WWF SmackDown Rewind: 12.30.99 – “X-Pac Fights For His Career”

Previously on the SmackDown Rewind: It’s a very McMahon Christmas as Stephanie McMahon decides to book against her husband’s wishes until, of course, the final act of the show when we learn it was all a ruse. Those pesky McMahon-Helmsleys and their tricks!

Here’s a look at Raw on Monday with The Rock defeating Mankind in a Pink Slip on a Pole Match and Mankind giving a “have a nice day” on his way out of the business.

Fireworks! We’re taped on UPN in the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are on commentary and Lilian Garcia is on the ring mic this week.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley embrace backstage before being interrupted by Kane and Tori. HHH needs Kane’s help tonight by going no holds barred against The Rock. They hint to Kane about the way they see Rock looking at Tori and how really Triple H is doing Kane a favor.

Test vs Prince Albert & WWF Hardcore Champion Big Boss Man

Test has his nose guard on for his perpetually broken nose and is surprised when Lilian announces it as a handicap match. Stephanie and HHH laugh backstage about Test getting beat up on a weekly basis and being on a “fight or be fired” basis. Test gets a few hope spots including Boss Man accidentally splashing Albert, but Boss Man smacks Test with the nightstick and Albert gets a pin.

Prince Albert pins Test, Albert & Boss man defeat Test. Not much to it. You knew Test wasn’t overcoming this.

HHH is going in hard on how hot Stephanie looks wearing a collar shirt and tie (he’s right) but they’re interrupted by Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young. Stephanie sets them up with a match tonight against the Hollys or they can be fired like their friend Mick.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: We have a series of Classic Mick moments throughout the show tonight, the first being Jimmy Snuka jumping off a cage and inspiring Mick to jump off his friend’s roof.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind attacks Undertaker on Raw and drops the elbow on him on the outside.

Al Snow and Head are in the McMahon-Helmsley office, Snow telling them how happy he is to see Foley fired. He wants Mick’s spot. HHH says if Mick was here, he’d be wrestling Jeff Hardy to eliminate the Hardy Boyz. Stephanie tells him that if he puts Jeff on the shelf, they’ll give him a bonus.

Kurt Angle vs Rikishi Phatu (with Too Cool)

We get a pre-match dance from Too Cool and Rikishi this week, interrupted by the theme of Kurt Angle. Kurt offers to be the honorary hometown hero and the music of Steve Blackman brings out Blackman and his kendo stick, Lilian announcing that he’ll be handcuffed to the ring post. HHH laughs backstage as we’re on the story of Blackman helping Angle maintain his undefeated streak.

Blackman has a key and unlocks himself as Rikishi smashes Angle in the corner, smacks Rikishi with nunchucks as the referee is distracted and locks himself back in. Angle covers Riskishi and the streak continues.

Kurt Angle pins RIkishi Phatu. Under a minute but the story continues on as Stephanie laughs backstage and says Steve is resourceful.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind leaps from the blue cage onto Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Tori buys a delicious Mountain Dew from the vending machine and is interrupted by Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. Stephanie tells Tori that she’s heard Rock likes to violate women and from one woman to another she wants to make sure Tori knows.

Jeff Hardy (with Terri) vs Al Snow (with Head)

Tonight, SmackDown is brought to you by Capcom’s Resident Evil 3, Austin vs McMahon from WWF Home Video, and The Hurricane from Universal Pictures. After taking advantage of Jeff and working his left leg, Snow grabs a chair and takes it to the top. Jeff dodges the chair-covered moonsault. Snow puts the chair on Hardy’s leg and the referee just can’t get it off, so Matt Hardy appears with his own chair and hits Snow. Jeff covers Snow and gets the pin.

Jeff Hardy pins Al Snow. It was fine I guess. No bonus for Al.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind is thrown off Hell in a Cell and is BROKEN IN HALF.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind pins The Rock to win the WWF Title, putting butts in seats.

Michael Hayes is outside of The Rock’s locker room, hoping to get a word with the People’s Champion.

Hardcore & Crash Holly vs WWF Hall of Famer Fabulous Moolah & Mae Young (with Mark Henry and Harvey Wippleman)

Wippleman has gotten into Moolah at some point since we last saw him. We start with Hardcore and Moolah, Hardcore showing Moolah to the mat. Moolah tags in Mae and Crash slings Mae down, putting the boots to her. Mae hits a Bronco Buster of sorts on Crash but is clotheslined down by Hardcore. Crash powerslams Mae for the three. Henry and Wippleman try for the save and get beat up.

Crash Holly pins Mae Young, The Hollys defeat Moolah & Young. You do not need me to tell you that this was not good.

Hayes says that Rock refuses to comment on Stephanie’s allegations, so up walks Tori and out pops The Rock. Tori screams and backs down the hallway in fear, yelling “leave me alone.”

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind and Dude Love introduce Cactus Jack.

No Holds Barred: The Rock vs Kane (with Tori)

The men have our Attitude Era brawl up to the entrance, Rock knocking Kane off the stage, through a table and under a box fan. Rock follows to grab Kane, who grabs him and chokeslams him through a table as we see Tori smiling at ringside. They fight through the crowd and Kane tosses Rock back into the ringside area. Rock tries to grab a chair and Tori grabs it, pulling Tori into the ring with it. Kane attacks and is accidentally whipped into poor Tori. Rock smacks Kane over the head with the chair and Rock Bottoms him onto the chair for the three.

