Smackdown!

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
March 23, 2000

As SmackDown! kicked off from the sold-out Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley promised they would deliver an announcement on SmackDown! that would "knock the WWF off its foundation"! The World Wrestling Federation Champion called out Linda, insisting on knowing why she brought Mick Foley back for the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match at WrestleMania. Linda explained that she wanted Mick to experience his lifelong dream of competing in the main event at the "granddaddy of 'em all" and she added that with a McMahon in every other corner, Linda would be standing in Mick's. Linda emphasized that Mick was coming back for one night only, and if he won he'd be able to go out on top, retiring as Federation Champion. If Mick wins at WrestleMania, Linda said, the title would be declared vacant, and a Federation Championship Tournament would start the next day on RAW IS WAR. The finals would be April 30 at Backlash in Washington, D.C. Triple H said that clearly Linda had really thought things through - but it wasn't necessary. The champion said he'd go through The Rock and the Big Show before finally beating Mick Foley again and retaining his WWF Title.

Backstage, Crash Holly was getting a backrub from Ivory. But just when the Hardcore Champion started to relax, Ivory waved referee Teddy Long into the room, clocked Crash over the head with a glass candy jar, and went for the pin. A shocked Crash kicked out on two and escaped with his Hardcore Championship.

Upset because he has to defend both the Intercontinental Championship and European Championship at a two-falls Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania, Kurt Angle met Chris Benoit one on one to give Benoit "a little taste of what he can expect at WrestleMania." Before the match got underway, Chris Jericho joined Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler for commentary. When Angle got frustrated, he climbed outside the ring and grabbed one of his championship belts. Jericho grabbed Angle's other belt and clobbered Angle from behind. Then he hit Benoit for good measure. Y2J followed up by putting both Angle and Benoit in the Walls of Jericho.

After the match, Kevin Kelly interviewed Vince McMahon. After the tag team battle royal on RAW ended inconclusively, Vince said that there would be a three team Ladder Match for the Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, involving the Dudley Boyz and the two teams that were still remaining in the ring on RAW -- the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. Vince added that The Rock had not forgotten about being put through a table by Buh Buh Ray Dudley a few weeks ago, so the owner ordered a match between the People's Champion and Buh Buh Ray later on SmackDown!

The Godfather was out for revenge after Monday on RAW, so he took on Bull Buchanan on SmackDown! When the Godfather took on the offensive advantage, the Big Boss Man came out of nowhere and attacked the Pimp. Both Buchanan and Boss Man put quite a beating on the Godfather.

In tag team action, Hardcore and Crash Holly took on Al Snow and Steve Blackman. Blackman and Snow got quite reception, proving that Milwaukee is "Head Cheese" country. Hardcore Holly had promised his paranoid cousin Crash that nobody would come from the locker room during the match for a "24/7" Hardcore Title defense. As the match got underway, Holly pulled the referee in front of Al Snow, who inadvertently clotheslined him, knocking him out. Another official appeared, ostensibly to continue refereeing the tag team match, but Hardcore Holly turned around and socked his cousin. Hardcore Holly himself would take his cousin up on the "24/7" offer. Fortunately for Crash, he was able to get away once again. Snow and Blackman won the tag team match by countout, but after the match, Test and Albert attacked them! Trish Stratus appeared and reiterated that she was just giving everybody what they wanted - T&A.

Backstage, Shane McMahon said he'd let "bygones be bygones" and he befriended his Mean Street Posse buddies once again. He asked Pete Gas if he ever dreamt about being Triple H, Joey Abs if he ever wanted to be Mick Foley, and Rodney if he ever wanted to be The Rock. They all said they did, and Shane said they'd get to be their idols for one night only.

Coming out to his entrance music, as remixed by Method Man on the new Aggression CD, The Rock took on Buh Buh Ray Dudley, accompanied by D-Von. D-Von set up a table outside the ring, but the Dudleys' plan backfired. The Rock threw Buh Buh Ray into the ropes, and he ran right into his tag team partner. D-Von went flying off the apron and through the table! The People's Champion then finished off Buh Buh Ray with a spinebuster and People's Elbow.

Next up, Jim Ross conducted a special interview with Mick Foley. The three-time former Federation Champion explained that he did little in his four weeks away - besides get his first real haircut in 16 years. He said that when Linda McMahon called and tried to convince him to come back for one night only, he tried for 20 minutes to talk her out of it. But then he finally realized that "you don't walk out on WrestleMania." He said it might take some fans a while to forgive him for coming back, but not nearly as long as it would take to forgive himself if he came back. Mick said he figured the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match would come down to him and Triple H, and he promised that this time the results would be different than they were at No Way Out.

The Women's Championship was on the line as Lita challenged Jacqueline. Lita put up quite a fight, but Jacqueline reversed a pinning combination into one of her own, and retained the title. After the match, Lita dropped Jacqueline with a DDT and then delivered a moonsault off the top rope.

After the break, Shane McMahon appeared with the Mean Street Posse boys - Rodney as "The Rock," Joey Abs as "Mick Foley" and Pete Gas as "Triple H." After giving the "three other" participants in the WrestleMania main event a polite introduction, he brought out the fourth, the Big Show - except this one was the real Big Show. Shane said fans were about to see a special preview of what would happen at WrestleMania - and the Show proceeded to but the beating of a lifetime on his "WrestleMania opponents." After stomping them good, Show suddenly lay down and ordered "The Rock" to drop the People's Elbow. After the fake People's Champ bounced off the ropes, Show reached up and grabbed him, stood up, grabbed "Mick Foley" and chokeslammed the two men in one motion. He chokeslammed "Triple H" for good measure as well, and then he pinned all three of them.

In a six man tag team match, Rikishi Phatu and Too Cool took on Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddy Guerrero, who finally returned to action. After Scotty dropped the Worm on Guerrero, Phatu planted Saturn with the Rikishi Driver, and the hip-hop trio won the match. After the match, all hell broke loose. X-Pac and Road Dogg attacked Too Cool and Rikishi. Kane evened the odds, but the DX boys regained the advantage with the help of a steel chair.

After promising an announcement that would "knock the WWF off its foundation" earlier in the night, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley appeared. She invited her mother Linda to join her in the ring. Then Stephanie told us about the "struggles" she had to go through as a youngster - how her mom made her make her own bed, instead of having the maid do it; how Linda limited her to $100 a week in junior high school; how when she turned 16 Linda only got her the "regular" sports car, instead of the turbo model. Stephanie then revealed that when Linda didn't give her enough money during college, she'd "use her assets" to get more from the company CFO. If that wasn't shocking enough, Stephanie then said she agreed with Triple H - that Linda is a conniving b*tch! To add injury to insult, Stephanie slapped her mother across the face, knocking Linda off her foundation! Stephanie retreated up the ramp as Triple H appeared from the back, and the married couple embraced as a morose Linda looked on from the ring.