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RAW is at the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit on October 16th, 2000, the same building where Steve Austin was run over nearly a year ago. Tommy Blacha grew up in Detroit, worked at this arena as a kid, and was at this show. He says the go-home episode for Austin's revenge pay-per-view should have felt massive. Instead it drew the lowest RAW rating since 1998. The show never promotes its main event until the final segment. Tommy says the whole thing smells like a writing room where too many things stayed unsettled for too long. Rikishi's sitdown interview with Coach is the best thing they have done with the angle in weeks. He comes out in all black, says Foley is not keeping him from the arena to protect him from Austin, he is protecting Austin from what Rikishi will do to Austin. Rob says this is what the character needed from the beginning. Austin gets the biggest pop of the night and delivers a promo about the photos of Rikishi he keeps around the house. Then Rikishi shows up in the garage in a car, in the exact spot where he hit Austin, and makes the No Mercy staredown happen in the right place. Tommy says it works but still feels lesser than it should. Regal wins the European title from Al Snow, which everyone agrees was long overdue. The Triple H, Stephanie, and Kurt Angle triangle has come completely off the rails. Triple H is working as a full baby face with nobody establishing the turn. Stephanie arrives and Angle carries her bags. Triple H issues an or else to Angle backstage. Stephanie later hits Jeff Hardy with a tire iron in the main event, and Rob points out she just happened to have a tire iron. The main event, Rock and the Hardys against Angle, Edge, and Christian, is a massive matchup that never got a graphic, never got a mention, and almost nobody in the building knows it is happening until it starts. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Eddie Guerrero opens the show with a heel promo about how China cried too much; Jericho interrupts and says for the first time in a month the show is not opening with a 20-minute talking segment; Eddie pulls a hamstring on a back body drop 90 seconds in and the match is cut shortTommy notes Billy Gunn has been back for three weeks and has had zero promo time to explain why he is back or how he feels about DXThe Conquistadors turn out not to be Edge and Christian under the hoods but Christopher Daniels and Aaron Aguilera; the heels were technically telling the truth, which Tommy finds delightfulBenoit is revealed to be getting fed scripted lines on commentary; Tommy says this is where the template begins that will slowly squeeze out wrestlers being inventive on their own 0:00:00 Welcome 0:01:13 Joe Lewis Arena 0:02:05 Tommy at the Show / Detroit Memories 0:03:11 Eddie Guerrero Opens / Jericho Interrupts 0:05:07 Eddie Hamstring Injury / X-Pac & Billy Gunn 0:07:00 Billy Gunn Discussion / No Vignettes / DX Dissolution 0:10:16 Stephanie Arrives / Angle Carries Her Bags 0:11:07 Stephanie Becoming Head Writer / Writers Pitching for Her 0:13:32 Rikishi Sitdown Interview With Coach 0:19:22 Heat Recap: T&A vs APA / Strip Poker Segment 0:23:33 Triple H / Stephanie / Angle Backstage 0:27:37 Al Snow (England) vs William Regal (European Title) 0:31:09 Triple H Threatens Angle Backstage 0:33:22 Triple H vs Kane 0:39:25 Austin Promo in Ring 0:40:25 Rikishi in the Garage 0:43:28 X-Pac Calls Out Billy Gunn 0:45:13 Billy Gunn Demands Match From Foley 0:47:31 Dudleys vs Conquistadors 0:49:56 Road Dog vs Val Venis / Naked Mideon 0:52:06 Stephanie Announces Angle on Heat 0:55:00 Rock & Hardys vs Angle, Edge & Christian (Main Event) 0:59:07 Ratings Discussion / Lowest Since 1998 1:03:20 WCW Australia / Buy WCW Discussion 1:05:22 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SmackDown is at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on October 12th, 2000. Tommy Blacha was in the building for this one and says the atmosphere around these LA shows is changing. More agents, more Hollywood meetings, Vince at a Radio and Television Society luncheon while the product is getting worse. Before getting to the show, they read a listener comment from PMFG who fantasy books three different options for the driver. Rob and Tommy work through all of them and land on the same conclusion: Kurt Angle was the only pick that would have made the subsequent program worth watching. The show is mostly a cooldown episode that barely moves anything forward. The Rock sits down with JR and distances himself from Rikishi. Tommy says this is the wrong call entirely. The Rock should be furious at Rikishi for using his name and his car and putting him through a year of interrogations. Eddie Guerrero attacks Billy Gunn with a tire iron before their scheduled match, turning it into a triple threat IC title match with X-Pac, and then steals the pin directly off X-Pac's cover to win the title. Austin sits in his truck all episode while cops, JR, and Foley try to talk him out of it. He eventually agrees to face Rikishi at No Mercy in a no holds barred match. Angle and Stephanie are the one thing that actually works. Angle convinces Right to Censor to put Val Venis in a Rock title match by telling them it is a win for everybody and admits he cannot see his own goosebumps. He and Stephanie stand tall after the main event to close out SmackDown looking strong heading into No Mercy. Tommy and Rob spend the back half of the episode discussing the growing chaos in the writing room and the decision to make Stephanie head writer, which nobody who was there was happy about. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Edge and Christian debut the Conquistadors gimmick at commentary during the Dudleys vs Low Down tables match, speaking exclusively in rudimentary Spanish; the announcers refuse to acknowledge themAl Snow comes out representing Hong Kong with a fu manchu and a portrait of Hong Kong Fooey; Regal is appalled on commentaryTriple H and Road Dog face Benoit and Saturn in a match where Triple H works a full baby face hot tag without the writers bothering to establish the turn; Benoit pins Triple H and it means nothingAustin confronts Too Cool in the back looking for RikishiTommy defends Vince Russo's WCW run on the grounds that he inherited a company where top performers had contracts letting them refuse storylines and nobody was incentivized to help the company succeed0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:27 Welcome / SmackDown 10/12/00 0:02:10 Staples Center / WWF Scaling Up / XFL Distractions 0:05:02 PMFG Fantasy Books the Reveal 0:10:22 Kurt Angle as the Best Option for the Driver 0:16:49 Episode Overview 0:19:55 Dudleys vs Low Down / Conquistadors Debut at Commentary 0:22:38 The