[2000-07-06-WWF-Smackdown] Edge & Christian & Chris Benoit vs The Rock & Eddy Guerrero & Chyna

[soup23]

Promo with Benoit and Foley at the start was strong. I thought this did a great job of making Benoit feel like he belonged in the main event match at Fully Loaded vs Rock. He feels like a player. Rock does a promo before the match and gets a monster reaction from his hometown crowd. Taped show and all that but the crowd was going nuts when his music hit for the match proper. A short match that mainly was used as a go home happy moment with Chyna getting the win after begging for the tag from The Rock. E&C are doing a lot of jobs from first the BOD and now Chyna. Shane runs in to end the show and is starting to create his mini faction of guys. *3/4

[GSR]

Commissioner Mick says that for one hour and fifty eight minutes on Monday night he had a tremendous time, but then things kinda went downhill from there. While he will take partial responsibility for some of the decisions he made, he won’t take it all, because there are two gentlemen who also deserve some blame, that being Shane McMahon and Chris Benoit. He wants to hear an explanation from either one, and when he questions “who’s got the guts?” Chris Benoit has got the guts. Mick’s not happy with what he did to Chyna and the Rock on Monday night, and wants Benoit to tell him why he did what he did. ‘The Crippler’ says that he has no remorse or compassion for what he did and doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone, least of all him. There’s only one thing on his mind at the moment, that’s WWF gold, and he’ll go through anyone who stands in his way to get it. He recommends that Foley puts him in a title match against the Rock tonight, but Mick’s not acquiescing so easily and will have a think about it. Edge & Christian join the two of them in the ring and immediately start sucking up to Benoit, and think with themselves as the WWF tag team champions, it’s only right their fellow Canadian is the WWF World champion. Foley says that they’ve opened his eyes so it’s only right that they spend a bit more quality time with ‘the Crippler’. The Rock deserves a piece of Chris Benoit after what happened to him, tonight then they’re going to have a six man contest, pitting Edge, Christian and Chris Benoit against the Rock, Eddy Guerrero and Chyna. E&C don’t seem too keen on the idea, but Benoit remains stone faced throughout.

 

Rock is with ‘the Coach’ backstage and says how when Chris Benoit attacked him from behind with a steel chair on Monday night he thought he had stepped into the big leagues, but he had no idea of the world that he had stepped into. He claims that he’s the greatest technical wrestler in the WWF, well tonight the Rock is going to technically whip his candy ass all over Fort Lauderdale, Florida!

 

Edge cheap shots Eddy from behind as he’s trying to goad ‘the Crippler’ to get in there with him. Headscissors take down by Eddy, he’s about to suplex Edge when Benoit is now doing the cheap shotting, dropping him with a lariat. A middle finger in the Rock’s direction brings him into the ring, however that’s just a ploy to distract the official, as while he’s trying to get Rock back out of there, Edge and Benoit double team Eddy behind his back. Reverse DDT by Christian who then hammers away on Eddy with right hands. Cracking scoop powerslam for two. Benoit with those brutal chops of his as Eddy desperately needs to try and make a tag. Huracanrana counter and he’s finally able to make it to the Rock. E&C bump and feed for him, Samoan drop to Edge and a spinebuster for Christian. He rips off the elbow pad and throws it into the crowd in preparation for ‘the People’s Elbow’, but Chyna is desperate for him to tag her. Rock runs the ropes, decks Edge on the apron, then Benoit and then gives her the tag she craved. Powerbomb on Christian and Chyna gets the pin for her team. After the match the Rock and ‘the Crippler’ continue to exchange words when Rock is attacked from behind by Shane McMahon. He takes off in pursuit of him, yet that leaves Eddy and Chyna all alone against the three of them and again Benoit puts her in the crossface. Rock and Shane’s chase sees them return to ringside where he Rock Bottom’s Edge, but before he’s able to get his hands on ‘the Crippler’ he’s out of there and on his way to the back with Shane O’Mac.

 

The opening promo work with Commissioner Mick was tremendous. I thought that Foley was going to cut Benoit’s promo for him, but he was just biding his time, waiting for his moment and the way he did that really fitted in with his character. I wasn’t so keen on the arrival of Edge and Christian, and it all felt kinda flimsy the way it led to the announcement of the six-man. I get that they’re entertaining but all this comedy makes them less serious and threatening. That’s not helped when one of them does a clean job for Chyna in the match! As bad as the booking was, I understand them, to a degree, getting steamrollered by Kane and the Undertaker, but they should never be losing clean to her. The big take from this though is Rock vs Benoit and the fact that the pair didn’t touch (bar that one punch by Rock) makes you want it even more. Cleverly done and this is cementing ‘the Crippler’ right at the top of the WWF.

[Migs]

Interesting to see the presentational differences between 2000 and 2018 (or really any time in the 2010s), as a main event six man tag nowadays would definitely have a commercial break after the entrances and probably one mid-match as well.

 

So this ends up being a real fast sprint, with barely a shine and a quick heat segment to set up a comeback that's basically just Rock and Chyna hitting a couple of big moves. I actually have less of an issue with losing to Chyna (who's been presented pretty strongly) than the fact that they barely get in any offense.