Smackdown!
Staples Canter, Los Angeles, California
Ocober 12, 2000

Just 72 hours after finding out that Rikishi was the man who nearly ended his career last year at the Survivor Series, Stone Cold Steve Austin sat in his pick-up truck in the parking lot outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Rattlesnake didn’t look happy. We would soon find out that Austin was waiting for Rikishi’s arrival at the arena, so he could run him down the way he was run down 11 months ago!

The opening match on SmackDown! was a Table Match pitting the Dudley Boyz against Lo Down. Providing special commentary for the match were Los Conquistadors, the two masked gold men who interfered in Monday’s Tag Team Championship Match. Although the mysterious gold men had very little to say – “si, senor” was about the extent of it – the match in the ring was full of action. Buh Buh Ray and D-Von were eventually able to 3-D D’Lo through a table for the win.

Jim Ross then sat down with The Rock for a special interview. The Rock said that Rikishi’s actions last November at the Survivor Series made him sick to his stomach. He declared that he didn’t need Rikishi to help him get to the top; he said he could have done it on his own. The People’s Champion said that the thing that really scared him was that Rikishi thinks he did the right thing by hitting the Rattlesnake. 

The Rock then said that Rikishi’s declaration of the “Great White Hope,” and the race card in general, was ridiculous.

He said he had talked to Stone Cold and had just begged him not to do anything to Rikishi that he would wind up regretting.

Backstage at the Staples Center, Mr. Ass was preparing for his tag match when Eddie Guerrero attacked him from behind, viciously beating his already-injured arm with a crowbar. Mr. Ass was unable to compete due to the attack, so Commissioner Mick Foley punished Guerrero by making him put his Intercontinental Championship on the line in a Triple Threat Match against the two men who were to have been his and Billy Gunn’s partners in the tag match – X-Pac and Chris Jericho! X-Pac seemed poised to take the title after nailing Jericho with an X-Factor, but Eddie kicked X-Pac out of the ring and pinned Y2J, keeping his title by the narrowest of margins.

In the parking lot area, several cops pleaded with Stone Cold Steve Austin to cancel his planned attack on Rikishi, since he would be arrested for manslaughter and thrown in jail. The Rattlesnake didn’t even flinch.

Kurt Angle approached the Right to Censor in the locker room area and said that the one thing their group was lacking was gold. He suggested that one of the members challenge The Rock for the World Wrestling Federation Championship that night. And he said that after that person (who turned out to be Val Venis) defeated The Rock for the title, then he would take them on at No Mercy in a match where both competitors are good role models for children

William Regal provided color commentary for the European Championship match between Al Snow and Albert. Snow came out dressed as a citizen of Hong Kong (a former British province), complete with fortune cookies and chopsticks! Despite Trish Stratus’ interference, Snow picked up the win, pinning Albert with a hurricanrana and a roll-up. After the match, it appeared that Regal could no longer take the fact that Snow held a title representing his homeland. Britain’s “goodwill ambassador” attacked the European Champion, knocking him from the ring during his victory celebration. 

As Stone Cold awaited Rikishi’s presence in the parking lot, Austin’s good friend Jim Ross pleaded with him not to take out his aggressions in such a manner. Again, the Rattlesnake wouldn’t listen.

D-Generation X and the Radicalz had a reunion of sorts when former DXers Triple H and Road Dogg teamed up to take on former Radicalz Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn. The Game was able to finish Saturn off with a Pedigree to win the match, but Triple H’s night was just getting started. Benoit soon locked him in the Crossface, and was able to keep him in the hold for a long period of time. The Game looked to be injured when Federation officials finally got Benoit to relent.

Clearly in pain, Triple H went back to his locker room to find his wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, still complaining about him not allowing her to be at ringside.

The Game looked at his wife and said simply, “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”

Commissioner Mick Foley headed to the ring next. Although he should have been proud of having delivered the culprit on Monday, Foley said he felt sick about the whole situation. The commish then alleviated Austin’s suspension. Worried about what the Rattlesnake was preparing to do to Rikishi, Foley asked Austin to come to the ring, where Foley said he would deliver Rikishi. The commish then asked for a chair and sat down in the middle of the ring, saying he was prepared to stay there all night if necessary.

Out in the parking area, Jim Ross conveyed Foley’s message to Austin, who finally got out of his car and headed to the ring. Foley admitted that he had made a mistake by trying to tell Austin what to do, and that from now on, he would simply ask. He then asked Austin not to run down Rikishi. He said that if Stone Cold could wait until No Mercy, he would give him a No Holds Barred match against Rikishi where the Rattlesnake could do whatever he wanted to him. 

The Rattlesnake accepted the match, saying he would take brutality to a whole new level. He then asked Foley what the name of the Pay-Per-View was, and when Foley said “No Mercy,” Austin said, “You’re damn right.”

In a match for the Tag Team Championship, the Hardy Boyz took on Tazz and Raven. Midway through the match, Los Conquistadors did a “run-in,” attacking Matt Hardy. Tazz then locked Matt in the Tazzmission.

But with the referee’s back turned, Jeff Hardy hit Tazz with a Swanton Bomb, and Jeff pinned Tazz to keep the titles.
Next, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley came to the ring and introduced the man who she said she would now accompany to ringside on a permanent basis – Kurt Angle! Indeed, Stephanie’s first match at Kurt’s side would be a success, as her distractions allowed Kurt to pin Kane’s shoulders to the mat! The 7-foot monster was so irate after losing to Angle that he chokeslammed two referees!

Stone Cold Steve Austin then entered Too Cool’s locker room in search of answers. Scotty 2 Hotty said that Rikishi had never once in their time together mentioned having run him down. Grand Master Sexay said the same thing, but used some hip-hop slang to say it. Austin seemed content with the answer but not with the delivery, so he punched out the Grand Master before leaving the locker room!

The main event on SmackDown! was a Federation Championship Match between The Rock and Val Venis, accompanied by Steven Richards. Before the match began, Kurt Angle and Stephanie came out to the stage, and Angle said that it was perfectly reasonable that the same Los Angeles crowd that believed O.J. was not guilty also believed that Rock had nothing to do with Austin’s attack last November. That enraged the Federation Champion, who ran after Angle, only to be attacked from behind by Venis. Venis had control early, and Mr. Richards interjected himself into the match on several occasions. But in the end, it was The Rock who retained his title with a spinebuster and a People’s Elbow. After the match, Angle took advantage of the fatigued champion, delivering two Olympic slams, much to Stephanie’s amusement