Rock Sitdown Interview with JR 0:27:18 Eddie Attacks Billy Gunn With a Tire Iron 0:29:19 X-Pac vs Eddie vs Jericho (IC Title Triple Threat) 0:32:08 Austin in Garage / Cops Show Up 0:32:40 Angle Recruits Right to Censor / Val Venis vs Rock Booked 0:34:27 Al Snow (Hong Kong) vs Albert / Regal on Commentary 0:36:36 Jim Ross Pleads With Austin 0:39:28 Triple H & Road Dog vs Benoit & Saturn 0:43:25 Triple H / Stephanie Backstage 0:44:13 Foley to Ring / Austin Agrees to No Mercy 0:49:49 Hardys vs Raven & Taz (Tag Title Match) 0:53:12 Stephanie Announces She Is in Angle's Corner Permanently 0:53:36 Kurt Angle vs Kane 0:56:01 Austin Confronts Too Cool / Clocks Grandmaster Sexay 0:57:31 Rock vs Val Venis (Main Event) 1:00:06 Angle & Stephanie Stand Tall After the Match 1:00:45 Stephanie as Head Writer / Russo WCW Discussion 1:07:57 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RAW is at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim on October 9th, 2000, the same building that hosted WrestleMania 2000. Mick Foley has promised he will name the person who ran over Steve Austin. He comes out to a mixed reaction, booed and cheered, which Tommy Blacha says has nothing to do with Austin. That is the audience booing the writing. Foley brings in Shawn Michaels, who points the finger at The Rock and leaves. William Regal on commentary agrees. Tommy was in attendance at this show and remembers the crowd already feeling the weight of a year of stalling. The reveal comes after the main event. Foley exonerates The Rock and then points to Rikishi. The crowd gives him nothing. Rikishi repeats himself. He explains he ran over Steve Austin for The Rock because WWF was always about the great white hope and his people were always held back. Rob and Tommy dismantle this immediately. The Rock had already been world champion. He was once the corporate pick over Steve Austin. Yokozuna was a world champion. The logic is broken on every level. Rikishi later said he was unhappy with the angle, hated memorizing a long scripted promo he did not believe in, and felt the company killed the hottest character he had ever had. Tommy explains what was happening backstage: too many writers, new people cycling in every few weeks, no script supervisor, and a bottleneck at Vince producing whatever survived to the last minute. Rob notes Foley reportedly turned down being the driver because his Christmas book for children was coming out. Tommy says they should have had Rikishi say he did it, attack someone, and powder. Save the explanation for later. Instead they got the Scooby-Doo ending and burned Rikishi's momentum at the same time. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Lita wins a hardcore women's title match against Jackie with a cookie sheetRaven challenges Steve Blackman to a non-hardcore match to get heel heat for denying the crowd weapons; Lillian Garcia announces it as a hardcore title match anyway; Ross corrects her live on air; the crowd is dead until Blackman pulls out nunchucks after the bellX-Pac and Benoit versus Triple H and Jericho is the best match of the night; four elite workers pull off a convoluted reluctant-partners story cleanly; Benoit pins Triple H; Tommy notes it goes nowhereThe Conquistadors debut by attacking the Hardys during a Low Down match; a GTV clip interrupts the Eddie and Chyna match to reveal Eddie in the shower with two valets 0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:28 Welcome / RAW 10/9/00 0:01:49 Austin Hit-and-Run Origins / Everyone Pitched to Be the Driver 0:07:13 Sunday Night Heat Promotion / Marketing Missed Opportunity 0:08:42 Ratings / Anaheim / WrestleMania 2000 Arena 0:14:08 Risk-Averse Booking / The Machine Growing 0:18:10 Foley Opens to Mixed Reaction 0:19:13 Main Event Booked / Jericho & Triple H vs X-Pac & Benoit 0:21:08 Shawn Michaels Brought In / Points to The Rock 0:25:00 Lita vs Jackie (Hardcore Title) 0:27:17 Chyna & Deborah Backstage 0:29:50 Deborah Interrogated by Foley 0:32:17 Triple H / Stephanie Backstage 0:35:43 Linda McMahon Limo Arrives 0:36:35 Raven vs Blackman / Lillian Garcia Botch 0:41:40 Linda McMahon Interrogated 0:46:18 X-Pac & Benoit vs Triple H & Jericho 0:49:15 Triple H Demands Benoit at No Mercy / Edge & Christian 0:50:01 Hardys vs Low Down / Conquistadors Debut 0:51:13 Al Snow (Greece/Grease) / Regal on Commentary 0:55:33 Eddie & China / GTV Shower Reveal 1:01:42 Michael Clark Duncan / Vince's Definition of Huge 1:03:20 Crash Holly / Scotty Too Hotty Interrogations 1:04:51 China Breaks Off Engagement / Billy Gunn 1:07:48 Main Event: Rock & Rikishi vs Angle & Kane 1:08:45 Rikishi Reveal / "I Did It for The Rock" 1:17:22 Listener Mail / Rikishi Quote / Meltzer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SmackDown comes from Baltimore on October 5th, 2000, and it is a noticeably better show than the RAW that preceded it. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani spend a few minutes up top explaining what that probably means behind the scenes: somebody noticed, somebody said something, and the pendulum swung back toward wrestling. William Regal shows up and within minutes of sitting at the commentary table, uses the word "besmirched" and immediately gets over with everyone in Rob's friend group. Tommy says Regal has the full checklist and is the total package, not Lex Luger. Austin confronts Foley in a segment that actually works. Foley tells Austin that his job has sucked since Austin arrived, which Rob and Tommy note is exactly what they had been saying for weeks. Austin gives Foley the chance to reconsider, hears no, and delivers what passes in Steve Austin's world as an apology before stunning him anyway. Tommy says the stunner is starting to feel like a pie in the face. Meanwhile, in the second Stephanie and Triple H backstage segment of the night, she tells him "the only thing hurting me is you." Both hosts agree it is not going where it should. In the main event, Rikishi runs in and interferes on The Rock's behalf against Kane, costing them the match on a DQ. Tommy and Rob spend the back half of the episode fantasy booking a better Austin mystery driver reveal, agree there was almost nobody satisfying on the current roster, and settle on Goldberg or Flair as the only options that would have actually worked. