Armageddon 2000

Armageddon 2000 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Federation (WWF) that took place on December 10, 2000, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama. It was the second annual Armageddon event, and the only WWE pay-per-view event ever to be held in the state of Alabama.
==Background==
The event featured nine professional wrestling matches with outcomes predetermined by World Wrestling Federation script writers. The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before, during and after the event.
The central feud heading into Armageddon was between WWF Champion Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Triple H, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Rikishi inside a Hell in a Cell for the WWF Championship. At No Mercy Kurt Angle won the championship from The Rock in a No Disqualification Match. Kurt would later retain the title against The Undertaker at Survivor Series and again at Rebellion in a Fatal Four Way Match against The Rock, Rikishi, and Steve Austin. Commissioner Mick Foley would later announce on SmackDown that Kurt Angle would defend his title inside a Six-Man Hell in a Cell Match. Mr. McMahon would try desperately to get all six men to back out but ultimately failed to do so.
Another feud heading into Armageddon was between Chris Jericho and Kane in a Last Man Standing Match. It started at Survivor Series when Kane defeated Chris Jericho by pinfall. They would later fight again at Rebellion only for Kane to defeat him. It was later announced on Raw that their feud would come to an end at Armageddon in a Last Man Standing Match.
==Event==
Before the event aired live, Scotty 2 Hotty pinned D'Lo Brown on "Sunday Night Heat"
===Preliminary matches===
The first event to air live on pay-per-view in the event was the six-person Intergender tag team elimination match between The Radicalz (Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Eddie Guerrero) (w/Terri) and Team Extreme (Matt and Jeff Hardy and Lita). Other Radical Chris Benoit could not compete in the match as he was scheduled to face WWF Intercontinental Champion Billy Gunn for the title. The early stages of the match were dominated by Team Xtreme as Jeff Hardy blocked Guerrero's huricanrana and then performed his High-Angle Senton which he calls "Swanton Bomb" on Guerrero for the three-count, eliminating Guerrero. Jeff then executed his Flying Top-Rope Kick, which he calls "Poetry In Motion" on Malenko. However, the momentum began to shift towards the Radicalz when Malenko immediately tagged in Saturn, who promptly eliminated Jeff with a Death Valley Driver. Matt then came into the match and blindsided Saturn with a bulldog for a near fall. Matt then attempted a Swinging Neckbreaker, which he calls "Twist Of Fate" on Saturn but it was countered into a suplex. Matt tried again and this time nailed it to eliminate Saturn by pinfall. Afterwards, Radicalz manager Terri slapped Matt and Lita speared Terri for her efforts. Malenko took advantage and rolled Matt up from behind for the pin. He wouldn't have long to celebrate though, as Lita performed a headscissors kick on Malenko. She then executed her Moonsault, which she calls "Litasault", on Malenko only to have him kick out at two. After taking a subsequent DDT, Malenko superplexed Lita and stopped his own pinfall. He pulled her up from a pin again after a backbreaker, and instead forced Lita to tap to his finisher, the "Texas Cloverleaf".
The second match of the night featured WWF European Championship action pitting Hardcore Holly against the champion, William Regal. After cutting Regal's mic work short with his entrance theme, Holly quickly went to work on Regal. After back and forth punches outside the ring, Regal finally got the momentum on his side when he sent Holly into the back of a ring post. When the two came into the ring, Holly replied with a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Regal did a superplex on Holly for a two-count as well. Holly took control from that point until late in the bout when Raven interfered and DDTed Holly, thus allowing Regal to take the easy pinfall Win.
The third match saw Chyna take on Val Venis, who was accompanied to the ring by fellow Right To Censor stable member and WWF Women's Champion, Ivory. The early portions of the match were dominated by Chyna until Venis whip tossed her out of the ring and Ivory started attacking her at ringside. The momentum swung back and forth until Ivory became more and more aggressive in interfering on Venis' behalf. She really got into Chyna's head when she tripped her, causing Chyna to chase her until Venis intercepted Chyna and delivered a Fisherman's suplex for the pinfall. Chyna was about to beat up Ivory after the match but Venis once again saved her from Chyna's wrath, powerbombing her.
