Opinion

Matt’s Retro Reviews: WWF Championship 2000

Matt Davis digs into the WWF Championship in 2000, featuring Triple H and The Rock!

Published

5 years ago

January 21, 2020

Matthew Davis

Matt Davis digs into the WWF Championship in 2000, featuring Triple H and The Rock!

Welcome to the 15th edition of the Retro Review on The Chairshot! This will be a biweekly article here on The Chairshot because we have a lot to discuss! In starting, my question for you is; have you ever had a discussion with a friend or in a group online about who is the greatest champion of all time? What is your defense of your claim? Wins? Quality of matches? Length of reign? In this weekly article, I will be looking back one year at a time and evaluating one specific championship in each article, with a yearly grade ranking and overall grade ranking and as we progress through the years, I will reveal who I believe is the best champion of all time.

To start us off, I am going to discuss the most recognizable championship in the history of wrestling, the WWE Heavyweight Championship. These articles will not discuss the “Big Gold” World Championship, Universal Championship, or any other recognized heavyweight championship in WWE, those will be discussed in other articles. During these reviews, I will count matches aired on weekly television, PPV, and matches also released on VHS and later on home media.

Triple H (January 3rd, 2000 – April 30th, 2000)

Record: 21-9
Clean Losses: 4
Successful Defenses: 9

Recommended Matches to Watch

Triple H d. Mick Foley (Street Fight), January 23rd, 2000, Royal Rumble
Triple H d. Cactus Jack (Hell in a Cell), February 27th, 2000, No Way Out
Triple H d. Big Show, & The Rock, March 20th, 2000, Monday Night RAW
Triple H d. The Rock, Big Show, & Mick Foley, April 2nd, 2000, “WrestleMania 2000”
The Rock d. Triple H, April 30th, 2000, Backlash

Thoughts: This is the beginning of the “new era” as I alluded to in the last article. The WWF Champion wrestled in 30 matches in four months. A lot of people hate Triple H because of how was booked from 1999-2009. But if you watch the shows, he was a workhorse, working more than any champion before him. You have to respect that. He also defended the championship successfully 9 times in that span. A lot of the matches were quick defenses against mid-card talent, but, and this is what elevates this championship reign from good to great, he had legendary matches with Mick Foley at the Royal Rumble and inside Hell in a Cell at No Way Out, the first ever WWF Championship match inside the Cell. Both matches were regarded as all-time classics and are still discussed today, two decades after they happened. While there were only five “recommended” matches, there were several that were on the fringe that I did not list.

Grade (A+ through F ): A-

The Rock (April 30th, 1999 – May 21st, 2000)

Record: 2-2
Clean Losses: 1
Successful Defenses: 0

Recommended Matches to Watch

The Rock d. Triple H, April 30th, 2000, Backlash
Chris Benoit d. The Rock, May 15th, 2000, Monday Night RAW
Triple H d. The Rock (Ironman), May 21st, 2000, Judgement Day

Thoughts: Ugly reign, but not horrible. I enjoyed multiple moments in this reign, even if it was only three weeks. Rock beating Triple H at Backlash was the right call, arguably he should have won at Wrestlemania, but a quick fix was put in, getting the huge reaction they wanted. The fans wanted it and got their moment on a delayed basis. Overall, four matches in three weeks means we’ve seen the WWF Champion wrestle almost every week of the year. Notably, The Rock lost the championship technically by disqualification because he lost the final fall in the Ironman match by disqualification when The American Bad Ass made his return to the company and unleashed hell in the main event, choking Triple H as time expired. The special referee, Shawn Michaels disqualified The Rock over the interference and awarded the title (once again) to Triple H. The follow up from the match in 1999 was great storytelling there. Overall, I can’t say this was an F reign even if it was short. Very entertaining.

Grade (A+ through F ): D+

Triple H (May 21st, 2000 – June 25th, 2000)

Record: 3-3
Clean Losses: 1
Successful Defenses: 1

Recommended Matches to Watch

Triple H d. The Rock (Ironman), May 21st, 2000, Judgement Day
Undertaker & The Rock d. DX (handicap), June 8th, 2000, Smackdown
Triple H d. Chris Jericho, June 12th, 2000, Monday Night RAW

Thoughts: Not a huge fan of this championship. Another awkward title change, with some questionable timing. Why not hold off this time, and switch the title at SummerSlam? One title reign lasted too long, and this one should have been longer. I hated the KOTR main event six man tag match and do not recommend watching it. Any match involving the McMahons in a main event WWF Championship match is a hard pass for me.