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Jacky and Low Down pin Lita in what everyone expects to be a Hardy exhibition; Jeff Hardy hits a split-legged moonsalt that Rob says suggests he has been watching Sabu tapes; the upset does not lead anywhere for Low Down despite Tommy pitching for them backstageBilly Gunn interferes in the X-Pac match to help Al Snow win; Michael Cole explains on commentary that it is because Billy Gunn was kicked out of DX; Tommy says this is his pet peeve and the announcer explanation is the weakest possible version of storytellingEddie Guerrero eats a Goodfather powerbomb pin in the RTC match; Tommy says you can always recover from a loss if your character has attitude around it, and Eddie Guerrero has plenty of thatBenoit comes out and complains; Jericho interrupts and challenges him; they have the match of the night before Triple H runs in and bleeds; Rob says he would rather see Jericho and Benoit than Benoit and Triple HTaz and Raven win via DQ over the Dudley Boys on a convoluted ring bell spot; the Dudleys immediately powerbomb Raven through a table; the crowd wanted the tables the entire time and Tommy says it all feels like a house show alreadyChapter Marks0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:30 Welcome / SmackDown 10/5/00 0:01:45 Writing Staff / Creative Pendulum Discussion 0:06:42 Austin Fallout / Show Overview 0:08:22 Hardys & Lita vs Low Down & Jacky 0:18:05 Foley Backstage / William Regal Debuts 0:26:11 Foley Checks Limo / SmackDown Your Vote 0:28:13 RTC vs APA & Eddie Guerrero 0:31:14 Stephanie / Triple H Backstage 0:34:03 Taz / Raven Promo 0:36:30 Taz & Raven vs Dudley Boys 0:40:02 Austin Arrives / Foley Flips Table 0:42:03 Foley Confronts Austin 0:48:39 Angle Promo / Edge & Christian vs Rikishi & Too Cool 0:52:44 Stephanie / Triple H Part 2 0:55:40 Blackman vs Albert (Hardcore Title) 0:58:03 Angle Approaches Stephanie 1:00:17 Benoit vs Jericho / Triple H Runs In 1:03:31 Kane Backstage / Rock vs Kane (Main Event) 1:05:48 Rikishi Foreshadowing / Austin Reveal Discussion 1:16:05 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RAW is at the MCI Center in Washington DC on October 2nd, 2000. The show opens with a tribute to Dennis Dunn, father of executive producer Kevin Dunn, who reportedly saved the entire WWF tape library from a fire that would have ended any hope of a WWE Network. Then The Rock opens with a Marion Barry joke that kills in DC. Then Angle comes out. Then Triple H. Then Foley. Then Benoit. Then Kane. Then Rikishi. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani have a name for this. They call it the variety hour. It is not a compliment. The Austin investigation finally moves an inch when Billy Gunn is brought out as the prime suspect, clears himself with a flight delay alibi, and drops the first real clue in weeks: the person who ran Austin over had blond hair. Foley announces he has solved the case and immediately leaves. Austin stuns Billy Gunn anyway. Later, Austin stuns Foley before Foley can finish announcing a suspension. Rob likes the moment. Tommy already knows the reveal is going to disappoint everyone. The best spot of the night is the Brooklyn Brawler falling over a catering table before Austin even extends his hand. The TNN numbers held steady from week one, which the hosts treat as genuinely impressive given typical first-week drop-off. The bad news is the show has less than thirty minutes of wrestling in two hours. The worse news is that for the first time, Rob is losing patience with Mick Foley as commissioner. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Raven takes the pin in his second week as Jericho and the Dudleys beat him, Taz, and X-Pac; Tommy sees a potential faction and explains what it could have been with the right bookingLita vs Ivory is advertised and never happens; Jacqueline attacks instead and they brawl through the locker room out to the garage where Jacqueline hits Lita with a fire extinguisher off the top of a truckEdge and Christian are steered into a hardcore title shot against Steve Blackman; Edge calls the title cracked and gross; they lose and look like herbs; Tommy explains how to take a loss without losing your heatBenoit chairs Kane during the tag match to cost them the win, setting up what should be a Benoit-Kane program; Rob asks if it goes anywhere; Tommy confirms it does notTriple H vs Angle for the number one contendership ends with Benoit interfering, Stephanie accidentally handing Angle the match, and Triple H taking a chair to the head; Triple H ends the show by turning his back on Stephanie crying in the ringSmackDown Your Vote is up to 110,000 registered voters; The Rock spoke at a Capitol Hill rally and almost told Gore and Bush where to go before settling for a much more measured ultimatum Chapter Marks 0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:27 Welcome / RAW 10/2/00 0:02:09 Attitude Era Fizzling / WCW Context 0:08:41 TNN Ratings / Show Overview 0:11:08 Dennis Dunn Tribute / Kevin Dunn 0:12:20 Rock Opens RAW / Wrestling vs Talking 0:15:31 Rock's Marion Barry Promo 0:17:25 Angle Responds / Be Like Kurt 0:20:10 Foley / Triple H / The Variety Hour 0:25:17 Benoit / Kane / Rikishi / Tag Match Booked 0:33:32 Hardys vs Too Cool 0:35:36 Foley / Edge & Christian / Hardcore Title 0:36:17 Taz & Raven & X-Pac vs Jericho & Dudleys 0:41:43 Lita vs Jacqueline Backstage Brawl 0:43:10 Rob Loses Patience With Foley 0:44:36 Rock & Rikishi vs Benoit & Kane 0:45:53 Foley's Ultimatum / Billy Gunn Prime Suspect 0:49:12 Edge & Christian vs Blackman (Hardcore) 0:52:32 Brooklyn Brawler / Austin Stuns Everyone 0:54:52 Austin Stuns Foley 0:58:52 SmackDown Your Vote / Capitol Hill Rally 1:00:12 Triple H vs Angle (Main Event) 1:02:24 Triple H Turns Back on Stephanie 1:05:08 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SmackDown comes from Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh on September 28th, 2000. Before Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani get to the show, they read a listener comment that takes about two minutes to accurately diagnose every creative problem WWF is about to run into over the next two years. Tommy cannot disagree with a word of it. Foley opens the show warning Austin to play by his rules or else. Austin responds by hiding in a phone booth backstage and jumping Road Dog in the middle of a hardcore match. Raven gets his first WWF promo and it is immediately buried by a Jericho interruption, dragged into the Taz and Lawler comedy feud, and aimed at entirely the wrong people. Rock and Triple H team up against Angle and Benoit in a main event that works as a match and means nothing as a story. Stephanie pulls a chair away from Rock at the worst possible moment. Angle slam. Three count. Tommy, still occasionally sending in material but increasingly disconnected from the room, explains what is actually happening behind the scenes: not laziness, but too many voices, a soap opera decree from management, Hollywood writers who do not know the roster, and a company so financially successful it has stopped being hungry. The people there are working harder than ever. The output is getting worse. