time a
heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
won the main event of WrestleMania. Main matches on the
undercard
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
included a
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...
ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
for the
WWF Tag Team Championship involving
Edge and Christian, The
Hardy Boyz, and The
Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...
, and a two-fall
triple threat match for the
WWF Intercontinental and
European Championships
A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
involving
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
,
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
and
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...
.
Production
Background
WrestleMania is considered the
World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) flagship
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
(PPV) event, having first been held in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
. It has become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April. It was the first of the WWF's original four pay-per-views, which includes
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
,
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, and
Survivor Series
Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
, which were dubbed the "Big Four", and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along with
King of the Ring. The 16th WrestleMania was titled WrestleMania 2000 due to it taking place in the year 2000. It was scheduled to be held on April 2, 2000, at the
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...
. This was the second WrestleMania at this venue, after
WrestleMania XII in 1996.
Storylines
The event included nine matches that each resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by writers of the World Wrestling Federation, while storylines were produced on WWF's weekly television shows, ''Raw is War'' and ''SmackDown!'' along with its supplementary programs, ''Sunday Night Heat'' and ''Jakked/Metal''.
WWF Championship
The main
feud
A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
heading into
WrestleMania was over the
WWF Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
and involved two feuds that had become intertwined over the previous two months and eventually drew in the
McMahon family.
On the January 3rd, 2000 edition of ''Raw'',
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer.
Levesque began his wres ...
regained the WWF Championship, which he had previously lost to
The Big Show at
Survivor Series
Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
in November 1999 due to interference from
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
. He also used his position of husband to
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, to exert control over the company and his rivals. This would lead to the firing of
Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador.
Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...
, his most vocal rival. Foley, however, was later reinstated and reverted from his Mankind persona to his more violent Cactus Jack persona, challenging Triple H to a street fight at the
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
later that January, which the champion won.
Meanwhile, after Big Show's loss, he began showing signs of disdain toward
The Rock in interviews. Shortly thereafter, he abandoned The Rock in several tag matches featuring the two and eventually attacked him, turning heel and declaring his intent to win the Royal Rumble match and regain the WWF Championship. Big Show and The Rock both entered the Royal Rumble match and were the last two men left in the ring, and The Rock apparently won the match after pulling himself back into the ring before Big Show tumbled to the floor.
However, Big Show protested The Rock's victory, and insisted that he did not lose the match. Big Show then proceeded to produce video footage that showed The Rock had in fact touched the floor with both feet before Big Show did.
Heading into
No Way Out on February 27, a double main event was signed. Triple H would defend the WWF Championship against Cactus Jack in a Hell in a Cell match, with Cactus being forced to retire from wrestling should he lose. The winner of that match would face the winner of a match earlier in the night between The Rock and Big Show, for the right to go to WrestleMania and face the champion.
During the #1 contender's match, The Rock had hit the Rock Bottom on Big Show and was about to deliver the People's Elbow when
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE.
The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
, who had not been seen on WWF television since December 1999, came to the ring and laid The Rock out with a steel chair shot, enabling Big Show to get the pinfall victory and earn the title shot.
Later in the night, the bout between Triple H and Cactus Jack would spill outside of the cell and end up on the roof, where Cactus lit a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire ablaze and attempted to deliver a piledriver to Triple H onto it. Triple H reversed it by backdropping Cactus, causing him to fall through a panel in the cell's ceiling and hit the ring with enough force to break the ring mat. Once back inside, the champion hit the Pedigree on the challenger to win the match, retain his title, and send Cactus Jack into retirement.
The night after No Way Out, Triple H informed The Rock that he had to start all the way at the bottom of the pecking order since he was no longer the number one contender, and forced him into a match with
The Brooklyn Brawler. The Rock easily won the match and proceeded to call Triple H out afterward. Stephanie would then decide to give The Rock a chance to be added into the WrestleMania main event, provided he could pin either Triple H or Big Show, who had formed a formidable, but uneasy, alliance in the previous weeks in spite of Big Show's challenger status to Triple H, in a handicap match in that night's main event. The Rock won the match, but did so after Shane interfered and broke up a pin attempt. Since this resulted in a disqualification victory for The Rock rather than a pinfall victory, he was not added into the WrestleMania match.
