WWF Insurrextion (May 2000)

From London, England; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Opening Match: Too Cool v Saturn and Dean Malenko: Saturn and Malenko attack before the bell and dump Scotty 2 Hotty, but a double-team on Grandmaster Sexay backfires, and Too Cool dance their way into control - just like Lou Thesz used to do. Of course, he used to jitterbug, but times, they change. Dean and Scotty pick up where they left off at Backlash as trade reversals, with the Radicalz controlling, but Dean accidentally running into Saturn and getting rolled up for two. The Radicalz continue to cut the ring in half on Scotty, but keep having communication issues, and Scotty manages to superplex Malenko to get the tag. Sexay is a love shack of fire to trigger a four-way brawl, and both Radicalz take the Worm. Saturn and Malenko briefly make a comeback, but they collide again, and Sexay capitalizes with a flying legdrop onto Saturn for the pin at 7:00. Nothing special, but an energetic tag opener to get the crowd going, and allow them to enjoy Too Cool's super over gimmick. *

Kane v Bull Buchanan: Kane tosses him around with ease in the early going, and knocks Buchanan out of the ring. Bull decides to walk away, but Kane quickly drags him back in, and backdrops him. Cross corner whip, but Bull leaps to the top rope to block, nails Kane on the way down, and then follows with an axekick for two. Chincrusher, but a 2^nd rope axehandle is blocked with the chokeslam to give Kane the quick pin at 2:31. Just a quickie TV level match - which is fine, since I wouldn't want to see them go much longer. DUD

Bradshaw v Jesse James: Man, they're really busting out the top shelf stuff in the UK, huh? Bradshaw controls in the early going, so Jesse tries to have Tori run interference, but Faarooq throws cold water on it. The referee decides to eject him from ringside, but Bradshaw keeps it going with a suplex onto Jesse for two. He goes for a torture rack, but James escapes, so Bradshaw settles for hitting a big boot instead. He keeps whipping Road Dogg around, but a charge hits boot, and Jesse DDTs him for two. Bradshaw pretty much no-sells it and tries a powerbomb, but Jesse backdrops him to block, and dropkicks him out of the ring. Bradshaw no-sells that too, however, and spears Dogg on the way back in. Jesse tries to dance his way into control, but Bradshaw shrugs him off with the Clothesline from Hell, so Tori hops up onto the apron to prevent a cover. That allows Jesse a schoolboy for two, and the pumphandle-slam finishes at 5:58. Bradshaw's constant no-selling kind of hurt the overall match, but I don't think I'd want to sell for 2000 Road Dogg either, to be fair. ¼*

Arm Wrestling Match: Terri Runnels v The Kat: Jerry Lawler hosts this T&A display, and you can probably guess how this goes. Terri stalls, then decides to take off her shorts to have less restricted movement (I know, but it involves a thong, so let's all play along), but Kat doesn't want to be outdone, so she sprays water into Terri's eyes to win the 'match,' then flashes the crowd for good measure - though the home audience gets the shaft this time. Fine for a T&A break.

The Dudley Boyz v Big Show and Rikishi: Somebody in the editing department deserves a raise, because he get a hilarious fade from Terri's ass to Rikishi's that was just brilliant. The Dudley's try attacking Show from behind, but can't keep it going, and he tosses D-Von Dudley around for a bit, but Rikishi ends up in the heat segment. Tag to Show sets up a double-stinkface (Show is dressed as 'Showkishi' tonight), and Bubba Dudley takes the Chokeslam to end this dull match at 7:10. Afterwards, Too Cool come back out, and everyone (including the Dudley's) dance. The dancing act was hot stuff at the time, so this makes sense, but the match was garbage, and considering it was just a setup for the dancing, would have been better served at half the length. DUD