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Lita introduces the new tag champions the Hardys before beating Jackie in a match that Edge and Christian have no business being ringside forSteve Blackman gets nothing from his SummerSlam moment; six weeks later he is in a throwaway hardcore match used as a vehicle for an Austin run-inTrish recruits Kane for a six-man by mentioning Rikishi; the hosts assume it leads somewhere; it does notRaven and Taz beat Jericho and Lawler after X-Pac interferes and Raven hits the DDT; the Dudleys run out after; Tommy says Raven and X-Pac should have been the teamChyna strips down mid-match to intimidate Steven Richards; the hosts note she looks exactly the same; she wins anywayStephanie pulls the chair away from Rock and hands Angle the win; Rob says the milk on the Triple H and Angle story is starting to turnChapter Marks0:00:00 Cold Open0:00:27 Welcome / SmackDown 9/28/000:03:06 Listener Feedback / YouTube Comments0:11:04 Foley Opens the Show0:19:16 Benoit / Angle / Main Event Booked0:22:40 Austin Finds Road Dog and X-Pac0:26:23 Lita vs Jackie / Hardy Tag Titles0:27:35 Road Dog vs Blackman / Austin Phone Booth0:32:32 Trish / Kane Backstage0:33:54 Taz / Raven Promo0:40:46 Jericho Interrupts / Tag Match Set Up0:42:37 Triple H / Rock Backstage0:43:15 Sunday Night Heat / MTV Discussion0:45:42 Too Cool & Rikishi vs Kane & T&A0:46:53 Jericho & Lawler vs Taz & Raven0:49:13 Rock Promo / Kevin Kelly0:50:01 Chyna vs Steven Richards0:54:42 Foley on Stage / Austin Stuns X-Pac0:58:38 Triple H / Rock Backstage0:59:48 Rock & Triple H vs Angle & Benoit1:06:23 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raw moves to TNN. Austin is back on Monday night for the first time in almost a year. The Viacom suits need to be impressed. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani review WWF RAW from Penn State University on September 25th, 2000, a show that hotshots two pay-per-view quality matches in one night and still finds time for Tommy to notice that the machine is getting too big. Austin opens the show, stuns Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the same segment, visits Undertaker backstage in a scene that felt like a western, and walks in on William Regal reading Shakespeare before stunning him before he can finish a sentence. The Hardys and Edge and Christian have a ladder match that Rob calls forgotten and incredible in the same breath. Edge pulls off a spear from the top of a giant ladder onto a dangling Jeff Hardy, the same spot he will use six months later at WrestleMania 17, and nobody in the building even knows it yet. Tommy, still loosely working on things for the company at this point but feeling the ground shifting, talks about what it smells like when the writing staff gets too big, the synergy people start showing up, and creative gets convoluted. He also raises the question nobody on screen seems to be asking: every time Austin stuns someone, is there a next week? Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Kane vs Rikishi barely starts before Rikishi grabs a chair and the whole thing collapsesRaven DDTs Lawler and Bubba Ray Dudley in the same night; a Tazz and Raven alliance appears to be formingChyna cuts an emotional promo about her Playboy cover; Right to Censor immediately interrupts; Eddie Guerrero challenges them for the IC title on the spotKurt Angle reads the USA Today while Trish Stratus puts his gold medal somewhere he does not notice until he looks upX-Pac smashes a glass bottle over Jericho's face to win the first blood match; Jericho puts him in the Walls of Jericho on the announce table after the bellTriple H inadvertently helps Rock retain the title by throwing Benoit into a Rock Bottom; Benoit headbutts Stephanie on his way outChapter Marks0:00:00 Cold Open0:00:29 Welcome / RAW on TNN0:02:01 First RAW on TNN Overview0:06:40 Penn State / Show Context0:11:14 Austin / Foley / Benoit / Angle0:21:28 Kane vs Rikishi0:24:58 Austin Visits Undertaker0:26:11 Foley / E&C Backstage0:30:10 Tazz vs Bubba / Raven Returns0:36:22 Stephanie / Triple H Backstage0:38:24 Ladder Match: Hardys vs E&C0:42:58 Austin Interrogates the Stooges0:44:16 Chyna Playboy Promo / RTC / Eddie0:48:38 Angle / Trish Stratus Backstage0:49:56 X-Pac vs Jericho (First Blood)0:51:15 Austin / Triple H Locker Room0:53:20 Eddie vs Val Venis (IC Title)0:55:30 Crash at WWF New York / Regal Returns0:56:25 Rock vs Benoit (Main Event)1:00:53 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stone Cold Austin arrives at the First Union Center, attacks Kevin Kelly in the parking lot, and spends the entire night demanding answers that nobody gives him. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani review WWF Unforgiven 2000 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their verdict: the first pay-per-view since WrestleMania that delivers good, but not great. Raven walks out during the Tazz and Lawler strap match, DDTs Lawler, Tazz wins, and Jim Ross says on commentary that Raven is not even on this roster. The ECW crowd pops accordingly. Jericho and X-Pac have the match of the night, it ends clean, no ref bump, X-Pac taps to the Walls of Jericho. Edge and Christian face the Hardys for the tag titles in a steel cage with convoluted rules, Jeff Hardy gets eliminated three minutes in, re-enters through a door, Lita does a hurricanrana from the top of the cage, and the Hardys win their first tag team championship. Triple H and Kurt Angle in a No DQ match with Foley as special referee is the most anticipated match on the card. It runs short because backstage segments ate the time. Stephanie low blows Angle. Triple H wins. The hosts describe the finish as sweaty. Tommy, who wrote for WWF during this period, observes that the writers' room was expanding, performers were becoming less empowered, and scripted lines were taking over. He ends with: "Boy, am I glad I don't work there anymore." Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: RTC, the Dudley Boyz, and the Acolytes are thrown together into an 8-man tag with a Steven kick finish; everyone looks weakAl Snow represents Italy in the Hardcore Invitational with a Tony Danza portrait and a red cloth; Blackman wins; the 24/7 rule is suspended until RAW with no clear explanationAustin and Angle meet on screen for the first time; Angle offers him an honorary gold medal; Austin tells him where to put itShane McMahon presents "evidence" involving old footage of Blackman bumping into Shamrock; Austin stuns Blackman (the hosts say this badly herbs him for a pop), then stuns ShaneRock survives the Fatal Four-Way against Benoit, Undertaker, and Kane; Benoit "wins" the title but his foot is on the rope; Foley restarts; Rock retains via Rock Bottom; the hosts hate the fatal four-way format Chapter Marks 0:00:00 Cold Open0:00:53 Welcome / Unforgiven 20000:02:03 Pay-Per-View Value / Black Box0:05:50 Card Overview / Show Impressions0:08:31 RTC 8-Man Tag0:14:29 Triple H / Stephanie Backstage0:15:41 Tazz vs Lawler / Raven Debuts0:26:34 Austin Arrives / Kevin Kelly0:27:23 Hardcore Invitational / Blackman Wins0:35:32 Austin Meets Angle0:36:32 Jericho vs X-Pac0:39:07 Foley's No DQ / Rock and Austin0:41:28 E&C vs Hardys Steel Cage0:50:17 Austin / Stephanie Locker Room0:53:36 Eddie vs Rikishi / Chyna0:57:13 Triple H vs Angle (No DQ)1:07:53 Shane McMahon's Evidence1:16:22 Tommy's Insider Take1:17:08 Fatal Four-Way / Rock Retains1:21:09 Overall Assessment1:23:45 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kurt Angle ends the main event with an Angle Slam, a sledgehammer, a surprise kiss on Stephanie McMahon, and the line "ask your wife if I kiss like a pansy." Stone Cold cuts a pre-tape from his house in Texas that sells both hosts on Unforgiven more than anything else on the show. