Grilling JR - Unforgiven 2000 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Unforgiven 2000

Unforgiven 2000 happened on September 24, 2000 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. It was the third Unforgiven pay-per-view event. The event drew 18,092 fans with 16,862 paying, selling out in two hours. (19,316 fans was the attendance according to commentary) It was the most-purchased Unforgiven PPV, by far, with a buyrate of 1.5, or about 605,000 (a little less than double the year before AND the year after). The company took in $822,400 at the live gate and did $172,200 in merchandise sales. 

Unforgiven followed Summerslam in 2000, which Observer readers gave a 91.9-percent THUMBS UP. Summerslam was headlined by The Rock, Triple H and Kurt Angle. The Rock won that triple threat match, retaining his title. Tonight, he faces even more opponents, as he will defend the championship in a fatal-four-way vs. Kane, Undertaker, and Benoit.

Before we get to the show, let’s look at the news leading up to the event. 

On September 5, Harley Race (57) was arrested for boating while intoxicated near Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Missouri. Meltzer reports: Race was arrested at a sobriety checkpoint, and charged with a Class B misdemeanor of boating while intoxicated which has a maximum six months in prison or a $500 fine. Race was released later that day on $500 bail. In 1990, Race was involved in a boating accident, where his own boat exploded and two people in the boat it collided with were injured and was charged with negligent operation of a boat.

Over the September 8 weekend, Jeff Jarrett did an interview with Viewers Choice Canada. Meltzer reported Jarrett, “said he would have stayed in the WWF if the offer was right, and that Russo leaving for WCW didn't make it a lock he was following, but did so when he felt the offer made by Jim Ross was insulting. He said he was mad at Austin, because he took stunners for Austin several times on television, but when it came time for Austin to do his angle with him, Austin wouldn't do the program”

Did you make an insulting offer to Jeff Jarrett?

Observer: Sometime in September...The lawsuit filed by the WWF against WCW regarding trademark infringement, largely based on Scott Hall & Kevin Nash's original debut in WCW, was settled out of court, probably within the past few weeks. There is now no outstanding legal issues between the companies as WCW's lawsuit against WWF, which was basically a countersuit to WWF's original, was also dropped

Earlier in the month, WWFE released its quarterly financial report for the period from May through July, registering a record before tax profit of $24,370,000 for the quarter. WWF New York even turned a profit that quarter - $200,000 (Is that even one month’s rent in Times Square?)

Meltzer reported: For the quarter, the combination of live events, PPV events, television advertising and television rights fees brought in $75.2 million for the quarter, an increase of 46 percent from last year, some of which was due to the creation of Smackdown, giving the company more ad time on a network to sell each week and another product to sell internationally. That figure should increase substantially in the future as its domestic cable rights fees for Raw, Heat, Smackdown and Live Wire will increase from $5.5 million annually to $28 million as a result of the bidding war between USA Network and Viacom.

For context, Fox’s 2018 five-year agreement to air Smackdown alone was worth $205 million per year.

Unforgiven 2000 was also the night before the WWE debuted on TNN. Up until mid-September, there was a legal battle brewing that could have prevented the change: USA Network had sought a legal ruling by the Delaware Appellate Court to block WWE programming from moving to Viacom (TNN, MTV).

The New York Times reported, “The court case centered on USA's contention that it did not have to match every aspect of a Viacom offer to satisfy a clause in its contract that allowed its deal with the wrestling company to continue as long as it matched any new offer. Specifically, USA argued that it should not have to match promises like promotion on radio and billboards and sale to international television channels and an agreement not to pre-empt the wrestling shows regularly, as USA Network had done with programs like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The decision by Chancellor William B. Chandler III of Delaware Chancery Court found that USA was obligated to match on those points, though not on some others, like carrying a new package of football games being produced by the wrestling company.”

The court ruled against USA in June but USA appealed. The appeals court upheld the ruling in the weeks leading up to the jump to TNN, which resulted in almost no promotion for the move until the week before, when JR announced it on Raw. 

