FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Looking Back At WWE Backlash 2000

With the return of Backlash to WWE’s pay per view line up, I thought it would be the perfect time to look back at previous instalments of the pay per view that came after Wrestlemania each year from 1999 until 2009. Whether it was the impressive stage design (I mean really, who did not love the swinging hooks? ) or the match quality, Backlash always stood out and I am happy to see it return to our screens (Now if only they could bring back King Of The Ring). So join me on my trip down memory lane as I review WWF’s Backlash 2000, the WWF was going through some big changes at the time. The Rock was the top star due to Austin’s neck injury, there had been an influx of WCW/ECW talent such as The Radicalz, Tazz, The Dudley Boyz and Chris Jericho while Kurt Angle was carving out a name for himself in the mid-card. Wrestlemania 2000 had been underwhelming to say the least, one singles match on the card and that was Terri vs The Kat. Bad WWF you should know better! Backlash 2000 is where the WWF put on a show worthy of being named Wrestlemania. The main feuds going into the event are that Triple H has surrounded himself with The Mcmahon family along with his DX Faction. Triple H had defeated The Big Show for the WWF Championship on a December episode of Raw, had retired Mick Foley and had defeated The Rock at Wrestlemania thanks to help from The McMahon's. However, The Rock was not going to simply lie down and take this beaten, The Rock rallied and overcame Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan in a handicap cage match to earn his shot at Triple H. The Rock has to deal with Triple H but also the likes of Stephanie, Vince and The Stooges. To top it all off, Shane Mcmahon is the special guest referee. To even the odds, Linda Mcmahon announced that in The Rock’s corner will be Stone Cold Steve Austin, we have not seen Austin since Survivor Series Oh my god what will happen? One word chaos and you do not want to miss it so let’s get it on.

Opening Promo

Madness, Triple H, the champion has The McMahon's but Rock has Austin, Triple H and The Mcmahon Helmsley Regime have decimated The Rock on a number of occasions but The Rock promises Austin will be Backlash. Shane Mcmahon is the special guest referee, will Austin show up at Backlash as promised? Just this promo gets me pumped, and JR and Jerry Lawler welcome us to the action.

(WWF Tag Team Championship Match) Edge & Christian © vs DX W/ Tori)

Debra is back! Yeah I know you do not care and neither do I but I have to mention it, she is the guest ring announcer for this match. We hear the Run DMC’s version of the DX theme which is always cool. Edge & Christian are the babyfaces who are slowly turning heel into the comedy duo that we came to love while Road Dogg and X-Pac are the heels with X-Pac suffering from X-Pac heat(Basically, the crowd were shitting all over him and it was not in a good way) and Road Dogg is cheered due to his shtick. Edge and X-Pac kick us off, lock up and side headlock by Pac. Hammerlock by Edge, deep armdrag by X-Pac floors Edge, spinning heel kick by Edge floors X-Pac who powders to the floor. X-Pac spits on Edge and tags in Road Dogg, kick to the ribs by Dogg. Irish whip, misses the elbow and headscissors takedown by Edge. Christian and Edge double team Road Dogg with a leapfrog splash. Christian tries pinning Road Dogg, two count for Christian. X-Pac tags in and starts kicking Christian, Christian counters with a powerslam, ten punch in the corner but Road Dogg saves his partner, hanging Christian over the rope. X-Pac beats on Christian on the floor. Pin by Road Dogg, two count on Christian. X-Pac distracts the referee so Edge makes the tag but the referee does not see it. Tori chokes Christian in the corner and X-Pac nails the bronco buster. Stiff kicks by the Road Dogg to the spine of Christian. Sleeper by Road Dogg, Christian fires back but Road Dogg nails his punch and knee drop combination. Christian fires up once more, both men try the same move and we have a mid-air collision. X-Pac stomps Christian while Edge drops a headbutt on Road Dogg, long two count for Christian. X-Pac and Road Dogg try a double back suplex, Christian counters and nails a reverse falling DDT. Hot tag to Edge, right hands to both members of DX, powerbomb on X-Pac, Road Dogg breaks the pin, unprettier is countered into a spinning heel kick, Edge spears Road Dogg, Tori grabs Edge, X-Pac nails her by mistake. X-Factor on Edge in the ring, referee is with Tori. Christian smashes X-Pac with a ringbell and Edge and Christian win by use of the ringbell. X-Pac is gushing blood everywhere in what looks like a nasty cut. Monster pop for Edge and Christian in that match, good choice of opener crowd was hot for both acts. And the slow burn heel turn of Edge & Christian continues as they cheated to win.

