I don't actually remember watching Fully Loaded 2000, but I'm willing to wager serious money that I did. Admittedly, though, this was around the time when I - 16 and driving in my 87' Honda Civic - was becoming less and less interested in pro-wrestling. Looking at this show 20 years earlier, though, I think my apathy (most likely caused by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin no longer being the star of the show and the ascent of Triple H as the top heel) might have been a bit premature because this show kinda ruled.
The Hardys and Lita took on Test, Albert, and Trish Stratus in an inter-gender 6-person tag to kick-off the show. This is exactly the type of match I wouldn't have given a chance to in 2000. I thought Test was awful. I thought Albert was even worse (and, to be fair, I'd still say he mostly sucks). I recognized how over Trish Stratus was, but I underappreciated how much actual wrestling her and Lita were willing to do, the amount of physicality and the fact that, compared to the sub-gutter lows of tastelessness that the WWE would plunge into in the years that followed, the actual amount of disgusting "sex appeal" stuff was actually kept to a relative minimum (though, the camera does undoubtedly focus more on Trish than anyone else in the match and its not even close). I also didn't appreciate just how good the Hardys were at this point as everything they did was well-executed, including taking a helluva beatdown during the post-match (the T&A combo of Albert hitting a splash in the corner and then whipping a guy into Test's big boot was a killer double-team move). If you said this was the best T&A match they ever had, I don't think you'd be wrong because unless they have a tremendous hidden gem somewhere in their catalog, this is it. Plus, it doesn't overstay its welcome! (3/5)
Tazz had suffered an injury not too long after he debuted in the company (at the Royal Rumble in January of the same year) and, when he returned, had basically turned heel by attacking anybody and everybody (but mostly babyfaces based on the video package). His opponent in this brief contest is Al Snow, who was a year removed from his last relevant (and great) storyline - the feud with Big Bossman involving Pepper the Dog and culminating in a Kennel from Hell match. Snow does the J-O-B, which is nothing knew for him, but this isn't as one-sided as one might believe...which kinda doesn't work because Tazz desperately needed dominant wins and this, despite being short, was still relatively back-and-forth. I liked that this didn't go too long, but the booking wasn't what I would've done and Tazz really seemed like a guy who was doomed to fail from the get-go. I almost wonder what would've happened if Tazz had went to WCW instead of WWE in 2000. I mean, I doubt he would've been more successful in WCW, but then again, aside from his debut at the Rumble, Tazz was treated as an afterthought almost immediately and maybe the shallower talent pool in WCW would've meant he might've made a bigger splash? (2.5/5)
Perry Saturn challenged Eddie Guerrero for the European Championship in the next bout. Eddie was paired with Chyna at this time and its actually unfortunate, looking back, that this pairing occurred during undeniable "rough patches" for them. Eddie had injured himself almost immediately upon debuting in the WWE and while he would eventually be one of the company's most beloved stars, it was clear that he had not quite found his footing in the WWE yet (and was also famously "battling his demons" at this time). Meanwhile, Chyna was also famously going through personal issues around this time after parting ways with Triple H both on- and off-screen and, as many have pointed out, developing her own ego and addiction issues. But imagine if this pairing had occurred when Chyna was still a rising star, hungry for the spotlight and not yet feeling entitled to it? Or when Eddie had the confidence and fan adoration that he did in 04' and 05'? Hell, what if instead of being slotted in the midcard, Triple H and Stephanie had actually wanted to work with them at the top of the card? But, in 2000, even if the chemistry was there, the desire to really "make it work" didn't seem to be. It's a shame too because this match shows just how good the Eddie & Chyna act could be. They may not dominate the match in the traditional sense - Saturn gets plenty of offense in and its all nice and fine - but their personalities are huge and, positioned as heels rather than babyfaces, they would have been huge heat magnets for the way Eddie could outwrestle you in the ring and Chyna could manhandle you outside of it. The match doesn't go long - less than 6 minutes - but they throw a bunch of moves into it as they clearly wanted to show what they could bring to the table. I was confused by the booking of the ending as Saturn went on to do so little in the company and Eddie would blossom into a huge star, but whatever. Not a bad match, but it did make me think more about what could've been rather than what was. (2/5)