Sumner M. Redstone, the chairman of Viacom, said, ''This is a much more important victory for us than most people know.'' Meanwhile, hoping to minimize the loss, Stephen Chao, the president of USA, said, ''We would have preferred a different decision, but, as we said, the loss of the W.W.F. will have a negligible effect on our ratings and a positive effect on our profits.''

Rumors were that ECW was expected to go to USA Network following WWE’s departure - but as fate would have it, that never occurred. 

Notes:

• It’s Stephanie's Birthday
• *Freddie Blassie’s voice on the promo*
• Austin’s return from the car attack
• The event graphics here would be used in Undertaker’s titantron for years (the tribal design behind the word logo)

Opening match:

Eight Man Tag

Right to Censor (Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather, and Val Venis) defeat The Acolytes and The Dudley Boyz in 6:04

Observer: Goodfather looked pretty bad early. The match got better when Venis was in. Finish saw Steven Richards hit his "Steven-kick" (and they sure need to give that move a better name) on Buh Buh. Actually he missed it but since it was the finish, that was it, and Venis covered Buh Buh for the pin. 

Richards, with his bad knee, never actually tagged in and his only real involvement was delivering the kick for the finish. The teams brawled after the match, with all the heels bailing, leaving Richards alone. Bradshaw probably gave Richards low back problems for life with a stiff kick. Buh Buh then power bombed him through a table. 3/4*

Strap Match

Tazz defeats Jerry the King Lawler in 5:05

*with pinfall or submission option...does that just add more false finish opportunities? Why do that?

(Note: This feud saw Tazz confront JR with the ‘slap your face but God beat me to it’ line. Tazz has said he regrets this.)

Observer: It was billed as you had to drag your opponent around and touch all four corners. Amazing lack of heat. Both guys exchanged whipping each other with the straps. It was pretty bad early as Tazz doesn't sell well at all. Lawler delivered three piledrivers in a row. Tazz popped up on the first two, then popped up on the third and collapsed. Piledrivers are unofficially banned, but I guess the mentality is if you don't sell them, they must not be dangerous. After a ref bump, Raven came out and hit Lawler with a DDT and Tazz choked Lawler out for the win. Raven got a good pop, but not a great pop. 1/4*

Stan’s Note: Lawler kills kayfabe by inexplicably pulling Tazz with him to tap the turnbuckles. Lawler, with about ten feet of slack, acts like he can’t let go of the strap to touch the last turnbuckle. 

Austin arrives at the building and kicks Kevin Kelly’s ass. Michael Cole joins commentary to replace the King - for a while.

Hardcore Open Invitational

WWF Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman retained his title in 10:00 vs. WWF European Champion Al Snow vs. Crash Holly vs. Test (w/ Trish Stratus) vs. Funaki vs. Perry Saturn (w/ Terri)

(Botch: Director accidentally supers Funaki by hitting the WWF.COM animation. He leaves it up for a second like he meant to do it and then takes Funaki’s name.)

“Saturn just gave Trish head. And Test just gave Terri head.” - Jim Ross. Professional Wrestling Announcer.

Observer: This was similar in format to the Wrestlemania match, but better since it wasn't played as much for laughs. Saturn worked really hard. He did another tope into a garbage can shot early in the match. The one comedy spot was when Saturn got the head, and hit Trish Stratus with it, then Test got the head, and hit Terri with it, to give Ross a chance to yell about Stratus and Terri just got head. Crash nearly hurt himself doing a totally messed up hurricanrana, but shook it off and appeared to be fine. Saturn did a moonsault off the top to the floor. This was all in the first 4:00 which were much better than most hardcore matches. The last 6:00 turned into one of those redundant hardcore matches where you've already seen the garbage can lid shots for four minutes and you're still seeing them. Crash pinned Blackman at 3:54 to win the title for the zillionth time. Crash tried to run away, but Saturn hit him with a garbage can lid and got the title via pin in 4:06. It slowed at this point, except a stretch where Saturn and Blackman were dueling with sticks and Blackman was killing everyone. Blackman pinned Saturn in 9:01 after a cane shot to the head. The last minute of the match saw everyone kicking the hell out of Blackman, ending with Blackman not getting pinned. Very strange finish since it basically just ended without even near falls. Among the highlights were Snow signing autographs for fans while brawling in the crowd, and Test selling when Snow hit him with an empty pizza box. *¾