Kurt Angle v Chris Benoit: Benoit is wrestling with a severely swollen eye here - the result of one of his wars with Chris Jericho during the past week. Benoit unloads with chops at the bell, and takes his head off with a stiff clothesline for two. Snap suplex gets two, but a charge is blocked by Angle with a stungun. To the outside, Angle starts pounding on the swollen eye, and rams it into the post. Back in, he keeps hammering the eye, and he snaps off a nice overhead suplex for two. Snap suplex gets two, and a clothesline is worth two, but a cross corner whip is reversed, and Benoit hits the three-alarm rolling German suplexes for two. Inside cradle gets two, and he tries for the Crossface, but Kurt rakes the eyes to escape. Benoit quickly regroups with a side suplex, and he goes to the top for the flying headbutt, but Kurt rolls out of the way, and hits the Olympic Slam for the pin at 6:05. Too short to really be anything, but it was certainly good while it lasted - filled with high impact moves, and crisp execution. **

WWF Hardcore Title Match: Crash Holly v Davey Boy Smith: This is an impromptu match, as Bulldog runs out and attacks champion Crash (doing guest commentary on the last bout), and kicks the shit out of him all around ringside. Davey with a sloppy hanging vertical suplex in the aisle, but a whip into the steps is reversed, and Crash tries choking him with some electrical cable. He beats him with some more random weapons found underneath the ring, but a drop-toehold into a chair gets reversed, and Smith wins his final wrestling title with the Running Powerslam at 3:31. Sadly, this is only notable for being Davey's last WWF pay per view appearance. But hey, at least after all those years of chasing the WWF Title, he at least finally got to stand tall with the winged eagle in London. Good for him. DUD

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Edge & Christian v The Hardy Boyz: Christian starts with Matt Hardy, and stalls his challenger. It turns into a quick slugfest, and they criss cross - Christian catching him with a dropkick, and then armdragging him into an armbar. Matt slams his way out of the hold, as Ross and Lawler sound like a couple of crotchety 70 year olds on commentary, in shock over Jeff Hardy's hair color. That whippersnapper tags in, but quickly walks into a neckbreaker from Edge, but manages to knock the champion to the outside with a headscissors takedown. Edge puts distance between himself and Jeff to avoid a dive follow-up, and back in, the champs miscommunicate - allowing Matt to schoolboy Edge for two. 2^nd rope legdrop on Christian gets two, and Jeff knocks both champs into the corner for a leg lariat. However, as the referee works to restore order, E&C manage to knock Jeff out of the ring and into the rail, then proceed to cut the ring in half on him. Jeff manages to win a nice reversal sequence by countering a powerbomb into a sunset flip for two, but walks right into a spear from Edge before getting to Matt. E&C run through all the classic heel formula spots with gusto, and Jeff finally gets the tag after a double-knockout spot with Edge - punctuated with an illegal flying elbowdrop from Matt. Matt's a nightclub of fire, but takes a superplex from Christian to trigger a four-way brawl. The Hardy's look to capture the titles with Twist of Fate/Swanton combo on Christian, but Edge rushes in with the ring bell to save the titles by disqualification at 12:41. Afterwards, the Dudley's come down and put Edge through a table to please the fans. Their usual fun, fast paced, spot-filled tag match. No more, no less. ***