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 21, 2000 edition of WWF SmackDown, live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the final SmackDown before Unforgiven 2000. The opening segment puts the entire 40-man roster around the ring while Foley plays amateur detective. Rock denies running over Austin with a Swedish Chef impression. Triple H defends himself. Angle says maybe it was SA Rios. Xpac accuses Jericho. Undertaker arrives to a big pop. Brawl. The hosts agree this works. The gay panic jokes Triple H keeps making backstage do not. Eddie Guerrero comes out with roses, delivers a speech about how Chyna is a superstar and he is nothing, reveals her Playboy cover for the first time, and gets on one knee. The crowd chants "just say no." She says yes. The hosts discuss whether this storytelling decision serves Chyna or undermines her. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Shane McMahon makes a surprise return two months after Blackman knocked him off a scaffold at SummerSlam and says he'll reveal who ran over Austin at Unforgiven; Triple H hears it, turns to Stephanie, and points out Shane said he was "all alone" in the hospitalJeff Hardy wore Sting facepaint as a kid and called himself the Wolverine; Edge and Christian found old footage and screened it in a dark room with a projector, then attacked the Hardys with chairsAl Snow represents Spain as European Champion with a Ricardo Montalban portrait, a pinata, and a red cloth; the Hardcore title match collapses under 247 rules and Blackman wins by kicking a garbage can into Taka's faceJericho and Lawler vs Xpac and Tazz ends in a DQ when Tazz chokes Lawler with a strap; the stipulation that those two couldn't touch before the pay-per-view is never acknowledged as liftedToo Cool forces a reluctant four-man dance on both the Acolytes and the Dudleys; Bradshaw holds out longestSmackDown Your Vote: 90,000 registered, and they give you the real number, not 100,000 Chapter Marks 00:00 Cold Open 00:28 Welcome / Milwaukee / SmackDown 9/21/2000 01:55 Show Overview 03:06 Opening Segment / Who Ran Over Austin? 06:39 Triple H Defends Himself / Gay Panic Analysis 09:08 Angle / Xpac Accuses Jericho / Stephanie Blamed 11:32 Undertaker Arrives / Brawl 14:18 Val Venis vs Scotty 2 Hotty 17:20 Backstage: Triple H / Greg Luganis Jokes 22:48 Hardys Promo / E&C Dark Room 24:19 Al Snow (Spain) vs Steve Blackman 27:54 Austin Up Next / SmackDown Your Vote 32:34 Austin Pre-Tape 33:23 Shane McMahon Returns 35:09 Triple H Catches Stephanie in a Lie 37:32 Jericho and Lawler vs Xpac and Tazz 39:42 Chyna Confronts Eddie Backstage 40:41 Eddie's Apology / Chyna's Playboy Cover 44:16 Eddie Proposes / Chyna Says Yes 48:10 Acolytes / RTC / Too Cool Dancing 49:41 Main Event 52:07 Gay Panic Spot / Undertaker's Motorcycle 53:31 Angle Slam and Sledgehammer 54:11 Angle Kisses Stephanie / "Who's Crying Now?" 57:10 Final Thoughts / Patreon 59:11 Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Triple H tells Kurt Angle he just wants to be friends with Stephanie, maybe go shopping for drapes. Kurt has never been more offended. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 18, 2000 edition of WWF Monday Night Raw, live from the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois, six days before Unforgiven 2000. Also the last Raw on USA Network. The opening promo ends with Rob, as a gay man, explaining exactly why "shopping for drapes" works and why "batting on the other side of the plate than the rest of us" is the one line that doesn't. Foley books TNA and Trish against Triple H, Angle, and Stephanie, and the hosts are almost surprised it took this long to get here. William Regal makes his WWE debut at the Rosemont, which Tommy calls the single best venue to debut anyone who needs an immediate reaction. Regal sets up a dinner table, demonstrates proper napkin usage, and explains that American parents have clearly failed their children. Jericho interrupts with a fake British accent and a failed tablecloth magic trick. Xpac shows up with nunchucks. Undertaker pins the world champion in a non-title match six days before Unforgiven. The four challengers brawl to end the show. The hosts spend two minutes establishing the correct wrestling terminology for what just happened. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Tazz arrives as substitute ring announcer in a thug'd up suit jacket with the arms ripped off, a bow tie, and Thug Life on the back, introduces Rikishi as "6,000 pounds from the waist down," and announces the result directly into Lawler's earHugh Hefner recorded a video for Chyna's Playboy issue and could not learn Eddie Guerrero's name in however many takes, referring to him only as "the boyfriend"Eddie fakes being sick to send Chyna in to wrestle Rikishi in his place, then sprays mace in Rikishi's eyes, and Rikishi gives Chyna a bonsai drop while staring directly at EddieThe USA vs Viacom lawsuit backstory: USA claimed first right of refusal, WWE argued they did not match the deal because Viacom included $5 million in advertising that USA could not offerTommy has a detailed memory of rooting for heels as a teenager at Cobo Arena, a drunk accountant in a suit who produced a small Soviet flag from his blazer pocket, and what his mom thought of all of itThe Rosemont Horizon: 15 straight sellouts, Tommy calls it a top five guaranteed hot show venue, and WWF chose this specific building to debut Regal and switch networks for good reason Chapter marks 00:00 Cold Open02:50 USA vs Viacom Lawsuit07:42 William Regal Debut Discussion09:47 Show Starts / Stephanie Opens19:47 Acolytes Attack RTC / Dudleys vs Goodfather and Bull Buchanan21:59 Rock Promo / "Lord of Monkey Piss" / Undertaker Responds24:44 Foley Books Rock vs Taker and Kane vs Benoit / Hugh Hefner Can't Say Eddie's Name27:04 Backstage: Eddie's "Sick" / Kane vs Benoit / Ring Bell Chaos30:10 European Championship