WWE RAW kicked off (arguably) its hottest year with the arrival of the new millennium. The then-World Wrestling Federation welcomed fans to 2000 with a stacked show on January 3. The live broadcast featured some of the hottest stars in the company at the time, such as The Rock, Kurt Angle, and Triple H, to name a few.
WWE’s flagship show continued to boast awesome action and some incredible storylines in the following months. The best part, perhaps, about WWE of 2000 was the live crowds that never missed a moment to show their appreciation for the superstars in action. Moreover, in-ring competition improved dramatically with the arrival of four of the hottest free agents.
Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn all jumped ship from WCW to WWE in a move that coincided with Eric Bischoff’s crushing defeat in the Monday Night Wars. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best WWE RAW matches of 2000:
DX & The Radicalz vs. The Rock, Cactus Jack, Too Cool & Rikishi (February 7)
This match may seem like a mess on paper, but it is considered one of the best WWE RAW matches of 2000. The crowd was incredibly loud for the brand-new Radicalz in action. The group had left WCW for the promised land in Stamford and soon found themselves involved in arguably the hottest rivalry of 2000.
Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn were the workhorses in this match. The trio showed they could hang with the big boys if given the opportunity. The babyface side also featured a stacked line-up of The Rock, Cactus Jack (aka Mick Foley), Too Cool, and Rikishi. The match featured one of the loudest pops of the year as Kane arrived to clean house.
Triple H vs. Chris Jericho (April 17)
Chris Jericho has caused some of the biggest upsets in WWE history. This one, however, isn’t technically in the WWE record books.
The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla pinned Triple H to one of the biggest pops on the April 17 episode of RAW is War. Unfortunately, his win didn’t last long after The McMahon-Hemsley regime bullied Earl Hebner into putting the title back on The Game.
Y2J told Busted Open Radio back in 2013 that he almost quit WWE the night he “won” his first World title in WWE. The multi-time champion walked into Vince McMahon’s office to protest his booking and communicate his decision to leave the company.
“Before I won the title that time at State College, Pennsylvania against Triple H, I was on my way to Vince’s (McMahon) office; it was like the movie Slap Shot: ‘Who owns the Chiefs? Pay me or I will leave’ sort of thing. I’m done! I lost to Viscera, I lost to the Godfather and this was a waste of my time. I’m done,” Jericho said (H/T Sportskeeda)
Fortunately, Jericho bumped into writer Tommy Blacha, who told him of the creative’s plans to put the world title on him that night. The rest was history, and the segment is still widely-referred to as the “State College Screwjob.”
The Rock & The Dudley Boyz vs. Kurt Angle, Edge & Christian (December 11)
Tag team wrestling frequently main evented RAW Is War in 2000. These multi-man matches regularly featured some of the biggest names in the industry at the time. They also gave WWE some of their highest ratings in the new millennium.
The Rock and The Dudley Boyz squared off against Kurt Angle and Edge and Christian in a blockbuster six-man tag team match. This tables match took place the night after the infamous Armageddon 2000 pay-per-view event.
The Rock and The Dudleyz were unsuccessful in their bid to win singles and tag team gold, respectively, at the December 10 PPV event. They, however, scored a huge win in this six-man war after The Great One put Edge through a table.
The Rock vs. Chris Jericho (October 30)
The build to this match featured the iconic promo wherein both The Rock and Jericho stole each other’s catchphrases. The duo met in the main event to determine the new number one contender to then-champion Kurt Angle.
Both athletes had the crowd in the palms of their hands in this fast-paced match-up. The People’s Champion went on to pick up the win against Y2J. He would be attacked by his cousin Rikishi after the match to kick off their Survivor Series 2000 angle.
The Rock vs. Shane McMahon (WWE Championship Steel Cage Match – May 1)
The Rock defied the odds by winning the WWE Championship at Backlash 2000. The Great One was forced to defend his title inside a steel cage by the McMahon-Helmsley regime the next night on WWE RAW.
The People’s Champion faced Shane McMahon surrounded by the cage. The Boy Wonder took some great bumps in this highly-entertaining match. Rocky escaped the cage after a little help from good old Earl Hebner.
Also read: Best WWE RAW Matches Of 2001