Two weeks later'','' The Rock challenged Big Show yet again and this time agreed to put his career on the line in order to get to WrestleMania. Shane would go on to appoint himself as the special guest referee, but during the course of the match, Vince McMahon returned from his own exile following Stephanie's betrayal of him at
Armageddon
Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
the previous December. He knocked Shane out with a chair and counted the pin for The Rock, who won his way into the WrestleMania main event, officially making it a Triple Threat match.
The following week on ''Raw'', Vince announced that the Triple Threat match between the three men would take place that night instead of waiting until WrestleMania. Triple H reluctantly agreed on the terms that the match not take place at WrestleMania under any circumstances. With Stephanie in his corner, Shane in Big Show's corner, and Vince in The Rock's corner, Triple H would emerge victorious and retain the championship after pinning Big Show with the Pedigree. After the match, however,
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon ( ; ; born October 4, 1948) is an American politician, business executive, and former professional wrestling promoter who has served as the 13th United States Secretary of Education, United States secretary of education since ...
appeared and informed Triple H that he would indeed be defending the WWF Championship at WrestleMania against not only The Rock and Big Show, but a newly reinstated Mick Foley as well in a Fatal-4-Way Elimination Match. Foley then immediately came out and attacked Triple H. Linda would then announce on the March 24 edition of ''SmackDown!'' later that week that she would be in Foley's corner for the match and also announced that should Mick Foley end up winning the Fatal-4-Way, the WWF Championship would be vacated later that night at Wrestlemania, and a tournament would begin to crown a new WWF Champion that would run until the next pay-per-view,
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
.
Other storylines
Another major feud that had been developing going into the show featured
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
. At No Way Out in February, Jericho lost his
Intercontinental Championship to then-
European Champion Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
after Angle hit him with the title belt behind the referee's back, causing Angle to become a double champion. Over the following weeks, Jericho would make several attempts to regain the championship, with all attempts being unsuccessful, largely due to Angle's sudden partnership with WWF legend
Bob Backlund
Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur wrestling, amateur and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Fede ...
, who had briefly returned to the company. While feuding with Angle, Jericho also started a rivalry with
The Radicalz, as
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...
was also trying to win the Intercontinental Championship, while
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
was subsequently trying to woo Jericho's valet
Chyna
Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality.
Chyna first rose to pr ...
. Eventually, a two-fall match between Angle, Benoit, and Jericho was signed for WrestleMania. The first fall would be contested for the Intercontinental Championship, and the second fall would be contested for the European Championship.
Another major feud heading into the event was between
Edge and Christian, The
Hardy Boyz (
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...
and
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and also appears on partner promotion WWE on its NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand.
He is re ...
), and The
Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...
(
Bubba Ray Dudley
Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971), known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley (also spelled Buh-Buh Ray Dudley), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for being ...
and
D-Von Dudley
Devon Hughes ( ; born August 1, 1972) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, under a legends contract. He is best known for performing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 a ...
) for the
WWF Tag Team Championship. On the January 17th edition of ''
Raw'', Jeff Hardy was scheduled to face Bubba Ray Dudley in a singles match. The match saw Jeff pinning Bubba Ray after delivering a Swanton Bomb.
After the match, the Dudleys attacked the Hardys, in which they powerbombed Matt on top of a table.
Later that week, on the January 20th edition of ''SmackDown!'', Matt was placed in a singles match with D-Von Dudley. The win was given to Matt via disqualification,
after Jeff and Bubba Ray made their way to the ring, causing both teams to begin brawling with one another.
Bubba Ray prepared to powerbomb Matt off the stage, onto some tables that were set up by the Dudleys. Bubba Ray, however, was hit by Jeff with a chair, causing him to fall onto the tables below. The Hardys then set up a table of their own, and Matt proceeded to perform a legdrop on D-Von through the table.