(Light Heavyweight Championship Match) Scotty Too Hotty vs Dean Malenko ©)

Scotty and Malenko had traded the championship back and forth during the month and this would be their final encounter. Malenko, The Ice Man comes out holding the championship like he would marry the championship. We see a replay of how Malenko cheated to regain the championship on Smackdown. Malenko tries gaining the upper hand on a distracted Scotty, it does not work, big back body drop by Scotty, Malenko was looking for a piledriver and was reversed by Scotty. Both men counter one another with Scotty coming at on top every time, too much taunting does not pay off for Scotty, Malenko smacks Scotty in the back and while Scotty sets up for the Worm, Malenko cuts Scotty off with a nasty clothesline. Scotty is rammed into the turnbuckle, Scotty falls to the outside. Scotty’s ribs are smashed into the ring apron, Malenko zeroes in on the left leg of Scotty, Malenko wrenches and kicks Scotty’s leg. Malenko drags Scotty to the turnbuckle, using the ringpost to destroy Scotty’s leg. Scotty attempts an enzuigiri but Malenko has it well covered, heel hook by Malenko, Scotty is showing great heart thus far with the fans rallying behind Scotty. Malenko using every heel tactic in the book so far like using the ropes for leverage and rakes to the eyes. Malenko is all over Scotty who can barely stand, more stomps to the leg. Shin breaker by Malenko, Scotty on one leg decides enough is enough, enzuigiri to the head of Malenko. Scotty is firing up but Malenko counters with the hard Irish whip. Malenko goes back to the leg, dropkick to the knee, Scotty counters a figure four attempt but Malenko has a counter and clotheslines Scotty. Both men tumble to the floor after what looked like a spear, Malenko is jerked to the floor by Scotty and Scotty is climbing to the top rope, Malenko meets Scotty and cuts him off, it could be a superplex, beautiful superplex and both men are down, Scotty goes for backslide, two and a half, Malenko tries for the Texas cloverleaf, inside cradle by Scotty! Two again for Scotty, Scotty counters a scoop slam into the facebuster and it is Worm time. Scotty does the worm on his bad leg which looks dumb considering Malenko worked that very leg for the majority of the match, Malenko springs to his feet after The Worm and tried cheating to win with his foot on the ropes, Malenko is caught by the referee. Series of counters leads to a tiger driver from Malenko, two count for the champion. Malenko climbs to the top rope, Scotty greets Malenko with a right hand, both men are on the top rope, Scotty attempts a superplex but Malenko drops Scotty with a nasty top rope DDT. Malenko retains the championship. What a match from these two, at the time I first saw this I was 5 so I could not appreciate the match but that was awesome. Malenko was always great as many will know but Scotty was great in this match. Scotty showed a lot of fire while Malenko was ruthless in his pursuit of securing victory. Loved the leg work and the finish looked devastating. Probably one of the best matches for The Light Heavyweight championship.

(Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan vs The APA)

Match starts on the floor, Faarooq and Bossman brawl on the outside, Bradshaw and Buchanan tear one another apart in the ring. DDT and shoulder block from Bradshaw, two count, Buchanan shows some nice moves as he takes down Bradshaw. Faarooq comes in and gets floored by Buchanan, Bossman is in, back suplex by Faarooq, clothesline by Faarooq. Bradshaw puts the boots to Bossman, Faarooq isolates Bossman. Tag to Bradshaw, haymaker from Bradshaw, Faarooq picks apart Bossman on the floor. Faarooq misses a clothesline and Bossman nails a clothesline of his own. Buchanan in, scoop slam and a leg drop, tag to Bossman uppercuts by the former cop. Buchanan is back in, throat thrust from Buchanan, headlock by Buchanan. Bossman prevents the referee from seeing Faarooq’s tag, Buchanan with a shoulderblock, two count. Chinlock by Buchanan, Spinbuster by Faaroow. Tag to Bradshaw, elbow to the face of Buchanan, flying shoulderblock, Faarooq knocks down Bossman. Bradshaw to the top rope, Bossman holds Bradshaw’s foot. Superplex by Bull, two count for Bull. Buchanan misses the splash and there is the clothesline from hell, Bossman breaks up the pin and on the floor, nails Faarooq with the nightstick, Bradshaw eats the stick too and a diving scissorkick from Bull on Bradshaw ends the match. Ok match, not a huge fan of it, ending was fine.

