Emanating from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, CT

starts a big “Y2J” chant. The two trade slaps and then Jericho unloads with some chops. A drop toe hold by Angle causes Jericho’s face to smack into the bottom rope. Jericho recovers and backdrops Angle to the floor. On the floor, Angle becomes the aggressor. Angle whips Jericho to the steps, but Jericho moonsaults off of them and onto Angle. Wow. Jericho goes up, but Angle crotches him and then delivers an overhead belly-to-belly superplex. That gets 2. Jericho catches Angle coming off the ropes and delivers a double underhook backbreaker. Angle comes back with a German suplex. That gets a nearfall. Another nearfall for Angle after delivering an armbar takedown. Angle has been progressively working on Jericho’s left arm throughout this match. Jericho catches a charging Angle with a spinning heel kick. After a kick to the midsection, Jericho hits Angle with his crappy bulldog. A flying forearm by Jericho gets a long 2 count. Jericho blocks a hurricanrana attempt and turns it into a powerbomb. Then he picks Angle up and gives him a second one. Angle kicks out of a pin attempt and puts Jericho in an armbar submission hold. Nice. Angle ducks a clothesline and hits Jericho with the Olympic Slam. That somehow only gets 2. Frustrated, Angle grabs the Intercontinental title. As the referee takes the belt away, Jericho locks Angle in the Walls of Jericho. Somehow Angle makes it to the ropes. The two now begin to brawl on the floor. Angle grabs the European title, but is then distracted by Chyna. Jericho shoves Angle into Chyna, who crashes into the steps. As the referee checks on Chyna, Jericho suplexes Angle back into the ring. Jericho goes for the Lionsault, but Angle holds up the Intercontinental belt and nails him with it. Angle covers and the referee comes back in and makes the three count. New Eurocontinental Champion!

Postmatch: Earl Hebner comes out to tell Tim White that Angle cheated, but Tim doesn’t want to hear about. Don’t see that too often.

Bottom Line: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I forgot how good this match was. Angle was really starting to improve in the ring and Jericho held his end of the deal as well. The action was fast-paced, yet Angle still managed to work some psychology in there as well. It’s a shame that such a good match had such a crappy finish. They could have done something that didn’t involve Chyna, in my opinion. Despite that, this was a great opener, as it provided an upset victory and the fans were really into it. *** ¾

- Michael Cole talks with the Dudley Boyz and mentions how they were given this shot at the titles. D-Von, of course, takes offense to this and let’s Cole know about it. Then Bubba Ray ends by saying they have two words for the Outlaws, “3” and “D”. Um, I’m pretty sure neither of those would count as “words” if they were playing Scrabble.

The Dudleyz run in and all four guys begin to duke it out. As Road Dogg jukes and jives, an “ECW” chant breaks out. Some early double-teaming by the Dudleyz put Road Dogg in trouble early on. A sunset flip by Road Dogg gets 2 on D-Von. The Dudleyz continue to isolate Road Dogg in an uninteresting manner. A distraction by Gunn allows Road Dogg to go low on Bubba Ray and then suplex him. Both men tag out and Gunn comes in and cleans house. Gunn hits D-Von with the Fameasser, but Bubba Ray pulls him out of the ring when he covers. On the outside, Bubba Ray hits Gunn in the shoulder with a steel pipe. Back in the ring, the Dudleyz are able to deliver the 3-D to Road Dogg and just like that, it’s over. New tag champs!

Postmatch: The Outlaws argue in the ring after the loss.

BL: You know, I used to be a huge Outlaw mark, but by this point, I was so tired of them. Seeing this match now, I really enjoy seeing them get jobbed out like that. Although, truth be told, the match was one-sided because Gunn had a shoulder injury and really couldn’t do much in the match. In fact, the steel pipe shot was done in order to write Gunn out of the storylines. The match was nothing, but since it marked the death of the Outlaws, I’ll be generous and give it *

- We see Angle somewhere in the arena celebrating his win amongst a sea of fans. It’s nice to see a “real” celebration” from the only true “real” athlete in the WWF.