At the
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, the Hardys defeated the Dudleys in a
tag team tables match, with Jeff performing a Swanton Bomb onto D-Von from the arena's balcony. The following night on ''Raw'', the Dudleys showed respect towards the Hardys, and stated they would help them defeat the
New Age Outlaws
The New Age Outlaws are an American professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) made up of Brian James ("Road Dogg" Jesse James) and Monty Sopp ("Badd Ass" Billy Gunn). The duo became popular in the late 1990s as membe ...
later that night for the WWF Tag Team Championships. In return, the Hardys would have to grant the Dudleys a title shot at the titles.
However, during the match, the Dudleys stopped the three count, after the Hardys had the match in their favor, which allowed the Outlaws to retain the titles. After the match, the Dudleys then proceeded to perform the 3-D on each of the Hardys. The Dudleys would go on to successfully defeat the Outlaws at No Way Out to win the Tag Team Championships. Later that night, Edge & Christian defeated the Hardy Boyz in a #1 Contender's match after
Terri Runnels, who had been managing the Hardys, turned heel and cost them the match. Over the following weeks, the two teams would begin a feud in which they trash-talked each other in interviews, and cost each other matches. It was later announced that all three teams would face each other for the WWF Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania in a
Triangle Ladder match.
Another unique storyline that was developing around this time revolved around the
WWF Hardcore Championship. On the February 24th edition of ''SmackDown!'',
Crash Holly
Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) f ...
defeated
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
for the Hardcore Championship with help from his cousin
Hardcore Holly
Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Hardcore Holly.
After debuting in 1987, Holly worked for ...
. After the match, a jubilant Crash declared that he would defend the title any time, at any place, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so long as there was a referee present. This magnificently backfired on Crash, as he would be ambushed and challenged in impromptu matches for the title in various places such as a laundromat, a hotel room, an amusement park, and even the baggage claim at
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport is a major international airport serving the New York metropolitan area. The airport straddles the boundary between the cities of Newark, New Jersey, Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and E ...
. Although Crash was able to retain his title or regain it after briefly losing it each time he was confronted, the constant looking over his shoulder drove Crash crazy, and a battle royal featuring most of the wrestlers who had been ambushing Crash was signed for WrestleMania.
Event
Preliminary matches
Before the opening video,
Lilian Garcia sang "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
".
The first match that aired was a
tag team match between the team of
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
and
D'Lo Brown (who were accompanied to the ring by the Godfather's
Ho Train and rapper
Ice-T
Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...
, who also sang their entrance music; due to licensing issues, the team's entire entrance is edited out of the
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
stream of the event) against the team of
The Big Boss Man and
Bull Buchanan.
The Godfather and Brown gained the early advantage over Buchanan and Boss Man, as they were able to execute a
leg drop and a
splash combination.
Buchanan and Boss Man, yet, retaliated after Boss Man delivered a
Sidewalk slam and Buchanan delivered a leg drop from the top turnbuckle into a
pinfall and winning the match.
The second match was a
hardcore battle royal
Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
for the
WWF Hardcore Championship featuring champion
Crash Holly
Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) f ...
defending against
The Mean Street Posse,
The APA,
Kaientai,
The Headbangers
The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). They are currently signed to WWE as ambassadors.
As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of ...
,
Tazz
Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz), is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a color commentator f ...
,
Viscera
In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...
, and
Hardcore Holly
Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Hardcore Holly.
After debuting in 1987, Holly worked for ...
The rules of the match were as follows: The match would go on for fifteen minutes, the championship could exchange hands an unlimited number of times during the time limit, and the final wrestler with the Hardcore Championship would win the match and remain the Hardcore Champion.
The first championship exchange occurred after
Tazz
Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz), is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a color commentator f ...
pinned Crash, which proceeded with
Viscera
In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...
pinning Tazz.
The third championship exchange occurred after
Funaki pinned Viscera, however, Funaki was then pinned by
Rodney.
The fifth championship exchange occurred after
Joey Abs pinned Rodney, which proceeded with Abs being pinned by
Thrasher.