(6 Man Hardcore Championship Match) Crash Holly © vs Hardcore Holly vs Tazz vs Perry Saturn vs The Hardy Boyz)

Poor Tazz is my first thought going into this match, you must think he pissed off somebody in management as his Royal Rumble debut seems like decades ago due to his treatment following that match. and Saturn is in this match randomly. You would think there would be bigger plans for The Hardys after the triangle ladder match. Lots of quick pins in the early going, one pin ends the match, no time limit like Wrestlemania. Crash tries running so he climbs one of the spikes part of the stage design, Matt follows Crash, Matt kicks Crash who is clawed down by e everyone else, Matt dives off the claw onto everyone while Perry Saturn puts Crash through a spike. Jeff uses a spike to hurricanrana Saturn, Hardy Boyz have Crash in the ring isolated. Double legdrop before Tazz kills both Hardys. Saturn nails Tazz with a 2x4 before stretching Crash, Tazz breaks up the submission, Saturn breaks up the pin on Crash. More quick pins it is hard to keep up with all of this, Hardcore nails Crash with a sign, Saturn breaks it up. Hardcore smahes Crash with a suplex on the floor, everyone is trying to pin Crash, Tazz gets Crash alone, dropkick by Crash. Saturn german suplexes Harcore Holly off the second rope in a pretty cool spot, Tazz and Crash remain fighting in the ring. Hardys smack everyone with trays, Matt and Jeff fight over the pin, Tazz begins choking people out, Hardcore nails Crash with a superplex, brainbuster by Saturn on Crash. Hardcore Holly plants Crash with the Falcon’s Arron on the chair, Matt Hardy breaks it up. Jeff brings in a ladder, ladder to the face of Saturn, Tazz and Hardcore Holly, Hardcore is sent back first into a ladder. Twist of Fate by Matt on Crash, Swanton Bomb on Crash, Matt and Jeff begin tearing one another apart. Tazz clothesline both men, Tazzmission, Perry Saturn nails Tazz with a giant stop sign. The Hradys dive onto Hardcore and Saturn. Crash drapes a hand over Tazz and wins! Fine match, hardcore matches are fun little moments on the card and Crash was entertaining as The Houdini of Hardcore. Poor Tazz taking the pin, it was all over for him in WWF in terms of being a threat and someone who had any momentum.

(Big Show vs Kurt Angle)

From Main Event to comedy midcard act, Big Show had fallen big time, he had dressed as Fat Bastard from Austin Powers, The Godfather and Val Venis. Angle continued to deliver as an annoying goody two shoes whom the fans wanted to see killed. Before the match, we see promos from Vince and Shane who talk about all hands being on deck tonight, Patterson and Brisco are back with Vince and Shane promises to call it right down the middle as he said a year ago when it was relating to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Amazing how they repeated the same thing they did with Austin with The Rock but it made so much more sense with Austin because of Vince’s hatred of Austin and the fact that Vince’s turn on The Rock at Wrestlemania 2000 really was stupid. Big Show comes out dressed as Hulk Hogan, The Showster is large and in charge, Kurt jumps Show and Show hulks up, big punch, boot to the face and it is time for the leg drop. Huge leg across Angle but Angle kicks out at two. Angle takes out Big Show’s leg. Angle continues chopping down the big man. Show is angry, elbows and chops to Angle, short arm clothesline and it is chokeslam time for Kurt. It is all over, fun match I enjoyed it.

(T&A W/ Trish Stratus vs The Dudley Boyz)