The fourth match of the evening was a Last Man Standing Match between Kane and Chris Jericho. The match started as Kane attacked Jericho on the aisle and quickly returned him to the backstage area. Mideon was attacked by both men as he was in the way. Kane and Jericho finally made their way to the ring shortly afterwards. The match was a roller-coaster affair, as neither competitor could gain a huge momentum advantage over the other. After connecting with his signature flying clothesline on Jericho, Kane delivered his chokeslam on Jericho. Jericho recovered and low blowed Kane, who was about to whack him with a chair. Jericho had the momentum on his side once more and took advantage with his Top-Rope Moonsault, which Jericho calls "Lionsault", on Kane, who was lying face-down on the chair. Kane took temporary control with a big boot until he dragged Jericho into the tech area. Jericho then knocked a ton of stacked barrels on Kane to keep him down for the 10-second count and the victory.
The fifth match on the card was for the Right To Censor's (Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather) WWF Tag Team Championships. the challengers were Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) and Road Dogg and K-Kwik. The Right To Censor started off the match attacking the Dudleys. D-Von responded with a back elbow on Buchanan. The match featured lots of double teaming until Steven Richards, the leader of The Right To Censor, attempted to interfere on his team's behalf and DDTed D-Von just when it looked like the Dudleys had the match won. It didn't go as planned for Richards though, as Edge speared Bubba Ray and Christian nailed the tomakazie on Bubba for the pin and the title of World Tag Team Champions.
The sixth match of the event had the Intercontinental Championship on the line as Billy Gunn defended his title against Chris Benoit. Benoit got the initial momentum with a series of stomps on Gunn until he was thrown out of the ring by Gunn. Benoit locked in the figure four leg lock when the action returned to the ring, but Gunn managed to struggle his way to the ropes. Gunn started to gain some momentum with a jackhammer followed by his "Fame-Asser" when it only netted him a near fall. Benoit then caught Gunn in his "Crippler Crossface", but Gunn got his foot on the rope. Gunn was showing signs of injury when his knee buckled during a tilt-a-whirl on Benoit. Benoit took advantage by once again applying the "Crippler Crossface" on Gunn, forcing a submission and therefore becoming the new Intercontinental Champ.
The seventh match of Armageddon 2000 was a Triple Threat match for Ivory's WWF Women's Championship. The other competitors were Trish Stratus and Molly Holly. Molly starts it off with an attack on Stratus before being monkey flipped on by Stratus. Molly was then double suplexed by Stratus and Ivory. Molly hit a crossbody for a near fall on Stratus after wasting some time on putting Ivory out of position to break up the count. T & A (Test and Albert) interfered in the match as Ivory picked up the win. After the match Molly's cousin, Crash came out and challenged T & A with the Acolytes (Bradshaw and Farooq). The Acolytes and Crash and Molly Holly successfully beat up T & A.
===Main event match===
The eighth and main event match of Armageddon 2000 was a six-man Hell In A Cell Match for Kurt Angle's WWF Championship. The challengers were The Undertaker, The Rock, Triple H, Rikishi, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin attacked Angle at the start of the match, and then slammed Triple H into the steel cell. Meanwhile, The Rock was working on Rikishi, and Undertaker was fighting Angle. Austin executed his signature Lou Thesz Press on Triple H for a two-count. Triple H answered by wrapping Austin's knee around a ring post. Rock performed the Samoan drop on Angle, but Rikishi promptly whipped Rock into the cage. Rikishi shortly got his head slammed into a ring post by Angle. Taker Irish whipped HHH into an Austin clothesline. Rikishi then blindsided Austin with a kick to the neck. Triple H performed his Pedigree finishing move on Rikishi. However, The Rock interrupted the count and DDTed HHH but Angle interrupted that count and nailed an "Angle Slam" on Rock. Stone Cold broke up the pin. Austin unleashed his "Stone Cold Stunner", on Angle. Taker denied Austin the pinfall. Undertaker Chokeslamed Stone Cold. HHH saved the match. Afterwards, Taker rammed HHH into numerous areas of the cell panels. Austin was beating up Rikishi, clotheslining and then Lou Thesz pressing him. While all of the carnage was occurring, Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Gerald Brisco were working together to stop the match by attempting to demolish the cell with a truck. They had just torn down the cell door when WWF Commissioner Mick Foley ordered the trio to allow the match to run its course. The trio ignored Foley, and the Commissioner sent the police to escort McMahon out of the arena as he fought Patterson and Brisco. Meanwhile, during the match, Triple H was running away from Austin, and chaos broke out as every member involved in the match exited the cell. Then everybody started climbing to the top of the cell. As Rikishi was fighting off both Angle and Taker, Taker Chokeslammed Rikishi off the cell and into the pine chip filled bed of the truck. Austin and Rock had a stare down inside the cell and traded blows. Rock delivered the Spinebuster on Austin, but was clotheslined by HHH before he could execute his signature "People's Elbow" on Austin. The Rock punched Triple H out of the ring and nailed the "Rock Bottom" on Angle. Stond Cold recovered to stop the count and Stun The Rock, but HHH broke up the pin and delivered a spinebuster and neckbreaker on Austin. Angle snuck on top of The Rock and pinned him to retain his WWF Championship. Afterwards, Austin Stunned Angle for his sneaky pin.