The Rock pins Kane. This was an entertaining one, I’ll give it that. The crowd was into it the entire time and there weren’t any slow moments.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind brings a hospitalized Vince McMahon some candy, Mr. Socko and Yurple the Clown.

Jim Ross sits down with the fired Mankind at Mankind’s home, Mankind getting a very large amount of television time for a fired man tonight. Mankind tells us telling his daughter that they’ll be okay even without him wrestling. His perfect retirement would have been a main event at WrestleMania and as WWF Champion. He doesn’t have any bitterness towards Rock. This isn’t the way he wanted to go out and he’s mad that Triple H and Stephanie get off on playing with people’s careers like this. He’ll be damned if he takes this sentence without fighting it.

X-Pac laughs as he watches with Triple H and Stephanie. HHH tells X-Pac to take his frustrations out for him on Big Show and if X-Pac doesn’t win, HE is fired.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: WWF Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs Chyna (with WWF Women’s Champion The Kat)

Kat is wearing her “slave” shirt tonight. Chyna grabs a mic and wants to set a few things straight, saying she’s been saving Jericho lately because she’s been biding her time as her thumb heals and she’s ready tonight. Jericho has a mic of his own and says Chyna has a crush on him. As we get going, Jericho feigns being stuck in the ropes only for Chyna to crash out over him. Jericho his his bulldog and Lionsault for a near fall. The ref goes down and Jericho brings in a chair, Chyna ducking and hitting a Pedigree. A second referee can’t make it in time to count a three, Jericho suplexes Chyna onto the chair and each ref makes a pinfall count and holds up a different person’s hand. Jericho and Chyna brawl as we go to break.

Chyna and Chris Jericho wrestle to a draw, Jericho retains the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Not a bad match despite the convoluted end to carry this thing on.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mankind and Rock win the World Tag Team Titles from Undertaker and Big Show.

Faarooq (with Bradshaw) vs Bubba Ray Dudley (with D-Von Dudley)

The Mean Street Posse (Joey Abs, Rodney and Pete Gas) get an entrance of their own to watch from the stage. This only goes for a minute before D-Von interrupts for the DQ and the Posse join in the beat down of the APA.

Faarooq defeats Bubba Ray Dudley by disqualification. Not a lot to see here.

HHH and Stephanie laugh about what just happened as Michael Hayes paces again outside of Rock’s locker room.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Rock, This is Your Life.

Classic Mick Foley Moment: Mick Foley hits #1 on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.

The New Age Outlaws and X-Pac discuss the firing stipulation. Do you think X-Pac would consider a 50% pay cut?

Michael Hayes: still pacing in place.

Jacqueline & Viscera vs Gangrel & Luna

I’m not sure how we got here, but I’m all in on Gangrel and Luna on-screen together. I’m a sucker for Luna though. Luna and Jackie start it out with some rare non-T&A women’s action on SmackDown. Vis tags in and Luna climbs his back, Vis slamming him down and Gangrel coming in for the attack before being beaten aside. Luna, still legal, is splashed and pinned by Vis. B.B. and the EMT squad come out to check on Luna. Luna leaves on a stretcher.

Viscera pins Luna, Viscera & Jacqueline defeat Gangrel & Luna. This was mostly nothing but I enjoyed it.

After all that waiting, Rock walks right by Michael Hayes until Hayes asks if Rock got Mankind fired. Rock says Foley wasn’t fired because of Rock, it was because of the candy ass stipulation. They mute the r-slur this time as Rock calls Kane the name and tells Hayes to ever, and the Rock means ever, ask him a question like that again.

And now, the 1-800-COLLECT Slam of the Week: Mankind hits Triple H with a chair and Big Show pins HHH on Raw.

WWF Champion Big Show vs X-Pac

Non-title. If X-Pac loses, he is fired. But wait, here are Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley to have a seat in their recliner on the stage. Show starts out with the easy beat down on X-Pac. Show presses X-Pac over his head and HHH grabs a mic to make things a handicapped match, introducing X-Pac’s partner Road Dogg.

WWF Champion Big Show vs X-Pac and Road Dogg

The DX duo work over Show and he tosses them both off a pin attempt. Show clotheslines them both and sets them both up for a chokeslam before Triple H makes another addition.

WWF Champion Big Show vs X-Pac and The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Mr. Ass)

Show splashes all three men in the corner tries for a chokeslam on Dogg, only for the other two to cut him down. HHH marches down to the ring and says it is a handicapped match and they have another partner.

WWF Champion Big Show vs D-Generation X (Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg & Mr. Ass)

HHH joins in the beatdown and grabs a chair. As X-Pac distracts the ref, Show is smacked over the head. Show is busted open as the fans chant for Rocky and DX works him over. Mr. Ass hits a FameAsser on top of the chair, X-Pac lands the Bronco Buster, and HHH Pedrigrees Show for the easy X-Pac pin.

X-Pac pins Big Show, D-Generation X defeat Show. It was a DX moment but I liked it. It doesn’t lead to Show getting his revenge or anything though as he’s about to start finding his way out of the title.

We end with DX saying you get your ass kicked or you get your ass fired. I enjoyed this week. It felt like it ran a little long in its entirety, but nothing in itself overstayed its welcome. We’re building to some big things.

And that’s how we end WWF in the 1990s. Next week, we head into 2000 and continue to road to the Royal Rumble.