The seventh title exchange occurred after
Pete Gas pinned Thrasher. Gas was then pinned by Tazz.
The ninth title exchange occurred after Crash pinned Tazz, which proceeded with the final championship exchange, as
Hardcore Holly
Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Hardcore Holly.
After debuting in 1987, Holly worked for ...
pinned Crash in a controversial ending. Despite this, Hardcore Holly officially won the Hardcore Championship.
The next match was a tag team match between the team of
Al Snow and
Steve Blackman against the team of
T & A (
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
and
Albert).
Back and forth action between the two teams towards the end of the match, where Albert delivered a
Baldo Bomb on Snow, while Test delivered an
elbow drop from the top rope onto Blackman into a pinfall for the win.
The fourth match was a
WWF Tag Team Championship triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...
ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
involving The
Hardy Boyz,
Edge and Christian, and champions The
Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...
.
Edge and Christian first gained the advantage after Edge climbed the top rope and
speared Jeff, who was climbing a ladder.
Edge and Christian were then given consecutive
3-D's by The Dudley Boyz.
The Dudley Boyz then brought tables into the ring and onto ringside, where D-Von unsuccessfully attempted to
splash Jeff through a table in the ring, while Bubba
powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a s ...
ed Matt through another table at ringside.
The Hardy Boyz would then retaliate after Jeff delivered a
Swanton bomb off a ladder onto Bubba, through a table.
As Jeff did so, Matt climbed a ladder, along with Edge and Christian, who pushed Matt off the ladder through a table.
The situation allowed Edge and Christian to reach and grab the championship belts that were hung from the rafters, thus gaining their first Tag Team Championship.
The fifth match was a
Catfight between
The Kat and
Terri
Terri is an alternative spelling of Terry. It is a feminine given name and is also a diminutive for Teresa.
Notable people with the name include:
*Terri Allard (born 1962), American country/folk singer/songwriter
*Terri S. Armstrong, American sc ...
with
special guest referee,
Val Venis; the winner of the match was based on the rules of a
battle royal
Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
in that the
wrestler
Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...
who threw her opponent out of the ring (does not have to be over the top rope, however) would be declared the winner.
The Kat threw Terri out to ringside; however, Venis was distracted by
Mae Young, who was at ringside managing The Kat, and thus was unable to see the action.
Terri was again thrown out to ringside by The Kat; however, once again, the action was not seen by Venis, as he was distracted by Young.
In retaliation,
The Fabulous Moolah, who was at ringside managing Terri, pulled The Kat out of the ring, which was seen by Venis, thus declaring Terri the winner the match.
Whilst celebrating, Mae Young attacked Terri and The Fabulous Moolah, before giving Moolah the bronco buster whilst Kat stripped Terri of her clothing.
Next was an
Intergender tag team match between the team of
Too Cool (
Grand Master Sexay and
Scotty 2 Hotty) and
Chyna
Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality.
Chyna first rose to pr ...
against the team of
The Radicalz (
Perry Saturn
Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for Professional wrestling promotion, promotions inclu ...
,
Dean Malenko,
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
).
Both teams fought back and forth towards the end of the match, where Chyna was tagged into the match and delivered a
press slam,
powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a s ...
, and a
sleeper slam to pin Guerrero for the win.
The seventh match was a
two-fall triple threat match for both the
WWF Intercontinental and
WWF European Championship, involving
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
,
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...
, and
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
.
The first fall would be for the Intercontinental Championship, while the second fall was for the European Championship.
At the beginning of the first fall, all three men exchanged pin attempts leading into midway into the match where Benoit broke up a
Chicken wing submission by Angle onto Jericho.
The situation allowed Benoit to climb to the top turnbuckle and delivered a
Diving headbutt on Jericho into a pinfall to win the Intercontinental Championship.
During the second fall, Jericho delivered a
double powerbomb onto Angle, which proceeded into Benoit delivering three
German suplexes onto Jericho.
