Smackdown

FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts
March 9, 2000

As SmackDown! kicked off, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and Triple H came out, followed minutes later by Shane McMahon and the Big Show. Instead of fighting one another, they opted to assign some of their enemies into some matches. Kane would take on the Road Dogg and X-Pac. And that wasn't the only Handicap Match. The Rock would be taking on Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn, while Rikishi would be assigned to the Big Show and Triple H.

Crash Holly had promised to defend his Hardcore Championship against anyone, anytime and anywhere. Before SmackDown! even went on the air, the Mean Street Posse took him up on that offer. They found referee Teddy Long, and dragged him along to a coin-operated laundry, where Crash was washing his clothes. An impromptu Rodney vs. Crash Holly Hardcore Championship got underway. However, the other two members of the Posse quickly got involved. When Rodney accidentally dumped a bottle of laundry detergent on Pete Gas, the two men started fighting each other! Within seconds, all three members of the Posse were battling one another, and Crash was able to escape.

In the first Handicap Match of the night, The Rock took on Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn. Before the match got underway, The Rock insisted that whatever road block that Stephanie and Shane threw in his way, The Rock wouldn't be stopped. Saturn and Benoit double-teamed The Rock, but their plan ended up backfiring. Benoit held The Rock and Saturn set up for a super kick, but The Rock moved and it was Benoit who took the impact. Moments later, Saturn was Rock Bottomed and pinned. But The Rock did not have time to celebrate a hard-fought victory; the other two Radicals attacked him just after the bell. After they thoroughly assaulted The Rock and he lay writhing in pain, Benoit swan-dived off the top rope and delivered a flying headbutt.

It turned out that wasn't the last of the punishment The Rock would take on SmackDown! After a commercial break, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley announced that The Rock would have another match - against the Dudley Boyz. It would be a Handicap Table Match, and The Rock would have to put both Dudley Boyz through a table to win the match. Stephanie guaranteed that The Rock would get pulverized.

The Light Heavyweight Title was on the line as Christian, accompanied by Edge, challenged Essa Rios, with Lita. Terri came down to ringside just before the match got underway. When Terri distracted the referee, Lita executed a moonsault on Christian. When she got up, Edge was there and he delivered a spear. The referee turned around and saw Edge, and called for the disqualification. Christian seemed to be angry with his brother for costing him the Light Heavyweight Championship, and the brothers exchanged words after the match.

After dissin' the town of Boston a little bit, Kurt Angle took on Tazz. Tazz locked on the Tazzmission and thought he had the match won, but Bob Backlund came out of nowhere and put a cross-faced chicken wing on Tazz, causing a disqualification. Chris Jericho, who was the victim of the cross-face on RAW, came from the back and kicked Backlund until he released the hold. Then Jericho locked Backlund into the Walls of Jericho. Meanwhile, Tazz dropped Angle with a suplex off the top rope.

Next up, the Road Dogg and X-Pac teamed for a Handicap Match against Kane. They were accompanied by Tori, who was still wearing a neckbrace. After the referee was inadvertently knocked out, all hell broke loose. Tori threw Paul Bearer into the steel ringpost, but Kane grabbed her from behind, dragged her into the ring, and set her up for a Tombstone. X-Pac had grabbed a chair in the meantime, and he clobbered Kane across the spine. He followed up with the X-Factor on the chair. Road Dogg revived the referee, who made the three count, and Dogg and 'Pac won the match.

In singles competition, Jeff Hardy took on Steve Blackman. Before the match, Al Snow introduced Blackman to his biggest fan, but Blackman didn't seem at all impressed. Out in the ring, Jeff had Blackman set up for the Centon bomb, but Snow moved Blackman out of the way. Later, Blackman delivered a martial arts kick off the top rope and won the match.

With Buh Buh Ray wearing his Tag Team Title around his neck, the Dudley Boyz made their way out for their Handicap Table Match against The Rock. The People's Champion managed to maintain the offensive advantage for much of the match, and he even put Buh Buh Ray through a table with the Rock Bottom. But, as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley said when she announced the match, The Rock would have to put both Dudley Boyz through the table to win. The Rock set up another table and searched for D-Von. When he found him and set him up for the Rock Bottom, Buh Buh Ray came from behind and clobbered The Rock with a steel chair. Then the Dudleys delivered the 3D through the table for the win. The Rock appeared to be hurt badly, and he was assisted by medical crews.

In a Women's Championship Match, Jacqueline successfully defended her title after a DDT on Ivory.

Crash Holly defended his title for the second time in one night as he battled Prince Albert. The two superstars fought through the bowels of the arena until the Mean Street Posse showed up. Rodney chased after Crash Holly. Meanwhile, Pete Gas and Joey Abs fought Prince Albert back toward the ring, and the Prince dropped them both with a few high-impact maneuvers.

The final match involved Rikishi Phatu against both Triple H and the Big Show. Before the match got underway, Triple H warned Rikishi that he was in for the beating of a lifetime. Midway through the match, Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty Too Hotty, who were watching the match backstage, decided to go help their homie. But they were promptly attacked by Road Dogg and X-Pac. Back in the ring, Big Show and Triple H were having a little trouble working as a team. They shook hands, but then Triple H punched Big Show, and the Show retaliated with a headbutt. That gave Rikishi time to recover and take the offensive advantage. But Shane jumped in the ring with a steel chair while Stephanie distracted the referee. Shane's chair shot had no affect on Rikishi, but it distracted him, and Big Show clobbered him from behind. Rikishi then took a chokeslam and a Pedigree and was pinned. After the match, Triple H continued to assault by hitting Rikishi repeatedly with a steel chair. As Rikishi lay unconscious, The Rock, his ribs taped, came out. The Big Show went after him, but The Rock clobbered him with a lead pipe. The Rock set his sights on Triple H, but Shane grabbed the pipe, and he and Triple H worked over The Rock's injured ribs. Big Show followed up with a chokeslam, and then Triple H hit the Pedigree. As the coalition retreated to the locker room, The Rock had fire in his eyes as SmackDown! came to a dramatic conclusion.