We’re kicking off WWE in 2000 with Royal Rumble 2000! Drawing over 19,000 fans, the event took place at Madison Square Garden and features a WWE Championship match as Triple H defends against Cactus Jack in a street fight and the annual Royal Rumble match.
Prepare for a familiar but new format to our “Into the Vault” reviews!
The Undercard
The opener saw Tazz take on Kurt Angle in a brief showdown that wasn’t bad but really needed more time. This was a sampler since they don’t clash at No Way Out. Things pick up early with the first tag team tables match between the Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz.
I really enjoyed this one, it was my preferred pace, had a good amount of time, and it was a controlled car crash. Sometimes you just need that hit of mayhem on a show.
Following that match, we had a decent triple threat match for the IC title as Jericho defended against Chyna and Hardcore Holly. Remember, there’s a big battle royal at the end of the show and some matches will be brief since some wrestlers who already wrestled are in it.
As I mentioned, the IC title match was decent but very much something that could’ve been run on RAW or SmackDown. That’s the case with the opener and the following bout.
I will say that watching these late 1999 and early 2000 PPV has me Chyna’d out. Jericho should’ve been moved into something else but he and Chyna are joined at the hip for a bit.
I understand that we kind of needed the WWE Tag Team titles defended but the brief-ass match between defending champions the New Age Outlaws and the Acolytes could’ve been a HeAT match or just put near the beginning.
There’s really nothing to discuss here besides it probably could’ve been interesting with a couple more minutes.
Again, these guys are in the Royal Rumble match as well, so the length makes sense plus wrestlers featured weekly and with ongoing shenanigans need to touch base with their storylines. Still, it wasn’t a good bout.
Main Event
The WWE title street fight between Triple H and Cactus Jack? Go watch it. It’s the main match to watch on this show. Some fans find Triple H’s matches from this time—and prior—to be his usual long-ass brawls. Personally, I loved his brawls but felt his matches could be way too long. This is one of those matches that run a little long but it’s still entertaining.
Plus, Cactus Jack getting a shot for the WWE title? Not Mankind or Dude Love but Cactus Jack? Sign me up for two of those!
For those not familiar, I can’t stand battle royals. Sometimes they just run too long and depending on the era, they can be slow and uneventful or just long and messy. This one was in the middle for the most part before really picking up at the end. It was a pretty routine Rumble match but it wasn’t bad or boring as there were parts I enjoyed.
WWE Royal Rumble 2000 Verdict: Silver Medal (Thumbs Up for the Main, Thumbs in the Middle for the Undercard)
This was a better-than-average event. The featured main event was above decent while the WWE title match was great. Also great was the tables match. The show as a whole had my preferred number of matches for an event and some of the matches were brief because of double duty but this was a breezy viewing.
Match of the Show: Triple H vs. Cactus Jack – WWE Title Street Fight
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