Afterwards, Benoit attempted to deliver another diving headbutt onto Angle, however, Angle moved out of the way, resulting in Benoit hitting the ring mat. This situation allowed Jericho to deliver a
Lionsault into a pinfall to win the European Championship. Therefore, Kurt Angle lost both titles without conceding to a single pinfall.
The final match on the
undercard
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
was the tag team encounter between
Kane and
Rikishi
A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who par ...
against
D-Generation X
D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...
(
X-Pac and
Road Dogg
Brian Girard James (born May 20, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the Senior Vice President of Live Events.
James was best known for his initial tenure with World Wrestling Federation (WWF, n ...
).
Shortly into the match, Rikishi delivered a Stink Face to Road Dogg and attempted to give a Stink Face to Tori, and DX attempted to leave the arena but were stopped by Kane and Rikishi. The Match ended with Kane delivering a
Tombstone piledriver to win by pinfall.
Afterward, an in-ring dancing segment involving Rikishi, Too Cool, and the
San Diego Chicken was interrupted by Kane, who thought the chicken was
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...
, who had tried to attack Kane the previous year. Rose then snuck into the ring and tried to hit Kane with a baseball bat, before being
chokeslam
A chokeslam is a type of body slam in professional wrestling, in which a wrestler grasps an opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerf ...
med by Kane and getting a Stink Face from Rikishi.
Main event match
The
main event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
was a
WWF Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
four-way elimination match involving
The Big Show (with
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE.
The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
),
Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador.
Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...
(with
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon ( ; ; born October 4, 1948) is an American politician, business executive, and former professional wrestling promoter who has served as the 13th United States Secretary of Education, United States secretary of education since ...
),
The Rock (with
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
), and the defending champion,
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer.
Levesque began his wres ...
(with
Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023.
The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
).
In the beginning of the match, Big Show press slammed Triple H and Rock; however, all three competitors then attacked Big Show.
This situation allowed The Rock to eliminate Big Show, after delivering a
Rock Bottom into a pinfall.
After the elimination, Foley delivered a
double arm DDT on Triple H.
However, Triple H retaliated, performing a
Pedigree on Foley onto a
steel chair; this resulted in a pinfall and Foley's elimination.
After Foley was eliminated, he returned to the ring and attacked Triple H with a barbed wire 2x4. The Rock and Triple H would proceed to brawl in and out of the ring with neither superstar gaining the advantage over one another. Vince attacked Triple H, which led to Shane returning to ringside in which he attacked his father, assaulting him with a steel chair which had led to Vince bleeding from the forehead. Shane, who was preparing to execute a chair shot on The Rock, failed when Vince returned and threw Shane out the ring. Vince had then picked up the steel chair and was preparing to attack Triple H with it, but in a shocking and unexpected
swerve, Vince instead hit The Rock with the steel chair, thus turning heel.
After a second chair shot towards The Rock by Vince, with the former being able to kick out of Triple H's first attempted pinfall towards him, Triple H had pinned The Rock for a second time and was able to get a successful pinfall against him, thus retaining the championship and becoming the first ever heel to win the main event of WrestleMania. After the match, The Rock, who was badly bruised and being helped out of the ring and towards the backstage by official referees, angrily returned to the ring and proceeded to execute Rock Bottoms on Vince, Shane, and Stephanie McMahon, before executing a
People's Elbow on Stephanie to close the show.
Reception
WrestleMania 2000 was met with a mixed critical response. John Powell of
Canadian Online Explorer
Canoe.com is an English-language Canadian portal site and website network, and is a subsidiary of Postmedia Network. The phrase Canadian Online Explorer appears in the header; the name is also evidently a play on words on canoe (or ''canoë'' in ...