WWF European Title Match: Eddie Guerrero v Chris Jericho: Jericho is fresh off of winning the Intercontinental Title from Benoit on the last Smackdown, but only Eddie's title is on the line here. Big, fast slugfest to start, and Chris wins a long criss cross with a monkeyflip, then clotheslines Guerrero over the top. Eddie stalls to break the momentum, so Chris drags him back in, and alleyoops him into the corner, then hits a clothesline for two. Snapmare sets up a bow-and-arrow, but Eddie bridges up, and cradles his challenger for two. Chris responds with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he slaps on a chinlock. Eddie escapes, so Jericho snaps off a spinheel kick to put him on the floor. Realizing Guerrero is not above saving the title by countout, Jericho chases, but runs into a clothesline from Chyna out there as he rounds a corner. He still manages to block the Frogsplash with a superplex on the way back in for two, but a cross corner charges misses, and Eddie brings him off the top with a rana for two. Gory special turns into a pinfall reversal sequence, and Eddie blasts him with a clothesline to keep control, then slaps on an abdominal stretch. Meanwhile, Jerry Lawler nearly has an aneurism trying to work 'mamacita' and 'latino heat' twice into every sentence. His take on the accent is hilarious, too. Jericho escapes the hold and hits a flapjack, but a powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two. Back to the special, but Chris manages to reverse it this time, so Eddie counters into a victory roll - only to have Jericho drop him in a sitout facebuster. Great sequence there. Bulldog gets the challenger two, and a sloppy diving forearm gets two. Flapjack, but Eddie turns it into a rana that sends both guys tumbling over the top. He tries to talk the referee into stopping the match, allowing Chyna to sneak up on Jericho with a DDT, and Eddie to roll in and cover for a dramatic two count. Side suplex, but Chris counters into a two-alarm no-release powerbomb, and follows with a springboard moonsault. No count, however, as Chyna is distracting the official. Jericho goes to deal with it, but that allows Guerrero to snag the title belt, and he knocks Chris out with it for the pin at 11:57. Very good match here, with both guys really clicking well. *** ½   

Main Event: WWF Title Triple Threat Match: The Rock v Triple H v Shane McMahon: Rock starts with HHH, and they get right into a big slugfest - controlled by the champion. Shane runs in to help his brother-in-law, but gets his ass kicked for his trouble - Rock cleaning house. He follows out, but gets quickly overwhelmed, and HHH hits a swinging neckbreaker. Back in, Triple H and Shane take turns hammering Rock, but Shane complains that it makes his hand hurt, so the Game shows him how it's done. They get too wrapped up in their pre-punch dance routines, however, and Rock takes him both down with a series of clotheslines - only to run into a facebuster from Shane for two. Vertical suplex by HHH sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop from Shane - which in turn sets up a kneedrop from HHH for two. Nice bit of teamwork there. Triple H with a sleeper, with Shane hilariously shouting advice from beside him, until Rock grabs Shane in a sleeper of his own to shut him up! That's perhaps the best triple sleeper spot ever, actually. HHH responds by putting the champ down with a high knee, and adds a clothesline for two - the count accidently broken up by an over anxious Shane. HHH bitches him out, but McMahon doesn't like being told what to do, and decides to clothesline his brother-in-law from behind. Rock takes advantage of their squabbling with DDTs for both challengers, but Stephanie distracts the referee to prevent a count. Shane tries capitalizing with a Pedigree on Rock, but it gets countered into a slingshot (taking out the referee in the process), so Hunter whacks him with the title belt. No referee, so Vince brings Gerald Brisco down to make the count - Rock kicking out at two! Shane brings a chair in, but accidentally hits HHH, so Vince decides to take matters into his own hands, and brings his own chair in. Rock goes to kill him, but HHH saves with a low blow, and adds the Pedigree for two. He takes out Brisco in frustration over the count, then gives Rock a second Pedigree. His genius plan leaves him without a referee, however, so McMahon puts Brisco's striped shirt on himself - only for referee Earl Hebner to run down and object. That leads to a fight between them on the floor, as Shane accidentally crotches HHH on the top turnbuckle. Man, Shane should probably just walk away. Rock Bottom for Vince. Spinebuster for Shane, and the People's Elbow finishes the younger McMahon at 14:44. God, watching this, you realize that so many Attitude Era triple threat main events could have been so much better had they followed this template rather than those endless fifteen minute brawls around the arena with two minutes of in-ring stuff tacked on as an afterthought we got nearly every month in the Russo era. Sure, this was an overbooked as any of those (more, even), but the difference is that these could actually back it up with good in-ring stuff. ** ¼

BUExperience: One of the more fun UK-exclusive pay per views! Yes, you have the usual amount of phoning in going on, and yes, it’s not at all historically significant, but it delivered where it needed to, and was an overall fun card.

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