This was a last minute addition to the card. This was a result of Viscera delivering a big splash to Mark Henry’s pregnant girlfriend, Mae Young. If you know what I’m talking about, I’m sorry I had to remind you. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t ask. Henry immediately attacks Vis when he comes into the ring. Vis comes back with a spinning heel kick. After clotheslining Henry to the outside, Vis whips him into the steps and Henry takes a nasty bump into them. Vis whips Henry into the steps again. A big “boring” chant begins. Man, these Hartford fans are a vocal group. As Vis delivers a Samoan Drop, Mae comes trotting down to ringside. She gets into the ring and is shoved down by Vis. As he goes to splash her again, Henry gets up and shouldertackles him. A follow-up slam is enough to put Vis away.

BL: I’m not quite sure what this was doing on PPV. As far as I can tell, this was pretty worthless. It didn’t advance a storyline and it didn’t possess any decent action. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a DUD, if you ask me. Actually, I’m in a good mood and I saw Mae get dropped on her ass, so I’ll give it ¼ *

- Lillian Garcia gets Jericho’s thoughts on his loss tonight. Jericho warns Angle to stop celebrating or else he’ll personally stop it. Hmm…sounds like this is going somewhere. I can’t wait to see what happens.

- In the back, EMTs check on Gunn’s injured shoulder. You’ll forgive me if I don’t shed a tear over Gunn being put on the DL.

This is a #1 contender match for the tag team titles. The Acolyte Protection Agency (APA) are ringside as Terri Runnels hired them for protection, since this is her first night back since being attacked by the Dudleyz. Edge jumps Jeff and we’re underway. Jeff goes for a corkscrew moonsault and misses. The Hardyz take control by double-teaming Christian. Matt and Christian participate in a friendly game of “top this chop”. With the referee distracted, Jeff attacks Christian on the floor. More double-teaming by the Hardyz put Christian in real trouble. Christian escapes a Razor’s Edge and hits Matt with a neckbreaker. Jeff tries a high risk maneuver, but Christian puts his foot up. Edge gets the tag and is a house of fire. Now Edge and Christian take over on offense when they double-team Jeff. Edge hits Jeff with a nasty piledriver and gets 2. Jeff is now the hair-dyed freak-in-peril. Jeff hits Edge with a hurricanrana, but he can’t make the tag. He goes for a second one, but Edge reverses this one into a powerbomb. A powerslam by Christian gets 2 on Jeff. Edge and Jeff grab each other and plant the other’s face into the mat. A spinebuster by Edge prevents Jeff from tagging again. As Edge goes for a missile dropkick, Jeff gets up and dropkicks Edge himself. Both men tag out and Matt takes it to Christian. With all four men in the ring, one man from each team tries to pin one of their opponents, but neither stay down for a 3 count. The Hardyz each hit a high risk move on Christian, but Edge breaks up the pin. Jeff goes for a springboard move, but Edge spears him mid-air. However, Matt then hits Edge with a Twist of Fate. As Jeff gets on the top rope to do a move, Terri gets up and shoves him to the floor. Huh? Christian shoves Matt, who almost bumps into Terri. As he apologizes, she slaps him. Then Christian hits him with the Impaler, covers and gets the 3.

Postmatch: Terri raises Edge and Christian’s hand as they look on in confusion. The Hardyz get up and grab Terri, but the Acolytes come in and attack them. I guess her money went to good use after all.

BL: Wow, another manager screws the Hardyz. In other news, the sky is blue. I think the heel turn was done because the Hardyz were now over without her, as opposed to this leading to a big push for Terri. As for the match, the action was decent, but in comparison to some of their previous spotfests, this came off as somewhat dull. Still, I’ll never complain when these two teams fight each other. *** ¼

- Cole interviews Edge and Christian about their win. Christian shows some discomfort in the way they won, but Edge tells him that it doesn’t matter, you win at all costs. Hmm…the seeds of a heel turn being planted perhaps?