==Aftermath==
After Kurt Angle retained the WWF Championship against Stone Cold Steve Austin on the January 8, 2001 edition of Raw, Vince McMahon announced that Angle would defend his title against his son-in-law Triple H at the Royal Rumble. Triple H claimed that Angle could only have become the champion because he (Triple H) allowed him to. Angle disagreed. At the PPV Kurt Angle defeated Triple H in a Singles Match for the WWF Championship following interference from Austin.
WWF Commissioner Mick Foley would opt to resign due to a promise that he made on Sunday Night Heat where if anyone suffered serious injury in the 6-man Hell In A Cell match, he would resign as Commissioner. Instead, Foley chose to keep his job due to support from Steve Austin and the WWF fans. However, on the December 18, 2000 edition of Raw, when the Board of Directors deemed Linda McMahon incompetent to continue being CEO due to a (kayfabe) nervous breakdown, they granted Vince McMahon 100% control of the WWF, allowing him to fire Foley as Commissioner.
The Undertaker also began to feud with Triple H, albeit immediately after HHH's feud with Angle began to wane. On an episode of Smackdown, Undertaker had a restraining order placed against him after attacking Triple H's on-screen wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, but Taker would exploit a loophole in his restraining order by assigning his kayfabe half-brother, Kane, to stalk Stephanie. When new WWF Commissioner William Regal refused to grant him a match against Triple H at Wrestlemania, an event Undertaker had never lost at, he threatened him with Kane holding Stephanie over his head and about to toss her off the balcony just above them. Commissioner Regal finally gave Taker his match. Undertaker would go on to up his Mania record to 9-0 with his victory over "The Game". 
Stone Cold Steve Austin would go on to enter the Royal Rumble Match at the Royal Rumble PPV despite being attacked and busted open by Triple H before Austin officially participated in it by entering the ring for costing him a chance to become the WWF Champion earlier that night in revenge for Triple H robbing Austin of a reign with the same title on a past episode of Raw Is War. On the way he fought long-time rival The Rock, who claimed to have won the Royal Rumble for the second time in a row. At the PPV Steve Austin won the match after eliminating Kane. He would go to WrestleMania to defeat The Rock in a No Disqualifictaion Match to win the WWF Championship with some highly unlikely help from former arch-rival Mr. McMahon, thus being his heel turn.
==Results==
;
;
*Sunday Night Heat:Scotty 2 Hotty defeated D'Lo Brown
*The Radicalz (Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Eddie Guerrero) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) and Lita in a Elimination match (08:06)
*William Regal (c) defeated Hardcore Holly to retain the WWF European Championship (04:59)
*Val Venis (w/ Ivory) defeated Chyna (05:02)
*Chris Jericho defeated Kane in a Last Man Standing Match (17:16)
*Edge and Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von), Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather) (c), and Road Dogg and K-Kwik in a Fatal Four-Way match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship (09:42)
*Chris Benoit defeated Billy Gunn (c) to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship (10:03)
*Ivory (c) defeated Trish Stratus and Molly Holly in a Triangle match to win the WWF Women's Championship (2.12)
*Kurt Angle (c) defeated Steve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker, Rikishi, and The Rock in a Hell in a Cell to retain the WWF Championship (38:14)
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Jim Ross
*Jerry Lawler
;Interviewers
*Michael Cole
*Lilian Garcia
;Ring announcer
*Howard Finkel	
;Referees
*Jack Doan
*Mike Chioda
*Jack Korpela
*Teddy Long
*Tim White
*Earl Hebner
==See also==
*List of WWE pay-per-view events
*WWE Event History
*Armageddon
==DVD release==
* Armageddon 2000 on DVD
==External links==
* Armageddon 2000 Official website 
* Armageddon 2000 at CAGEMATCH.net
* Armageddon 2000 at Online World of Wrestling
* Armageddon 2000 on WWE Network
Category:Events with Hell in a Cell matches
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events
Category:Armageddon
Category:2000 pay-per-view events
Category:Events with Last Man Standing matches