Discussion / 2004 Dark Period31:28 Backstage: Triple H, Stephanie, and Angle / "Girls Room Is Down the Hall"38:32 TNA and Trish vs Triple H, Angle, and Stephanie44:42 Angle Hugs Stephanie Post-Match / Triple H Spears Angle46:01 Eddie Wrapped in a Blanket / Tazz as Ring Announcer48:49 Rikishi vs Eddie / Chyna Caught in the Middle54:13 William Regal Debuts / Table Manners Promo56:39 Tommy's House Show Story / The Drunk Accountant with the Soviet Flag1:01:36 Jericho Interrupts Regal / Xpac Attacks with Nunchucks1:03:07 Too Cool vs Edge and Christian / Austin Pay-Per-View Promo1:04:15 Foley: "Smackdown Your Vote"1:05:08 Main Event: Rock vs Undertaker (Non-Title) / Benoit on Commentary1:05:59 Undertaker Pins Rock / Four-Way Brawl to End the Show1:08:02 Final Thoughts / Patreon / Rosemont Wrestlemania History1:10:49 Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eddie Guerrero shows up at the Playboy Mansion demanding to speak to Hugh Hefner. The bodyguard thinks he means his actual mother. The door gets slammed in his face. He walks away cool. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 14, 2000 edition of WWF SmackDown, live from the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Foley books three tag matches to force the Unforgiven participants to coexist: Angle and Triple H vs T&A, Kane and Benoit vs the Acolytes, and Rock and Undertaker vs the Dudleys in a tables match. The stipulation is that if you attack your partner before the pay-per-view, your Unforgiven match is cancelled. The hosts count roughly six ways the stipulation gets broken before the night is over. Triple H and Angle team up and spend the entire match trying to outshine each other against T&A. Test takes advantage of the dysfunction, pins Triple H clean, and gets the biggest singles win of his career to that point. T&A are not given a moment to celebrate. The hosts have a lot to say about that. Edge and Christian, meanwhile, introduce the Hardys of the Future. Two elderly men dressed exactly like Matt and Jeff with the jinkos and the cutoff shirts come to the ring. Then Lita's music hits. It is a third old man. Edge says "dude, time travel rules" and he is not wrong. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Tazz buys a front-row seat directly behind Cole and Lawler, brings a bucket of popcorn, gets mic'd up throughout the Blackman vs Saturn hardcore match, and pours the rest of the popcorn on Cole on his way outKane and Benoit have a dysfunction problem: Benoit walks out mid-match and leaves Kane in a two-on-one situation while the hosts puzzle over who technically broke the stipulation firstVal Venis joins Right to Censor in white pants while everyone else wears black, says "I wasn't brainwashed" and "selective censorship is not wrong," and the crowd responds with a "ho" chantRock asks Lillian "do you like pie?" and the hosts have a lot of questions about the internal logic of this new catchphraseListener of the week: MKJ Comics writes in about his grandma who thought wrestling was real her whole life, called upset every time Triple H used a sledgehammer, and was buried with a John Cena wall clockPMFG weighs in: we are already in the bad creative period, the problems of 2001 started in 2000, and the Radicals died months in with no story Chapter marks 00:00 Cold Open00:22 Welcome / Phoenix / SmackDown 9/14/200003:18 Listener Comments / Jonathan on Kreski and Continuity11:25 MKJ Comics: The Grandma Who Thought Wrestling Was Real15:12 PMFG: "We're Already in the Bad Creative Period"16:00 Back to the Show / America West Arena18:29 Foley Opens / "I Answer to the Fans"18:51 Tangent: Paul Heyman 2025 / "We Don't Answer to the Fans"22:43 Opening Segment / Foley Books Unforgiven25:10 Triple H Out / Tag Matches and Stipulations Announced31:25 Kane and Benoit vs Acolytes36:39 Triple H in Foley's Office37:34 Eddie at the Playboy Mansion38:58 Chyna Packs Her Bags40:14 Val Venis / "I Wasn't Brainwashed"42:52 Rikishi and Too Cool vs Right to Censor / Eddie Interferes44:59 Test and Trish Backstage45:36 Triple H and Angle vs T&A / Test Pins Triple H50:46 Tazz Wants to Quit / Foley Books Tazz vs Lawler at Unforgiven51:27 Edge and Christian: The Hardys of the Future54:43 Blackman vs Saturn / Tazz Heckles from Front Row56:32 Edge, Christian, and X-Pac vs Jericho and the Hardys58:32 Rock Promo / Do You Like Pie?1:00:04 Main Event: Rock and Undertaker vs Dudleys (Tables Match)1:04:19 Final Thoughts and Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eddie hears Chyna is going to be on the Playboy cover. The same Eddie who spent months praising his own security and confidence and pride in her. The reaction is immediate and completely inconsistent. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 11, 2000 edition of WWF Monday Night Raw, live from Phoenix, Arizona, two weeks before Unforgiven. Triple H draws Jericho as his surprise opponent and they run a fast, heated match before X-Pac runs in for the DQ. Triple H shoves him off and nobody explains anything. The DX dissolution continues, unaddressed. Later, in the Kurt Angle vs T&A match, Stephanie sneaks out despite Triple H's explicit instructions, and what follows is Tommy's unlikely standout of the night, a Looney Tunes sequence involving all three performers that works entirely because the execution is crisp and the performers are that good. Tazz, after getting knocked out by a David Hasselhoff portrait, grabs the mic and says exactly what everyone has been thinking. He can't compete with Lawler's political power. Nobody wants him here. The outsider is tapping out. Tazz has become just another victim of the WWF. The hosts find it oddly engaging. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: - Lita wins the Women's Title from Ivory after Midian's streaking run-in provides the distraction, with the hosts noting she has no angle heading into Unforgiven despite being champion - Hardy Boys become number one contenders after Edge's interference accidentally helps them beat the Dudleys, setting up Hardys vs Edge and Christian at Unforgiven - Mick Foley announces a Fatal Four Way for Unforgiven with Rock defending against Undertaker, Benoit, and Kane, and the hosts question why Undertaker earned a shot after just getting pinned - Val Venis appears completely fine after being abducted last week, hits the Acolytes with a chair, and joins Right to Censor with no conversion promo and no explanation - Tommy opens the episode with stories from behind the scenes at the 2000 MTV VMAs, held that same week at Radio City Music Hall, including what it was like to work on a live production that made wrestling look organized by comparison - Observer notes include William Regal's debut held for time, talks with Raven about joining the company, and K-Kwik ready to debut with a plan to