- Lillian talks with the Big Show and he reviews with us once again how he actually won the Royal Rumble. Then he complains how he doesn’t like how the fans are treating him. Nothing will get you heel heat quicker than by whining about the fans treatment of you. For the record, Big Show has now been in the WWF for one year and has gone through five face/heel turns already.

This was another last minute addition as the Bossman and Prince Albert attacked Tazz in the back during Sunday Night HeAT. Tazz meets the Bossman in the aisle to get things started. Back inside, the Bossman splashes Tazz in the corner. Tazz comes back with a suplex and then immediately locks on the Tazzmission. Before the Bossman can submit, Albert comes in and attacks Tazz to draw the DQ.

Postmatch: Albert and the Bossman do a lengthy beatdown on Tazz, which ends in the Bossman breaking his nightstick over Tazz’s head.

BL: I’m all for having Tazz on the card and given that they just brought him in, he should be on the card. Having said that, this is a terrible use of him and I would rather he be left off the card than portrayed in this manner. Let’s face it, nobody buys the Bossman as a threat anymore, so why push the issue. Let’s move on… DUD

- Angle is still celebrating and now he has a megaphone to help get his message out. How can you not love this guy? By the way, despite his warning, Jericho was nowhere to be seen.

- We see by the next video package that they’ve managed to extend the X-Pac/Kane feud. Despite a definitive win by Kane at Armageddon, this feud is still going on because Tori turned heel and is now X-Pac’s love toy. A distraught Kane went back to the mental hospital, but came back with our favorite Pillsbury Doughboy, Paul Bearer in tow. Now Kane must one again defeat X-Pac to end this thing once and for all.

Kane runs into the ring, but it’s Kane who gets the initial attack. Kane comes back and clotheslines X-Pac to the floor. X-Pac tries to bail, but Kane stops him. The two fight near the entranceway and use any weapons they can find. Back at ringside, X-Pac blasts Kane with the ringbell. When he goes to use a chair, Paul Bearer stops him and then starts beating him up. Tori pulls Bearer off X-Pac and slaps him. He then chases her, but nothing comes of it. Meanwhile, Kane throws X-Pac into the steps. As Kane goes up top, X-Pac dropkicks him. X-Pac knocks down Kane in the corner and then gives him the Bronco Buster. Kane immediately sits up and clothesline him. X-Pac dropkicks Kane in the knee and begins working over that leg. Kane catches X-Pac coming off the top rope and tries to Tombstone him, but X-Pac escapes and gives him a lowblow. X-Pac delivers the X-Factor, but Kane sits up. Kane boots X-Pac and then delivers a top rope clothesline. Kane chokeslams X-Pac, but then Tori comes in the ring and hops on his back. Kane pulls her forward and gives her the Tombstone. Kane picks up the steps, but X-Pac dropkicks them in his face. With the steps on top of Kane, X-Pac covers and gets the pinfall.

BL: This was a pretty lively affair until the lame ending. Having this match be No Holds Barred prevented it from being a complete rehash of their previous matches. The ending stunk for a couple of reasons. 1) It was implausible that those steps could have prevented Kane from kicking out and 2) an X-Pac win means this feud still isn’t over. ***

- Cole asks the Radicalz if they’re nervous about their match against Too Cool and Rikishi. Chris Benoit tells Cole that he finds his question insulting. You know, I knew there was a reason I liked Benoit right from the get-go.