Bubba Ray loved putting women through tables, it was supposed to make The Dudleys heels in Vince’s mind. Silly Vince, it made The Dudleys super popular so enter Trish Stratus a former fitness model who is a heel, the first heel woman in Bubba’s sights. Bubba had tried putting Trish through tables multiple times but Trish would kiss Bubba and distract him so Bubba needs to put Trish through the table. As I watch this, I cannot help but agree that Trish was so much better as a heel, if only Lita had not been injured so often we could have seen even more fantastic work between those two women with Trish as the heel of the whole divsion. Billy Corgan is at ringside, Love me some pumpkins! Trish stares down Bubba, The Dudleys jump T&A, Bubba chases Trish around the ring, Test saves Trish and we have D-Von and Albert starting the match. Big clothesline by D-Von, tag to Bubba, punch by Bubba to the ribs of Albert, right hands by Bubba, choking the hairy Albert. Irish whip, flying forearm by Bubba who calls Trish a little bitch, elbow by Bubba and another for good measure. Third elbow finds the mark, hook of the leg and two count for Bubba. Albert tries taking down Bubba but Bubba rakes the eyes of the larger Albert. D-Von is in and double suplex by The Dudleys, cheap shot to Test and D-Von headbutts Albert in the groin(early version of the Wassup). Albert catches D-Von with a big boot right to the chin. Test is in, splash and big boot combo from T&A. D-Von meets the turnbuckle, shoulderblock from D-Von, D-Von smacks Albert but walks into a gutwrench powerbomb from Test, Test continues to beat down –Von in the corner. Foot choke from Test, D-Von begins slapping Test but Test cuts him off, double slam from Albert and Test. Two count for T&A, D-Von fires up, powerslam and assist splash by T&A. Bubba makes the save, Test beats down D-Von in the counter, reverse elbow from Test. Swinging neckbreaker from D-Von, Albert distracts the referee and Bubba’s tag does not count(third time we have seen this spot, sick of this now). Albert smahes Bubba on the apron, and D-Von, Albert hangs up D-Von on the bottom rope. Bubba makes the save once more, Test is in, clothesline and a two count. Albert misses a splash, sunset flip from the second rope by D-Von, two count but it is a sitout powerbomb from Albert, Albert is distracted by Bubba, superplex from D-Von. Bubba is in, right hands to Albert and Test, samoan drop on Test, Albert breaks it up. Reverse 3D by The Dudleys, Test kicks out, Albert nails the baldo bomb on Bubba, Test misses his diving elbow as D-Von pulls Bubba out of harm’s way. Test is alone, Bubba is distracted by Trish, Test reverses D-Von. Big boot on Bubba from Test and it is over. Slow match that saw Bubba lose to a pretty weak boot from Bubba. After the match, Bubba grabs Trish, she kisses Bubba hoping that it is going to work like the past, it does not D-Von has the table and powerbomb for Trish through the table! We are sick human beings but everyone is happy that Trish is broken in half and The Dudleys would go on to feud with DX as huge babyfaces. Trish is stretchered out of the arena, hell of a bump for Trish though, fair play she was not afraid of getting her hands dirty. Match was not very good though, chemistry was not there and The Dudleys felt awkward as faces but it is understandable, they had not really turned and no one gave two thoughts about T&A. Dudleys regain their heat by planting Trish through the table.

(European Championship Match) Eddie Guerrero © W/ Chyna vs Essa Rios W/ Lita)

We see a long scene of Trish being stretchered away, it is almost as if this want us to have sympathy for Trish but I mean she was clearly a heel, she was clearly manipulating Bubba so why would I care for this jezebel who was a huge pain in the ass? I don’t really get the point. Eddie is in the lowrider with Chyna, this is his first entrance in the lowrider so that is cool. Chyna had turned on Y2J, citing Eddie’s Latino Heat as the reason. So the paring of Mamacita and Eddie was born, Eddie is in a tuxedo while Chyna is wearing a dress. Eddie carries elbow pads in his trunk, always ready for combat. Eddie’s mullet is fantastic I must say, Essa Rios and Eddie were briefly tag team partners but they screwed up, Lita took out Eddie Guerrero on two separate occasions so Lita was put through a table by The Dudleys as Chyna tossed her into The Dudley’s arms. Essa Rios had been with the company on and off since 1998, he seems very talented just never had much chance to show his personality. Perhaps if he debuted during 2002 on smackdown in the cruiserweight division, he could have been more successful in the WWE. Tilt a whirl backbreaker by Essa Rios, back suplex by Eddie. Armdrag by Eddie who stomps the arm, Rios fights back and messes up a spot but recovers with another armdrag and an elbow. Rios pays for his overconfidence as he crashes to the floor, Eddie sends Rios into the steel steps. Scoop slam and a tope from Guerrero. Chyna cheap shots Rios with a forearm and throws him into the ring. Dropkick from Rios, missile dropkick from Rios, two count for the challenger. Armdrag and monkey flip like launch on Guerrero, second cheap shot from Mamacita. Plancha from Guerrero, Rios tastes the ring apron, Guerrero signals for a powerbomb, Lita was thinking of attacking Guerrero, Chyna pushes Lita from the top rope to the floor. Rios counters Eddie asai moonsault from Essa Rios. Missile dropkick and somersault plancha from Rios. Rios is crotched by Mamacita, superplex by Eddie from the top rope, brainbuster and Eddie is up top, Rios jumps up and nails an arm drag, moonsault by Rios is countered with Eddie’s knee airplane spin neckbreaker and it is over. Different ending to an Eddie match, never seen him win with that move, Rios dropkicks Chyna and Eddie while Lita strips Chyna. Chyna is disgusted at first but Eddie is like damn Mamacita, Latino Heat is happy with what he sees tonight. Chyna says whatever and shows off the body that would soon grace Playboy. That was a fine match, mistake here and there by Rios but Eddie made everything look fine, felt a bit flat like the Dudley match due to the crowd being unsure who really is the good guy. Eddie and Chyna turned on Y2J, arguably the second most popular babyface on the roster but Eddie and Chyna act like faces in their recent promos but Chyna helped Eddie cheat throughout the match. While Essa does not speak or show personality so it is hard to get behind him if he was supposed to be the babyface in that match.