Notes: 

• It looks like we see two or three near deaths in this match. Saturn is involved in all of them (Suicide Dive, Moonsault). Saturn looks to be working stiff, which would eventually hurt him after a famed Heat match…
• Blackman legit double leg takedowns Test at the end on the floor, who tries to stuff it but can’t.

Stone Cold beats up Kurt Angle after Angle gives him an honorary gold medal he “didn’t really do anything for.” Angle is funny during interviews about it for the rest of the night.

Chris Jericho pins X-Pac at 9:03

(They’ve previously fought at Unforgiven 99 and Halloween Havoc 96)

Observer: Fast paced really good match. X-Pac used a flip plancha early. He whipped Jericho into timekeeper Mark Eaton. X-Pac had his working shoes on more than any time in months. Ross was pushing the idea of X-Pac as a singles wrestler. It was obvious who was going over since X-Pac took the first 6:00 including doing the bronco buster. Jericho made a comeback with a power bomb and even did a bronco buster. Jericho kicked out of the X-factor. Jericho used a power bomb into the walls of Jericho but X-Pac made the ropes. X-Pac got a near fall with a sweet spin kick. Jericho did a facebuster, followed by a lionsault, but X-Pac got his knees up. X-Pac came off the top again, but Jericho caught him and turned him over for the lion tamer for the tap. After the match, X-Pac destroyed Jericho with nunchucks. ***1/2

Note: This was panned by critics online and I’m not sure what Meltzer was watching because it was NOT good. XPac’s timing was off (he seemed lethargic). Jericho wins and then XPac, clearly winded, hits some really weak nunchuck shots while laying on the mat.

Commissioner Foley segment with Kurt Angle. Foley announces he will make Angle/HHH a no DQ match. Really good stuff.

Rock is in his dressing room. Stare down between he and Stone Cold. Then, handshake to a big pop. Then “Just Joe” comes in. His gimmick was to stir up shit. Austin doesn’t even let him finish his thought. He said he “heard Just Joe was a sorry son of a bitch.” He whips his ass.

Any stories about Just Joe?

World Tag Team Championship Cage Match

The Hardy Boyz win the WWF Tag Team Championship from Edge & Christian in 13:33.

Observer: The rules were that the first team to get both wrestlers out of the cage wins. It was said that a wrestler out of the cage wasn't allowed back in. Jeff climbed the cage, then fell down to the floor just 2:00 in. This left Matt against both guys. He was superplexed off the cage by E&C as he tried to escape. They kept calling it a 15 foot cage (it looked to be 10). Jeff climbed up from the outside to help, but took another bump to the floor. Even though Matt juiced and was being beaten on in a cage two-on-one, it didn't have the crowd heat you'd expect from a pretty boy babyface. Vince McMahon at first nixed the idea of doing a blade job in the match (it was only the second time Matt had ever bladed; first time was in a 1994 indie match) but all four talked McMahon into it. This is the classic old-time stuff to get young girls to scream and it just doesn't happen nowadays, even though the Hardys definitely have the young girl fans. 

Jeff attacked ref Jimmy Korderas and grabbed the key. He unlocked it. Christian went out of the cage and laid out Jeff. Edge ended up getting the key and putting it down his pants. E&C missed the sandwich chair, which they are calling the concerto. Fans started getting into it when Jeff pulled out a ladder from under the ring. Christian fell off the cage leaving it Edge vs. Matt. Edge did a bulldog off the top. Jeff was trying to climb back in. Jeff climbed to the top of the cage and did a corkscrew moonsault, for the most part missing both Matt and Edge, which they called the Whisper in the wind (because Jeff used to wrestle under a mask as Willow the Whisp and that was his finishing move in those days). 