Grade (A+ through F ): D

The Rock (June 25th, 2000 – October 22nd, 2000)

Record: 21-12
Clean Losses: 6
Successful Defenses: 7

Recommended Matches to Watch

The Rock d. Chris Benoit, July 23rd, 2000, Fully Loaded
Lita & The Rock d. Triple H & Trish Stratus, July 31st, 2000, Monday Night RAW
The Rock d. Triple H, & Kurt Angle, August 27th, 2000, SummerSlam
Edge & Christian d. The Rock & Undertaker, September 4th, 2000, Monday Night RAW (WWF Tag Titles)
The Rock, Triple H, & Undertaker d. Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, & Kane, September 21st, 2000, Smackdown
The Rock d. Chris Benoit, Kane, & Undertaker, September 24th, 2000, Unforgiven
Kurt Angle, Edge, & Christian d. The Rock, & The Hardy Boyz, October 16th, 2000, Monday Night RAW
Kurt Angle d. The Rock, Triple H, & Chris Benoit, October 19th, 2000, Smackdown
Kurt Angle d. The Rock, October 22nd, 2000, No Mercy

Thoughts: The Rock wrestled 34 times in four months, so let’s count this in total for the year… 74 matches for the WWF Champion, as a whole, out of 52 calendar weeks and 12 PPVs, in the year 2000. That is absolutely incredible. Not much to do with this particular reign, but 34 matches in four months is nuts. 7 successful defenses. The one thing that separates this reign from Hogan’s 1984-1988 reign to me, is the 6 clean losses throughout the reign. A couple of them were in meaningless non-title singles matches that were not good matches either. Have to take a half of a point off for that. But wow. 9 Recommended matches in just four months. Tons of action, multi-faceted rivalries spanning all over the company, including Triple H, Kane, Undertaker, Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle. The Rock was also mixed in with Edge and Christian multiple times, putting the WWF Tag Team Titles in the spotlight here. The Rock carried the company, propelling him to unseen previous levels of popularity catapulting him to become the superstar he is today. Overall, amazing reign. One of the best of all-time.

Grade (A+ through F ): A

Overall WWE Champion Ranking

Hulk Hogan (January 23rd, 1984 – February 5th, 1988) – A
The Rock (June 25th, 2000 – October 22nd, 2000) — A
Bret Hart (March 20th, 1994 – November 26th, 1994) – A
Triple H (January 3rd, 2000 – April 30th, 2000) — A-
Yokozuna (June 13th, 1993 – March 20th, 1994) — B+
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (April 5th, 1992 – September 14th, 1992) – B
The Rock (November 15th, 1998 – January 4th, 1999) — B
Undertaker (March 23rd, 1997 – August 3rd, 1997) — B
Shawn Michaels (November 9th, 1997 – March 29th, 1998) — B
Bret Hart (October 12th, 1992 – April 4th, 1993) — B-
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (March 27th, 1988 – April 2nd, 1989) – C+
Triple H (September 26th, 1999 – November 13th, 1999) — C+
Sgt. Slaughter (January 19th, 1991 – March 24th, 1991) – C
Hulk Hogan (April 2nd, 1989 – April 1st, 1990) – C
Triple H (August 23rd, 1999 – September 16th, 1999) — C
Bret Hart (August 3rd, 1997 – November 9th, 1997) — C-
Hulk Hogan (March 24th — November 27th, 1991) – D+
Undertaker (May 23rd, 1999 – June 28th, 1999) — D+
The Rock (April 30th, 1999 – May 21st, 2000) — D+
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin (March 29th, 1998 – June 28th, 1998) — D
Ric Flair (January 19th, 1992 — April 5th, 1992) — D
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin (June 29th, 1998 – September 27th, 1998)– D
The Ultimate Warrior (April 1st, 1990- January 19th, 1991) – D
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin (March 28th, 1999 – May 23rd, 1999) — D
Ric Flair (September 14th, 1992 – October 12th, 1992) — D
Diesel (November 26th, 1994 – November 19th, 1995) — D
Triple H (May 21st, 2000 – June 25th, 2000) — D
The Rock (February 15th, 1999 – March 28th, 1999) — D
Big Show (November 13th, 1999 – January 3rd, 2000) — D-
“Stone Cold Steve Austin” (June 28th, 1999- August 22nd, 1999) — D-
Mick Foley/Mankind (January 4th, 1999 – January 24th, 1999) — D-
Bob Backlund (November 23rd, 1994 – November 26th, 1994) — D-
Psycho Sid (November 17th, 1996 – January 19th, 1997) — F
Psycho Sid (February 17th, 1997 – March 23rd, 1997) — F
Mick Foley (January 26th – February 15th, 1999 ) — F
Shawn Michaels (January 19th, 1997 – February 13th, 1997) — F
Bret Hart (February 16th, 1997 – February 17th, 1997) — F
Undertaker (November 27th, 1991- December 3rd, 1991) – F
Hulk Hogan (December 3rd, 1991 – December 4th, 1991) – F
Kane (June 28th, 1998 – June 29th, 1998) — F
The Rock (January 24th, 1999 – January 26th, 1999) — F
Mick Foley (August 22nd, 1999 – August 23rd, 1999) — F
Yokozuna (April 4th, 1993 – April 4th, 1993) — F
Hulk Hogan (April 4th, 1993 – June 13th, 1993) — F
Vince McMahon (September 16th, 1999 – September 20th, 1999) — F

**Speaking of championships, I am currently designing custom made championships and shirts for your wrestling figure collections! Check out the page at Grand Slam Creations – Custom Wrestling Belts & Accessories on Facebook, give us a like and a follow and share with your friends!

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1