I mentioned that Wrestlemania 16 was something of a let-down of a Wrestlemania. It delivered a great triple ladder match by Edge and Christian, the Hardy Boys, and the Dudley Boys, but they would out-do that match at Summerslam 2000 and then again at Wrestlemania X7, so the first one kind of lost it's luster as time went on. Wrestlemania 16 featured a "pretty good" triple threat match between Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho for Angle's Intercontinental and European titles. The match stands out as a classic moment due to Angle losing both belts, but the match itself was below the standard of the talent involved. Lastly, the main event was considered a disappointment at the time, due to Triple H becoming the first heel to retain the WWF title in the main event at a Wrestlemania. Personally, I loved the match, as it was the culmination to a storyline I was heavily invested in, but I'll never forget my shock and immediate outrage that Triple H walked out as champion.
If Wrestlemania was a disappointment, Backlash 2000 was the surprise hit of the year. I've heard people say that Backlash 2000 should have been Wrestlemania, as it was a strong card full of great action and hot feuds. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit had their fantastic Intercontinental title match I'd mentioned before, Big Show mocked Hulk Hogan as the "Showster" while gleefully squashing the awesomely obnoxious Kurt Angle, and Triple H and The Rock had a tremendous main event. The Rock/HHH rivalry had reached a hard-to-come-by boiling point and the crowd was on the edge of their seat during the bout due to the absence of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who had been advertised as being in Rock's corner. DX and the McMahons interferred on behalf of Triple H throughout the match, so when Austin's music hit, the building exploded. I don't think I've ever witnessed a more passionate crowd reaction on a WWE show. Backlash 2000 also had a strong undercard, as Scotty 2 Hotty had a mini-classic against Dean Malenko for the Light-heavyweight title and Eddie Guerrero defended the European title against Essa Rios.
The tag team scene was crazy awesome in 2000. Aside from the trinity of greatness that was Edge and Christian, the Dudleys, and the Hardy Boys, there was a deep division. X-Pac and Road Dogg represented DX during this time and they had a very strong match with Edge and Christian at Backlash. Test and Albert were getting pushed as T&A, along with newcomer Trish Stratus as their valet. They had an entertaining feud with the Dudley Boys, based on Bubba Ray's desire to put Trish through a table. The storyline ultimately turned the Dudleys face, as Trish was over as a snooty heel. Meanwhile, Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay were catching on as Too Cool. They should join Rikishi in the ring for dance celebrations that were a true guilty pleasure of the era. Al Snow and Steve Blackman were the mismatched odd-ball team, Head Cheese, and while they never got a signficant run, they were solid hands and produced numerous memorable vignettes. My personal favorite was when Al Snow signed Steve Blackman up to deliver stand-up comedy at a nursing home. These segments almost always ended up with Blackman losing his temper and hitting someone (but not usually Snow).
2000 was a unique year in that the Hardcore title division was also interesting. Crash Holly had won the title early in the year and decided that he would defend the belt anytime, anywhere, against anyone. This resulted in the entire lower mid-card recruiting referees to try and ambush Holly. The Mean Street Posse once jumped Crash in his hotel room and anothe time at the airport. The Headbangers attacked Crash at a carnival, which resulted in a hilarious sequence where Crash fought them off in a ball pit. Even divas, such as Ivory, would attack Crash when he was most vulnerable, say during a massage. The result was half the roster got to hold the Hardcore title for at least a few moments.
Lita burst onto the scene in 2000. She was paired up with Essa Rios, who was supposed to set the Light-heavyweight division on fire. Rios fizzled out quickly and took his out his frustration by attacking Lita. The Hardy Boys saved her and she transitioned to their valet. They became Team Extreme and got over in a really big way. I remember being 16 and thinking Lita was the greatest thing ever but finding it a little annoying that she was excused by the commentators for her frequent interference matches. I also recall a strange episode of Heat, when Lita and the Hardy's were in an elimination match against T&A and Trish Stratus. The match came down to Lita alone against Test and she actually managed to fight him off for a stretch before he put her down with a big boot.
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