Lita came out and gave Christian a low blow and a hurricanrana outside the ring off the apron and both took hard falls to the floor. Lita was okay, mainly selling an arm injury. The match ended with both Hardys and Edge on the top of the cage, and they gave him the concerto, causing Edge to take a bump into the ring (Edge was said to want to take that move as the finish based on the build-up), and both Hardys climbed to the floor simultaneously (McMahon wanted both climbing out together) for the win. ***1/2.

Stephanie gives Austin a hat she’s been saving him. Austin says don’t trust anyone around this place.

HHH and Foley have a segment that seems tepid but friendly. It’s nice, considering their past. Meltzer hated it.

Eddie/Chyna feud video recap. Eddie keeps losing his temper and screaming at her, then apologizing. It’s an abusive relationship angle. Eddie and Chyna get engaged during a break-up. Note: Her Playboy was coming out in the upcoming week. JR said he had an advanced copy. King asks him to describe it in detail and go slow. 

WWF Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chyna) defeats Rikishi by DQ in 6:03.

Observer: Guerrero wanted to leave, but Chyna wouldn't let him and threw him back in the ring. Rikishi set up the stink face but Chyna saved Guerrero. Chyna then argued with Rikishi, distracting him so Guerrero could do a plancha outside the ring. Guerrero missed a frog splash. Rikishi squashed him with his huge ass. Rikishi then badly missed a diamond cutter but did deliver a Samoan drop and a banzai. Chyna stopped ref Jack Doan from counting. All this had no heat. Rikishi threw Chyna into the ring, shoved her down and gave her a Steven kick. Let's see. Chyna stopped the ref from counting a sure pin. But Rikishi gets DQ'd for kicking a participant who had no business in the ring in the first place. Rikishi then gave Chyna a banzai. Nobody could figure out if this was a Rikishi turn or not. 1/4*

Beginning of a heel turn toward his clash with Austin? What was the goal here?

Undertaker interview, as the American Bad Ass. He’s dipping tobacco in the interview.

Angle is offered a shoulder to cry on by Trish - in his personal locker room. So he runs out of the room because it gave him an idea.

No Disqualification Match

Triple H w/ Stephanie  pinned Kurt Angle in 17:26 of a no DQ match with Foley as the referee

Heel vs heel match; HHH has insinuated Angle is one of the gays. Angle, meanwhile, has a budding friendship with Stephanie with flirtatious undertones. Triple H’s ribs are taped from Angle attacking them with the sledgehammer (and then forcefully kissing Stephanie).

Observer: Angle attacked the ribs for the first few minutes. The only pop in the early minutes, including for Angle kicking out of a near fall, was chants for "Foley" when he shoved down Angle. HHH took the old Harley Race bump over the top. HHH suplexed Angle on the floor. HHH delivered a hard chair to the back. Angle blocked a pedigree on the American announcers table, then delivered a belly to belly suplex on HHH who took the bump through the Spanish table which was the highlight of the match. HHH sold the move great. Stephanie gave HHH something at this point, which was so HHH appeared to be bleeding from the mouth and eye to set up the bloody kiss for later. In the ring, Angle kept delivering shoulders to the ribs. Angle missed a shoudlerblock. HHH came back fighting with one arm. Angle got a near fall with a belly-to-belly superplex. Scary quiet considering who it was and how good it was. Angle missed a moonsault. HHH did a one armed pedigree, still selling his left arm. Stephanie was called in by HHH to make a choice, and she kicked Angle low. HHH then delivered a pedigree for the pin. Stephanie acted like she felt guilty about what she did and HHH "forced a kiss" on her while he was all bloody and she acted repulsed. ***1/4

WWE New York is hosting Too Cool for the night.