(WWF Intercontinental Championship Match) Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit ©)

Within 6 months of one another, both these men left WCW and were tearing it up in WWF, no longer part of the cruiserweight division, Jericho had risen to the level he always thought he could be while Benoit had worked matches with The Rock and Triple H even scoring a victory over The Rock on Raw. Fun little story about these two, when I was younger and everything in the sport was real to me, I truly believed that these two absolutely hated one another like I mean wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire hated one another. Lockup, Tim White asks for a clean break, both men roll to the outside and trade slaps, side headlock by Jericho, Benoit answers back with one of his own, standoff and stare down, quick trading of pins, chop war by these two warriors. Match has a Japanese style feel to it and I like it, it is definitely different, Jericho is sent into the corner, and Benoit grabs the back, two german suplexes, Jericho holds onto the ropes to prevent a third. Back suplex over the top by Benoit, Benoit misses the tope suicide. Jericho chops Benoit who tries Irish whipping Jericho into the steel steps, Jericho hops over the steps but Benoit dropkicks the steps into Jericho. Knee to the midsection by Benoit, gutbuster by Benoit. Irish whip by Benoit, corner kicks to Jericho, Jericho fires up, irish whip by Y2J, Benoit holds onto the ropes. Catapult by Benoit, knife edge chops and Jericho is draped across the top rope. Vicious snap suplex by Benoit, two count. Kitchen sink by Benoit, abdominal stretch by Benoit. Jericho counters, elbow to the face and a Lionsault by Jericho. Jericho cannot capitalise due to his ribs being hurt by Benoit, pin by Jericho and a two count for Y2J. Rake to the eyes by Benoit, chops and more chops by Benoit. Jericho counters with a facebuster, cover and a two count. Jericho scores with an inside cradle and hangs Benoit on the rope. Benoit blocks the springboard dropkick, Benoit is on the top rope, Jericho crotches Benoit and it is a massive back suplex but no, Benoit reverses with a crossbody. One arm cover and Jericho kicks out. Jericho blocks a gutwrench, double powerbomb by Y2J, cover but Benoit counters into the Crossface. Jericho reaches the rope, Benoit tries for the Crossface again, Jericho rolls through and he has The Walls Of Jericho. Benoit makes it to the ropes, right hands by Jericho, Jericho wipes out the referee with a flying forearm. Benoit has the belt, wham to the face of Y2J, Benoit wakes the referee and Jericho kicks out at two. Benoit has the belt, snap suplex on the belt and Benoit goes high, diving headbutt but Jericho uses the belt to stomp Chris Benoit. What a good match from these two, highly competitive match with some sick chops and slick counters with the finishers. Ending was weak as the referee disqualified Jericho for using the belt but both men were protected as they knew they had two really strong superstars on their hands.