So one of the biggest wresting moves of all time occurred since the last WWF PPV. Four big WCW stars decided to jump ship: Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko. Now in the WWF, they are referring to themselves as the Radicalz. Upon entry, they found themselves immediately feuding with Too Cool and Rikishi, who were one of the WWF’s hottest acts at this point. Sadly, in their first week in the WWF, Guerrero suffered an elbow injury, so he won’t be wrestling in this match. The match begins with all six men brawling. With the referee distracted, Guerrero tries coming in the ring and attacking Rikishi with a pipe, but Rikishi catches him. Rikishi takes the pipe and nails Guerrero in his injured arm, causing him to flee to the back. Sexay blocks a superplex and then hits Saturn with a top rope dropkick. Sexay bulldogs Benoit and gets 2. Rikishi gets tagged in and he takes care of all the Radicalz. Rikishi knocks Benoit down in the corner and then rubs his ass into his face. How disgraceful! As Rikishi goes for the Rikishi Drop on Benoit, Malenko dropkicks Rikishi on his injured ankle. The Radicalz now focus on Rikishi’s ankle. Rikishi kicks Saturn and is able to tag Scotty. Scotty sets Saturn up for the Worm, but Malenko comes in and knocks him down. Thank you! The Radicalz now begin to double and triple-team Scotty. Benoit and Scotty collide in the corner and both men fall to the mat. Both men tag out and Rikishi comes in and makes an immediate impact. Rikishi hits Saturn with the Rikishi Drop, but instead of covering, he allows Scotty to come in and do the Worm. After he hits it, Benoit and Malenko come in and attack the faces. Rikishi hits Benoit with a belly-to-belly, but then Malenko drops him with a chopblock to his injured ankle. Sexay hits Saturn with a top rope legdrop, but then Benoit hits him with a diving headbutt. Now left in the ring is Rikishi and Malenko. Rikishi nails Malenko with the Rikishi Drop and then drags him to the corner for the Banzai Drop. Rikishi hits the finisher and that’s enough for him to get the win for his team.

Postmatch: The three idiots dance to waste my time.

BL: We’ve had some good matches with bad endings tonight, but this one takes the cake. I don’t see how in your right mind you let the Radicalz lose their PPV debut; especially to a worthless trio like Too Cool and Rikishi. When the Radicalz were in control and wrestling, I was digging this match. When Too Cool and Rikishi were in control and spending the majority of the time dancing, I was completely annoyed. Lucky for me, wrestling dominated the match. ***

- Once again, we see Angle relishing his victory with the fans. Man, does this guy know how to party or what? By the way, still no Jericho stopping the celebration.

After the Big Show provided HHH with video proof that he, not The Rock, won last month’s Royal Rumble, HHH granted him a match here to determine who would be the #1 contender at Wrestlemania. We begin with The Rock slugging away on Show. The Rock connects with a float-over DDT and gets 2. The Rock goes for an early Rock Bottom, but Show powers out of it and knocks The Rock to the floor. On the outside, The Rock whips Show into the steps. In amongst the crowd, Show clotheslines The Rock. Back at ringside, Show drops The Rock across the guardrail. In the ring, The Rock tries to comeback, but Show drops him with a slam for 2. The fight heads back outside and Show whips The Rock into the post. A Russian legsweep by The Rock gets 2. The Rock gets another nearfall after connecting with a DDT. Show comes back with a sidewalk slam. Show reverses a whip and sends The Rock crashing into the referee. Show hits The Rock with a chokeslam, but there’s no referee. Tim White comes down to count, but Earl Hebner pulls him out of the ring and says this is his match to call. As the referees fight, Shane McMahon, who hasn’t been seen from in months, comes out! The crowd is going nuts. Meanwhile, The Rock hits Show with a chair and then connects with the Rock Bottom. As The Rock goes for the People’s Elbow, Shane comes in and nails The Rock with a chair. Whaa? Show rolls over, covers and gets the huge upset.

Postmatch: Show and Shane celebrate and leave together.

BL: Here we see the opposite of tonight’s theme. This match was rather lackluster, but had one hell of a finish. First of all, they ended up paying off the tension between Hebner and White from earlier tonight. Secondly, you had a shocking heel turn that wasn’t seen a mile away. At this point, it’s unclear what exactly is the WWF’s plan heading into Wrestlemania. However, like I said, the action before the finish wasn’t that great, so I can’t give this one a very good rating. **

- After Cactus Jack went to the wire with HHH last month at the Royal Rumble, HHH gave Cactus a tempting offer. Cactus could have a rematch with any stipulation he wanted, but if he lost, he would have to retire. Cactus accepted and immediately made the match a Hell in a Cell match. The rest of the build to the match was pretty generic. Although, I am disappointed that the video package didn’t include the footage from the closing moments of the last Smackdown, which had HHH dragging Cactus down the street in a cage as Michael Cole hurriedly said, “Mick Foley’s going to hell…hell in a cell…Bye!” Classic stuff!