Shane comes out and implicates Steve Blackman as Austin’s assailant. (Blackman had thrown Shane off of the titantron at Summerslam). Blackman comes out, clearly angry at Shane’s circumstantial evidence.

Glass shatters - crowd explodes - JR explodes. Austin enters to his Disturbed theme song. Austin stuns Blackman. Shane goes nuts to celebrate with Austin. Eventually, “The Boy Wonder” Shane gets three stunners.

Meltzer: Ross was trying to sell it like it was the single biggest pop in the history of pro wrestling.

Fatal Fourway

WWF Champion The Rock retains the title in 15:18 vs. The Undertaker vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kane

WWE Network note: Undertaker’s Kid Rock theme is dubbed over with the horrible “You’re gonna pay” Jim Johnston theme, with lyrics.

Observer: Undertaker looked like a red-headed Harris Twin in his new tank top with all the tatoos. Rock's reaction paled compared to Austin, but blew away everyone else on the show. Not much heat early. Match was bad early, since Undertaker seemed to be the focal point. There was an early ref bump. Rock hit a DDT on Kane and had him covered. Undertaker hit Rock with a chair and Benoit hit Undertaker with a chair on ref Earl Hebner counted three, even though Undertaker's legs were way under the ropes in 7:09. Benoit was leaving with the belt, which, since it was the same thing they did two shows back, looks to be a pattern, since the same thing happened again. Foley came out and ordered the match re-started. Let's see. Almost every match on the show has a bad finish, usually with outside interference, and Benoit's very last win on a PPV was using the ropes, but this is the only match Foley is watching? The second half of the match was really good, largely due to Benoit. He did a rolling german suplex for a near fall and a diving head-butt for a near fall. Rock got the crossface on Benoit in the middle but Undertaker saved. Kane choke slammed Undertaker but Benoit saved. Rock hit Kane with a spinebuster but Benoit blocked him from doing the people's elbow. Undertaker did the Last Ride on Rock but Kane saved. Benoit hit Undertaker and Kane with chairs and put Rock in the crossface in the middle of the ring. He had the hold on for so long people were starting to believe it when finally Undertaker made the save. Undertaker choke slammed Benoit but Kane saved. Rock hit the Rock bottom on Benoit and Undertaker went to save, but Kane stopped Undertaker, which made no sense, and Benoit was pinned. ***1/2

Notes: 

• The announcers miss Taker’s foot on the ropes - probably because their table was jacked up in the last match or because the camera shot cropped that part out.
• As Benoit wins, the crowd goes mild. Commissioner Foley comes out and restarts the match, which gets the only reaction from the crowd.
• Benoit NAILS Kane in the back of the head with a vicious chair shot on the outside. The back-arch on the chair hits his head. No chance that was on purpose/had to be meant for the back. Kane’s head is busted open hardway on the back of the cranium.
• Rock nails Benoit with the Rock Bottom. He pins him and Taker looks to make the save but Kane stops him, which makes no sense because it allows Rock to win. King shouts, “WHAT!?”

Show ends with Rock posing with the title. 

Meltzer said: For all the criticism, I can't call it a bad show, but it was also not nearly as good as the WCW show of the previous week. But the key matches were all good. It just came off more like watching an average Raw but with a little longer matches

Observer Poll: 32.6-percent gave the event a thumbs up; 31.7 gave it a thumbs down; Most, 35.7, rated it in the middle. 

The next night, from State College, PA, was WWF Raw is War on TNN- another sellout with 10,271 fans. 

Kane DDQ Rikishi, 

Tazz v. Buh Buh Ray Dudley, 

Ladder match for tag titles: Hardys v. Edge & Christian, 

First blood: X-Pac v. Chris Jericho, 

IC title: Eddy Guerrero v. Val Venis, 

WWF title: Rock v. Chris Benoit, 

Rock & HHH v. Kurt Angle & Benoit

Overall, what score would you give Unforgiven out of 10?