pair him with Road Dogg Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open 02:27 Tommy at the 2000 MTV VMAs 10:50 Back to the Show / RAW and SmackDown at the Same Venue 11:59 Perry Saturn's Travel Nightmare 12:33 Show Overview / JR Gives the Card 13:29 Foley's Opening Promo / The Austin Investigation 14:15 The Rock Comes Out 15:36 Benoit Claims #1 Contendership 16:09 WWF Name / World Wildlife Fund Lawsuit 20:52 Foley Books the Main Event 21:41 Hardys vs Dudleys / Edge and Christian on Commentary 23:44 Lita vs Ivory / Women's Title 25:22 Kurt Angle in Foley's Office 26:57 Eddie and Chyna: Earlier Today 30:52 Eddie and Chyna vs Too Cool 32:34 Eddie Attacks Too Cool / Rikishi / Chyna's Decision 35:21 Triple H Backstage 36:12 Triple H's Entrance / Chyna Reveals Playboy 40:25 Triple H vs Jericho 43:33 X-Pac DQ / DX Implosion 47:47 RTC vs Acolytes / Val Venis Joins Right to Censor 50:24 Al Snow vs Tazz 52:04 Tazz's "Tapping Out" Promo 53:54 SmackDown Your Vote / Bush and Gore 56:53 Kurt Angle vs T&A 1:01:53 Foley Books Triple H vs Angle at Unforgiven 1:02:23 Steve Blackman vs X-Pac / Jericho Interferes 1:04:20 Benoit and Kane Backstage 1:05:28 X-Pac Attacks Jericho Backstage 1:06:38 Rock and Undertaker Backstage 1:08:02 Main Event: Rock and Undertaker vs Benoit and Kane 1:10:05 Benoit Pins Undertaker / Fatal Four Way Announced 1:11:42 Observer Notes / Regal, Raven, K-Kwik 1:15:47 Creative Direction / The Road Ahead 1:16:34 Final Thoughts and Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chyna confronts Eddie backstage and tells him he used her, stepped on her, and only loves the title around his waist. Eddie turns it around completely. His family. His friends. His personal wants. You were on Jay Leno three times. Third Rock from the Sun. Your magazine. Not one page. Are you going to be behind me when I face Road Dog, or is the door right there? Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 7, 2000 edition of WWF SmackDown, live from Louisville, Kentucky. With Jerry Lawler sidelined from Raw, Tazz joins Michael Cole on commentary in what Tommy and Rob call a preview of the future SmackDown announce team. He roots openly for heels, steals JR's catchphrases, and corrects Cole's move calls in character. Then Lawler returns mid-show, strap in hand, and chokes Tazz out in the middle of his Brooklyn catchphrase. Steve Austin cuts a pre-tape from home, back to camera, nine months out of action. He doesn't forget and he doesn't forgive. It's a good thing the next pay-per-view is called Unforgiven. The promo doesn't fully hang together but Tommy and Rob say it doesn't need to. Austin coming back on screen is enough to make a rough episode feel like must-see TV. Other major discussion points include: Triple H beats Test and Albert in a handicap match when Kurt Angle runs in uninvited, helps Triple H win, and does the you're-welcome look from the stage despite Triple H wanting nothing to do with himRock pins Christian in the main event after Edge is taken out by Rock's own chair, with Foley inserting Kane as Christian's partner in a decision neither host can explain, and Kane chokeslams Rock through the announce table on his way outBenoit pins Rikishi after RTC distraction, and Tazz corrects Cole's move calls in character, including the moment Cole calls a Northern Lights suplex a Sherman suplexAPA and Dudleys have a bloody, joyful barroom brawl at the Have a Nice Day Cafe, cap it with a handshake bit between Bubba and Farooq, and then Kaientai shows up wanting sakeToo Cool lose to the Goodfather and Bull Buchanan and the worm is blocked for the second straight weekTommy opens the episode discussing WWE Studios, the XFL, the WWF record label, and what it looked like from the inside as WWF expanded into every possible business at once Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. New watch along added: Gorilla Monsoon Mixtape! Previous watch alongs include RVD/Sabu vs. Hayabusa/Hakushi, Verne Gagne vs. Dick the Bruiser, Rock vs Hogan and Buddy Rogers vs. Pat O'Connor. You also get these episodes one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Chapter Marks00:00 Intro 00:32 Tommy's Consulting Role 04:51 Too Much Soap Opera 08:56 Rob on 40 Years of Fandom 11:45 Show Overview / Tazz Replaces Lawler on Commentary 17:01 X-Pac vs Jericho 18:49 Kurt Angle in Foley's Office / Angle vs Undertaker Booked 19:34 Edge and Christian Promo / "Rocker Taker" / The Rock Comes Out 22:11 The Rock Sets Up a Handicap Match for the WWF Title 23:54 Backstage: Triple H and Stephanie 25:35 Acolytes at the Have a Nice Day Cafe 26:06 Benoit vs Rikishi / Tazz Corrects Cole's Move Calls 28:09 Eddie and Chyna Backstage: "Where Was I When You Were on Jay Leno?" 35:15 APA vs Dudleys Barroom Brawl / Lawler Returns and Chokes Tazz Mid-Catchphrase 35:44 Triple H vs Test and Albert 36:51 Angle Runs In / Saves Stephanie / Triple H Wins 39:26 Chyna Backstage with Road Dog / Triple H and Stephanie Argue About Angle 44:04 Eddie Guerrero vs Road Dog 47:33 Eddie Attacks Road Dog Post-Match 48:07 Too Cool vs Right to Censor 51:21 APA and Dudleys at the Bar / Kaientai Wants Sake 53:46 Kurt Angle vs Undertaker / Benoit Interferes 54:56 Triple H and Stephanie Backstage 55:44 Stone Cold Pre-Tape: "It's a Good Thing the Next PPV Is Called Unforgiven" 57:40 Rock Ambushes Edge / Main Event Set 58:31 Main Event: Rock vs Christian and Kane (WWF Title Handicap Match) 1:01:43 Final Thoughts / Patreon Plug Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Test steps out with Trish and asks Mick Foley to wait. November 28, 1999, the night Triple H took the money, the power, and Stephanie, Test sat back. The smile on his face when those cops came. He made the call. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 4, 2000 Labor Day edition of WWF Monday Night Raw, live from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, airing at 11pm due to the US Open on USA Network. Foley opens the show with a full investigation, narrowing the spousal abuse complaint down to 373 suspects, then bringing out Stephanie, Angle, Chyna, and Eddie one by one. The Test reveal lands as clever soap opera with real nostalgic stakes. Triple H then immediately Pedigrees both Test and Albert in the same night and leaves them on the mat. In the IC title triple threat, Angle knocks Chyna out cold with the belt. Eddie dropkicks Angle out, turns around, and finds Mamacita laid out. He chooses her over Angle. They fall together in a heap, the referee counts three, and Eddie Guerrero is the new Intercontinental Champion. The camera pans to catch a devious grin on his face while Chyna cannot see it, a reveal Tommy and Rob say undercuts everything the pairing has built. Other major discussion points include: Christian pins The Rock with a Conchairto to close the show