The Acolytes took on Edge and Christian in the next match. In various segments before this match, Edge and Christian were trying to get out of this match by having Christian feign illness. It made for some funny segments, but then, before the match began, to really get the crowd behind the APA, the heels cut a promo about Dallas (including a pretty wild claim about how JFK would've committed suicide if he hadn't been assassinated) and then Bradshaw cut a spirited promo to get the live crowd behind them. It was good stuff, even if it was very much of its time. The match itself wasn't anything special, but I'd call it "well-designed" in the sense that the APA got to beat down on the heels, but the heels still outsmarted the babyfaces by retaining the titles via DQ. Perfectly fine "TV match" on a loaded pay-per-view card. (2.5/5)
This was followed by Val Venis vs. Rikishi in a Steel Cage Match for the Intercontinental Championship. This match surprised me a bit as I'm not generally much of a fan of Val Venis and I've always found Rikishi to be a touch overrated (and I'll admit I never "got" his gimmick or appeal as a babyface and found the Stinkface to be corny). But, despite all my misgivings, I'll give credit where its due - these two guys really worked their asses off to deliver a match that would stand out on a card that was objectively loaded with big matches and lots of star power. Val Venis is not someone you typically think of as a bleeder, but he gets color here and takes a bit of a beating from Rikishi as the two utilize the cage quite well in an old school way. This match doesn't have much "new" to say, but Rikishi does deliver a huge splash off the top, which was a sight to behold considering his size. This was never going to steal the show because, well, look at the rest of the card and the talent involved, but this was arguably one of Venis and Rikishi's best singles matches and, though Lita and Trish got huge pops for their cameos in this match, they didn't really need to be involved because Venis and Rikishi did enough on their own to make this a worthwhile match. (3/5)
The next bout - The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle - also had quite a build as the Deadman had been stalking Angle over the course of the evening. People may look back at this match as a "squash," but Angle held his own and its important to remember that, in 2000, Kurt Angle was a wrestling prodigy but was still working a gimmick that made it completely believable that he had let all his initial successes go to his head and had bitten off more than he could chew when he stepped up against the Phenom. I'm not a huge fan of the American Badass iteration of the Undertaker, but in this context, his gimmick made way, way, way more sense than it would've had he been doing the gimmick he'd used in the decade before this. Also, having just watched the Undertaker/Shamrock from 98' (or 99'?) not too long before this, I liked that they kept things moving and didn't try to turn this into some sort of greco-roman/technical wrestling match. This is asskicker Taker vs. cowardly Angle and that dynamic absolutely works. Undertaker was reportedly injured going into this match, but he must've worked through any pain because it is not noticeable at all. At the time, many fans were upset by the finish and thought Angle should've somehow eked out a victory after he'd been on such a hot streak in 2000, but I like that they protected the Undertaker here and firmly established that, in a company that was clearly overloaded with talent, the Phenom was still the Phenom. Not a match I'd consider must see, especially compared to the matches they'd have later on when Angle was more established and credible, but perfectly fine. (2.5/5)
The second of three touted "main events" follows - Triple H vs. Chris Jericho in a Last Man Standing match. I'd have to go back to some of my notes - and probably re-watch quite a few bouts of the years - but is this the best Triple H/Jericho match? I'm not 100% positive it is, but I'm also not 100% positive it isn't. Its important to remember that, in 2000, the WWE had not beaten the Last Man Standing match stipulation into the ground yet. This is a match that is almost entirely contained in the ring, which, in and of itself, was fairly special compared to many of the major matches in 98' and 99'. This match is built on a fair amount of wrestling - not weapon shots, not crowd brawling, not stunts. To be sure, those weapon shots do come into play as the match builds (and, boy, do we get some blood), but it takes time to get there and the suspense and escalation of violence is there in a way that today's Last Man Standing matches lack. At the time, this match received rave reviews and, 20 years later, it still stands the test of time as one of the better matches of this era, benefited tremendously by a red hot crowd that absolutely hated Triple H (and Stephanie) and was fully behind Jericho. I read one review that said that Jericho and Triple H may have "done too much," but I actually found this to be considerably less "loaded" than many of the LMS matches that came after it, with (thankfully) noticeably less "false finishes." There was an attention to detail here that made sense without being too cutesy