- Before we get to the match, we see Angle heading to his car, when all of a sudden Jericho and Chyna attack him and lock him in the trunk. I’m glad to see they followed up on Jericho’s threat, but you’re telling me that that was the best they could do? Color me unimpressed.

As the cage lowers, Cactus notices that the door has been completely padlocked shut. Cactus and HHH begin to brawl around the ring. A slugfest breaks out which Cactus wins. After knocking HHH down with a forearm, Cactus goes back to try and open the door to no avail. A mule kick by HHH slows Cactus’s momentum. Cactus grabs a chair from under the ring, but HHH prevents him from using it. As Cactus tries to get into the ring, HHH shoves him off and into the cage. HHH takes control by whipping Cactus into the steps hard. Cactus charges at HHH, but HHH throws the steps at him. Now HHH places the steps over Cactus and smacks them with a chair. Back in the ring, a chairshot by HHH gets 2. Cactus is able to bait HHH and then give him a lowblow with the chair. He follows that up with a double-arm DDT on the chair. Outside, HHH gives Cactus some rough cell treatment. HHH tries to piledrive Cactus on the steps, but Cactus reverses it and catapults HHH into the cell. HHH has been busted open. Now Cactus gives HHH the cheese grater spot. From the second rope, Cactus leaps off with a chair and crashes onto HHH on the floor. Cactus throws the steps at HHH, but they miss and go crashing through the cell wall. Cactus realizes he has a way out now and he takes HHH with him. Cactus piledrives HHH on the announce table and the table doesn’t break. Cactus begins to climb up the cage, but Stephanie grabs his leg. Cactus goes over by the timekeeper’s table and finds a 2 x 4 wrapped in barbed wire. How convenient. HHH begins to climb up and Cactus follows him (He brings the 2 x 4 with him as it has a purse handle attacked to the other hand). As Cactus gets to the top, he puts the 2 x 4 on the roof. Big mistake. HHH quickly grabs it and rams it in Cactus’s face. Then he kicks Cactus, who falls down through the Spanish announce table. Big bump there. Cactus is a bloody mess, but somehow he’s back up. Cactus unsuccessfully keeps trying to toss a chair onto the roof. He gives up and just climbs back up. As soon as he gets up there, HHH nails him with the 2 x 4 a few times. A lowblow by Cactus allows him to comeback. Now Cactus gives HHH a suplex on the roof. That roof better be reinforced tonight! After a double-arm DDT, Cactus grabs the 2 x 4 and sets it on fire! After one shot to the head, Cactus signals that he wants to piledrive HHH onto it. HHH reverses the piledriver attempt and backdrops Cactus. Cactus goes thorugh the cell roof and crashes through the mat of the ring. “Holy Shit” says I and the crowd. HHH climbs down and checks on Cactus, who is slowly starting to move. HHH can’t believe it. HHH grabs Cactus and gives him the Pedigree. HHH covers and that’s it. HHH wins it. Dammit!

Postmatch: Cactus slowly gets out of the ring and receives a standing ovation.

BL: A lot of the drama in a match like this comes from not knowing what will happen. So after repeated viewings, something is taken away. Still, this was another unbelieveable effort from both of these two. Both took some unnecessary risks for the sake of the fans. I’m torn on the finish. The back-to-back wins cemented HHH as a credible main event heel, but they also really put a damper on the end of Mick Foley’s career, which is a shame. Although, the loss here wasn’t as bad as what happened next month. ****

Final Thoughts: Looking over everything, there’s very little to gripe about. The matches that stink were kept short and painless. Some of the matches had suspect finishes, but the action preceeding them was so good, you can give them a free pass. One other strong quality of this show was the crowd. I never thought of the Hartford crowd as having good fans, but they were very vocal and into all of the matches all night long. Another strong recommendation here and that makes the WWF 2 for 2 in 2000.

Next time, if you see pigmy midgets dressed as wedges of cheese running around, you know it must be Wrestlemania!