's professional wrestling section called the event "a flop" and opined that "It was supposed to be sports entertainment's greatest event of the year. It was supposed to be the best the WWF has to offer. It wasn't. ... WrestleMania 2000 from The Pond in Anaheim, California, will go down as one of the worst WrestleManias the World Wrestling Federation has produced in its 15-year history of broadcasting the flagship spectacle. ... The only one-on-one match being the ludicrous Catfight between Terri and The Kat, the other congested WrestleMania bouts suffered from constant stalling of one form or another as wrestlers lay prone for extended periods of time or engaged in low-impact brawling on the outside of the ring so that the audience could direct their attention to the other participants. This approach left many WWF superstars looking foolish for selling holds longer than they needed to. ... Ironically, the first-ever All-Day-Long pre-show recapping the history of WrestleMania for eight hours prior to the premiere wrestling event was better than the card itself." He gave the overall event a score of 3 out of 10 stars, which is a considerably lower score than the
previous year's event which received a rating of 5 out of 10 stars. The main event between Triple H, Mick Foley, The Big Show and The Rock for the WWF Championship was rated 4 out of 10 stars, and both the Two-fall Triple Threat Match for the WWF Intercontinental and European Championships between Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit and the Triangle Ladder match for the WWF Tag Team Championship between The Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian both received the highest rating of 8 out of 10 stars and The Cat Fight between Terri and The Kat received the lowest rating of 0 out of 10 stars.
In 2009, Rob McNew of 411Mania gave the event a rating of 5.0
ot So Good stating, "This show was so disappointing, because the WWF for most every show in 2000 could do no wrong, but they managed to screw up the biggest show of the year by making the main event an after thought in the McMahon family drama. There were some high points on this card, and the main event was very solid action wise questionable booking aside. There is still no explanation for what happened at the end. You can't even blame
Russo Russo may refer to:
* Russo (surname)
* Russo (footballer, 1915–1980), full name Adolpho Milman, Brazilian football forward and manager
* Russo (footballer, born 1976), full name Ricardo Soares Florêncio, Brazilian football defender
* Russo brot ...
because he was already in
WCW running them into the ground."
Aftermath
After the event,
The Rock continued to feud with
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer.
Levesque began his wres ...
over the
WWF Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
. The feud continued on the first ''Raw'' after WrestleMania, where The Rock pinned Triple H in a non-title match.
The following week on ''Raw'', the feud intensified, where The Rock defeated
The Big Boss Man and
Bull Buchanan in a
handicap steel cage match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
.
After the match, Triple H,
Shane and
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
attacked The Rock, which caused him to
lose a great amount of blood.
Later that week on ''SmackDown!'', it was announced that The Rock would face Triple H for the WWF Championship at
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
.
At Backlash, The Rock, with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Linda McMahon, defeated Triple H to win the WWF Championship.
Also the next night on ''Raw'',
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
defeated
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
to win the
European Championship with help from Chyna who turned on Jericho, and aligned herself with Guerrero.
Crash Holly
Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) f ...
won the
Hardcore Championship from cousin
Hardcore Holly
Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Hardcore Holly.
After debuting in 1987, Holly worked for ...
the next night on Raw.
Video ban in Ireland
The
Irish Film Classification Office
The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) () is the organisation responsible for films, television programmes, and some video game classification and censorship within Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Where restrictions are placed by the IFCO, t ...
(IFCO) banned the video release of the event, owing to its use of realistic weapons, including metal chairs, timber wrapped with barbed wire,
shinai
A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in '' kendō''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendō shinai'', and represented with different characters. ...
and sledgehammers. Deputy censor Audrey Conlon also cited the "gladiatorial bloodlust" of the crowd baying for increasingly extreme violence. Clear Vision Ltd., which released material from the WWF under its
Silver Vision imprint, lodged an appeal (the result of which is unknown) and claimed that "our fans love the wild soap opera element", but the IFCO countered this by stating, "This is one of the most dangerous and pernicious aspects of the entire business. The universal distinguishing feature of all soap opera is that the storylines are regularly made more explicit and, in many instances, more violent, simply to keep audience share."
Results
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrestlemania 016
Wrestlemania 16
Professional wrestling shows in Anaheim, California
2000 in Orange County, California
Events in Anaheim, California
2000 WWF pay-per-view events
April 2000 in the United States
2000s in Anaheim, California
Turn of the third millennium