too as Triple H's finisher, for example, was treated as a finish...but not enough for a 10 count. To me, that makes way more sense than having guys kick out at 2.9. I liked that Triple H targeting Jericho's ribs throughout the contest, but wish the ribs had played a bigger role in the actual finish. Speaking of the finish, it stands out more because of how simple it is. This is not a match that could ever be criticized for being "overbooked" or relying on too much shenanigans and, in a sense, modern audiences might even be confused with the straight-forwardness of an LMS match like this (kinda like how the Bret/Owen Cage Match at SummerSlam 94' could be confusing if watched with a modern lens), but listen that crowd - this was awesome. A "must see" match for its time and even 20 years later, even for a guy like me who isn't necessarily very high on either competitor. (4/5)
Main event time - The Rock defending the WWE Championship against Chris Benoit with the added stipulation that if The Rock were to get disqualified, the title would change hands. Earlier in the show, Shane McMahon had challenged The Rock, but really just to goad him out of the locker room so that Benoit could trash his dressing room (and expensive clothes). I'm not sure who was booking/writing the scripts for the WWE at this time, but shows like this really did feel a bit more like an extended episode of Raw or SmackDown at times - and I'm not sure that was necessarily a bad thing as it provided some real variety to the show and kept the crowd engaged. Anyway...The Rock and Benoit tore the house down here and did it without relying on too much shenanigans. It really seems like they were working to have an even better match than Triple H and Jericho, which was a real challenge because unlike those two, Benoit and The Rock hadn't worked together too much before this and, unlike The Game and Y2J, Benoit and The Rock didn't have similar styles. This is by no means a "carry job," but I've read far too many reviews that inexplicably talk about The Rock having to "keep up" with Benoit and I just didn't see that. If anything, this match not only showed how good The Rock's bumping and selling could be, just how good he was at "the basics," but also how much he could use his charisma to make Benoit (and Shane) credible threats at a time when The Rock was far and away the much bigger and more established star to the WWE audience. The false finish was nicely done - again, credit The Rock for his expert timing - and the crowd bit on it until Foley showed up. My biggest criticism would be that the actual finish felt a little "out-of-nowhere" with The Rock catching Benoit in the Rock Bottom, which felt a little anti-climactic as they hadn't really been working towards that with all the focus on submissions. If I recall, these two would never have another major PPV match against each other, though I think that has less to do with a lack of chemistry than it does that The Rock, not too long after this, became a much more sporadic wrestler and was really only utilized in the biggest matches possible on PPV (he and Benoit would compete against each other on TV in singles and tags multiple times over the next couple years). A very good main event that might actually be a quite contender for both guy's Top 20 matches ever, which is saying something when you consider the number of legendary matches these two have on their resume. (4/5)
Its crazy to think about it now, but Fully Loaded 2000 was a show built around the "creation" of three new main event stars - Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit - with Triple H, The Rock, and The Undertaker playing "The Old Guard." Even in losses, all three of the "young guns" got to shine in major matches...but, if you think about it, "The Old Guard" didn't really go anywhere after this (aside from The Rock, who went to Hollywood and became an even bigger star). Triple H had only been in the main event for a year and a half or so and would continue to dominate the WWE as both a heel and a face for the next decade. The Undertaker would win multiple World Championships, main event countless pay-per-views, and wrestle close to 20 more years. For a show that was perceived to be about the creation of three new stars, in hindsight, its really more about the future of all six individuals (with The Rock/Benoit match being an almost symbolic representation of how the WWE itself would transition from the entertainment-heavy, "more sizzle-less steak" emphasis of the Attitude Era to the more gritty, physically-taxing toll of the Ruthless Aggression years. Jericho and Triple H would headline a WrestleMania against each other not too long after this, while the Undertaker and Angle would end up being anchors for the SmackDown brand from the mid-00s on. Unfortunately, the Guerrero/Saturn match isn't as good as one would wish (but still maybe worth watching if you're curious about the Guerrero and Chyna partnership), but the opener is better than I expected, helping this show earn a very respectable 2.94-out-of-5 Kwang Score and a...
FINAL RATING - Watch It
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