(WWF Championship Match) The Rock W/ Steve Austin vs Triple H W/ Vince Mcmahon/Stephanie Mcmahon/The Stooges (Shane Mcmahon = Special Guest Referee)

The Rock had beaten Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan in a handicap cage match to earn his championship match, Linda Mcmahon announced Stone Cold Steve Austin would be in The Rock’s corner for the match. Austin returned on Smackdown and played mind games with The Mcmahons. Austin would destroy the DX Express as The Mcmahons shit themselves at the thought of Austin returning to wreak havoc, Mcmahon’s greatest enemy being in the corner of The Rock. The odds were still stacked against The Rock with Shane as the referee and Vince and Stephanie at ringside for Triple H. Austin could turn the tide but he has still not arrived at Backlash, will he arrive in time or will he arrive at all? Vince is on the microphone and explains that the matchcard is subject to change meaning sometimes, things do not go to plan. Austin has not arrived and he will not be arriving tonight, he has had some “car troubles”. I am not sure if Vince ever explained what he supposedly did to prevent Austin from making it to the arena. Rock comes to the ring alone with no Austin in sight, a worrying sight for the challenger, Rock stares down Triple H from the turnbuckle, nice visual there. Rock and Triple H hammer one another, knee to the ribs of The Rock. In the corner, Triple H holds off Rock briefly but Rock knocks Triple H around the ring with right hands, elbow to the face. Triple H attempts the pedigree, blocked by Rock and stomps in the corner. Shane distracts The Rock and Triple H takes over, back suplex by Rock, right hands by the challenger but Triple H sends Rock over the top rope. Rock tastes the announce table, Vince cheap shots Rock sending him into the ringpost. Challenger and champion trade shots before Rock is cut off with the high knee from Triple H, vicious right hands from The Game. Suplex by The Game, knee drop to the head of the challenger, quick cover but Rock continues to stay alive. Sleeper by Helmsley slowing down Rock, Triple H uses the ropes for leverage, Rock fights out of the sleeper, Triple H knocks The Rock down with a huge clothesline, two count as Vince wants Shane to count faster. Ten punches in the corner from The Game, Rock drops Helmsley on the turnbuckle, right hands from The Rock and big mid-air collision. Shane makes the ten count while also helping Triple H to his feet, Vince smashes The Rock with the title belt while Shane is distracted with Triple H. Slow crawl pin by Triple H but The Rock kicks out, Rock hammers away on Helmsley, clothesline from The Rock, Triple H sails over the top rope and he hurts his arm bad (think it was a dislocation as he was in a sling for the next night). Rock rolls Helmsley into the ring, facebuster by Triple H, DDT by The Rock and Shane does not count the pin. Rock nails Shane for being a bitch, Triple H clotheslines Rock to the floor, into the steel steps goes the challenger. One armed Triple H drags Rock to the announce table, Rock reverses Triple H’s pedigree into a Rock Bottom on Triple H and Shane, both smash through the table. Shane has been squished and is not moving, Rock is in the ring with Triple H, Vince double ax handles Rock, Triple H low blows Rock saving Vince. Pedigree by The Game but Shane is down. Have no fear, Patterson and Brisco are here, Rock kicks out of the pedigree, Patterson and Brisco beat on The Rock. Triple H takes a few cheap shots, Vince grabs a chair from ringside. Chair shot floors Rock, Triple H picks up Rock for the pedigree when Austin’s music hits and the arena has come unglued. Chair shot to Triple H, Patterson and Brisco, Vince sacrifices Shane but eats a chair shot from Austin, Triple H has a chair but Austin nails him again. Austin took everyone out in the ring and here comes Linda Mcmahon and fired referee Earl Hebnar. Earl had been fired for fast counting Triple H against Y2J for the title, spinebuster by The Rock and it is People’s Elbow time, Earl is in the ring and The Rock is champion. That is how Wrestlemania should have went down with The Rock winning in dramatic fashion not that stupid Vince heel turn. It was by no means a classic wrestling match but it had the drama, the suspense and the excitement. Pure chaos and lots of interference, it sums up The Attitude Era, what a night Backlash was and a great representation of the WWF. Rock celebrates before Austin drags the destroyed DX Bus to ringside to celebrate with the champion.

Overall, a great show from the WWF, that main event was amazing from top to bottom, Austin’s return was fantastic, such a huge pop for Rock winning the championship. Benoit vs Jericho was a great match and Scotty had the match of his life with Dean Malenko, a real hidden gem. The characters may not have been clear or as developed as they would later be but the roster was stacked at the time and you could see it on display at this pay per view. Things were looking good for the WWF. What did you think of Backlash 2000? Did you enjoy your nostalgia trip? Would you like to see more? If so, join me every Friday for a nostalgic trip you don’t want to miss. Next time, it will be one of The Clash of Champions!

What are your memories of the debut of WWE Backlash in 1999?