while Kane joins JR on commentary and delivers emo monologues about being dragged from the gutter and pain becoming your friendThe Dudleys beat the APA and Kaientai in a tables match, prompting Tommy to push for consistent rules: one member through the table ends the match, and anything requiring both should have its own nameRight to Censor kidnaps Val Venus after his promo defending personal freedom, and Lawler's RC Cola live read accidentally plays over Road Dogg's entrance promoTommy opens the episode comparing WWF's late-2000 slide to the current moment in WWE, using a JP Morgan stock analysis and a Fightful report about Netflix executive pressure on the 2025 creative team Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. New watch along added: Gorilla Monsoon Mixtape! Previous watch alongs include RVD/Sabu vs. Hayabusa/Hakushi, Verne Gagne vs. Dick the Bruiser, Rock vs Hogan and Buddy Rogers vs. Pat O'Connor. You also get these episodes one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:39 WWE 2025 vs. WWF 2000: Tommy's Exit, the TNN Move, and the Business Slide 03:44 JP Morgan Analysis / Netflix Execs Pressure WWE Creative 12:27 How to Watch on archive.org / Complete 2000 WWF Collection 15:27 Show Overview / Aired at 11pm on Labor Day 16:03 Opening Segment: Foley Investigates the Arrest / 373 Suspects 21:42 Test's Confession: "November 28, 1999" 29:24 Foley Books Triple H vs. Test / "I'm Not the Champion, But Okay" 32:45 Number One Contender's Match: Kane vs. Benoit / Rock on Commentary 37:17 Tables Match: Dudleys vs. APA / Rules Discussion 41:27 Eddie Begs Foley / Triple Threat IC Match Booked 42:27 SmackDown Your Vote / WWF Invites Bush and Gore to Debate 44:29 IC Title Triple Threat: Eddie Guerrero vs. Chyna vs. Kurt Angle 47:11 Test Hyped / Triple H and Stephanie Backstage 48:52 Eddie Explains to Chyna / Offers the Belt Back / The Devious Face 52:27 Triple H vs. Test (w/ Albert and Trish) / Angle Sneaks Up on Stephanie 57:26 Naked Mideon with Foley / The Implication 58:01 Val Venus vs. Right to Censor / "Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine" 1:00:20 Crash and Malenko Backstage / Edge and Christian: "Genital Warts Rule" 1:02:46 Hardcore Title: Boss Man vs. Steve Blackman 1:04:40 Road Dogg and Val vs. Right to Censor / RC Cola Disaster / Val Kidnapped 1:07:15 Lawler and Jericho vs. Tazz and Mideon 1:09:25 King Rolls Up Tazz / Austin Statement Teased for SmackDown 1:11:00 Kane on Commentary / Emo Kane / "Pain Can Become Your Friend" 1:11:48 Main Event: Rock and Undertaker vs. Edge and Christian / Conchairto / Christian Pins Rock 1:14:52 Final Thoughts and Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Triple H and Stephanie are finally reconciling backstage when there's a knock on the door. It's the police, responding to a spousal abuse complaint. Triple H gets put in the car. Mick Foley runs up asking what about his main event. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the August 31, 2000 edition of WWF SmackDown, live from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The show opens with Stephanie explaining her whereabouts since SummerSlam, but Angle immediately counters with footage of Chyna and Triple H's hug on Raw, then footage of Chyna tending to Triple H after their match. He accuses Triple H of domestic violence, Chyna comes to the ring to defend herself, and Angle gives her the Angle Slam. Tommy and Rob call it A+ soap opera from start to finish. With Triple H in a police car, the main event becomes Eddie vs Angle one-on-one, Chyna in Eddie's corner and Stephanie forced into Angle's. Angle cheats to win using the IC title belt. Chyna beats up Angle post-match, turns to face Stephanie, who tries to talk her way out. Chyna grabs her by the hair and DDTs her to one of the loudest pops of the night. Other major discussion points include: Edge and Christian mock Monday's mini Hardies in a promoAl Snow pins Saturn with a dragon sleeper submission to win the European Championship in a match involving Head, a stopped pinfall by Teddy Long, and a finish nobody saw comingUndertaker vs Benoit for the number one contendership ends by disqualification when Kane interferesKaientai get caught laughing at the Dudleys' TLC losses, leading to the APA costing the Dudleys the match before the Dudleys table Funaki as a receiptTrish Stratus shows up to Val Venis demanding respect, Val tears into her, telegraphing his turn to Right to CensorTommy covers Sunday Night Heat: Crash Holly, Dean Malenko, Kane's mask promo targeting The Rock, and what happened to T&A and the APA Just announced! Rob and Tommy announce the launch of their brand new Patreon featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. New watch along added: RVD/Sabu vs. Hayabusa/Hakushi The first watch along includes Rock vs Hogan and Buddy Rogers vs. Pat O'Connor. Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Chapters: 00:00 Intro 2:51 Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, NC 5:18 Tommy's Story: Steiners at a WCW Clash of Champions in This Arena 7:32 Back to SmackDown / Storyline Momentum vs Raw 7:56 Recap Focuses on Raw, Not SummerSlam 8:15 Stephanie McMahon Opens the Show: The Alibi 9:36 Kurt Angle Interrupts Stephanie 12:54 Chyna Comes to the Ring 14:34 Angle Slam on Chyna / Eddie Runs Out / Segment Analysis 15:53 Triple H Arrives at the Arena / Stephanie Slaps Him 16:43 Road Dog Promo at Fort Bragg / vs Bull Buchanan 18:58 Chyna and Eddie Approach Foley 19:41 Edge and Christian Promo / Six-Person Tag vs Hardy Boyz and Lita 23:11 Backstage: Angle Approaches Stephanie About the Kiss 24:45 European Championship: Al Snow vs Saturn 27:42 Triple H and Stephanie Reconcile Backstage 29:04 Al Snow's Post-Match Promo: "Citizens of Europea" 30:49 Number One Contender Match: Undertaker vs Benoit / Kane and Rock Arrive 32:13 The DQ Finish Problem: "Only Pinfall or Submission" Goes Out the Window 35:55 Tazz Promo / Jericho Cuts Him Off 40:00 Tazz vs Chris Jericho / Lawler Interferes 41:05 What Went Wrong with Tazz in WWF / Tommy's Take on Vince's Blind Spot 44:06 Just Joe Tells Angle About the Loud Noises / Angle Calls the Cops 44:34 Kaientai Mock the Dudleys / Dudleys vs Kaientai / APA Interfere 46:16 Backstage: Kurt Finds Stephanie / Trish Confronts Val Venis 47:20 Rikishi vs Val Venis / Right to Censor Interference 47:54 Chyna and Eddie Backstage Before the Main Event 48:25 Triple H and Stephanie Make Up / Cops Arrive with Spousal Abuse Complaint 49:24 Foley Changes the Main Event / Stephanie Forced Into Angle's Corner 50:43 Main Event: Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle 51:05 Angle Wins with the IC Belt / Chyna DDTs Stephanie Post-Match 54:21 Sunday Night Heat Rundown 56:21 Closing Thoughts and Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.