Death Match: Remembering the WWF's 2000 Royal Rumble

With WrestleMania being the main pay-per-view for professional wrestling fans each and every year, other events in the calendar can be forgiven for getting lost in the shuffle. Happily, the Royal Rumble, WWE’s annual January offering, does not fall into this category and stands out in its own right as a supercard that often rivals “the Showcase of the Immortals” as the must-see event of the year.

As 2014’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view comes into view, it is only right to mention the time, effort and forward-thinking that Vince McMahon’s company have traditionally put into the first event of the year.

From a prime era Ric Flair and his Iron Man performance in 1992’s Battle Royal to The Rock squaring off against champion CM Punk in a dream match in last year’s headliner, the WWE creative team often take extra care when booking this particular card, and the additional input pays dividends through the fans’ approval.

Though this habit of extra input from creative every January can be traced back to the event’s roots in a TV special on the USA Network in 1988, the late '90s and early '00s saw this approach amplified significantly. From 1996 to 2003, the Royal Rumble events were exceptionally well-booked shows, with talent elevation (Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, etc.) and high-quality undercard content (Undertaker/HBK in 1998, Benoit/Angle in 2003) taking centre stage alongside the Royal Rumble Match attractions.

No event, however, can take more credit in taking this shrewd approach and running with it than the first pay-per-view broadcast of the current millennium.

Royal Rumble 2000, taking place at New York’s Madison Square Garden during arguably the hottest period of business that North American pro wrestling has ever seen, was a fantastic event that was so effective in showcasing a stacked WWF roster, from the opening contest to the conclusion of the main event.

It’s an often quoted verse that one has to look back to where you have been for a clue to where you are going. With that in mind, and with a promising Royal Rumble mere weeks away, it is now an opportune time to take a look back at one of the greatest pay-per-views of the celebrated WWF "Attitude" Era.

Absence of the Snake

The World Wrestling Federation of January 2000, whilst enjoying a prosperous business boom artistically and commercially, was in a period of transition.

Behind the cameras, much change was occurring. The company had become a publicly traded entity in August 1999 following a banner year that had reportedly generated a staggering $251.5 million in revenue (via CNN Money).

Vince Russo, the much-discussed, long-time head of the writing team, had unceremoniously departed in October alongside his partner Ed Ferrara. By the end of 1999, Atlanta’s World Championship Wrestling and Philadelphia’s Extreme Championship Wrestling, the WWF’s two main industry competitors, were both crumbling away and represented a threat that was considerably less fierce than it once was.

While the American pro wrestling landscape was changing dramatically behind the scenes, a seismic shift was happening on-screen, too. Stone Cold Steve Austin, the most popular wrestling personality since Hulk Hogan in the mid-to-late '80s, was two years into his meteoric babyface run at the top, having been the focus of WWF television since early 1998.

However, complications with Austin’s neck, stemming from an injury sustained in a 1997 botched Owen Hart piledriver, had finally taken its toll. Corrective surgery, followed by a lengthy spell on the injury shelf, was an unfortunate inevitability. Scheduled to go under the knife on the advice of surgeon Dr. Henry Bohlman, Austin was written off TV in the famous “whodunit” hit-and-run angle at November 1999’s Survivor Series event. For all intents and purposes, professional wrestling’s biggest star was out of the game.

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A massive gap had been left in the WWF’s headline scene in the absence of Austin. With previously reliable main eventers such as the Undertaker, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels either injured, working a limited style or (thought to be) retired altogether, the company was forced to turn to youth in order to plug the hole.

The Rock, the charismatic, third generation starlet, and Triple H, the all-rounder finally moving out of the shadow of the sophomoric D-Generation X, had risen to prominence in the last six months of Austin’s initial headline run. With the Texas Rattlesnake out of action for the foreseeable future, however, Vince McMahon gave the green-light for the WWF’s focus to shift firmly towards the two emerging prodigies. Alongside a still relatively fresh Paul “Big Show” Wight, The Rock and, in particular, Triple H dominated the latter stages of 1999, with The Game wearing the WWF Championship around his waist several times by the year’s end.

During this time, mega-heel Triple H entered a storyline that would serve as the definitive launch-pad for his main event career. His kidnapping of, and subsequent marriage to, Stephanie McMahon in November cemented his status as the No. 1 antagonist in the company, and the beginning of the McMahon-Helmsley faction served as confirmation of the company’s belief in him as the champion.

Conversely, The Rock was becoming white-hot as the edgy babyface, much in the vein of the injured Steve Austin. After a delightful run as the heel champion of McMahon’s Corporation group, The Rock shone in various storylines throughout 1999 with the likes of the Mick Foley and the Undertaker, with his King of the Ring showdown with the Deadman amongst some of his best performances to that point. His incredible ability both on the microphone and in the ring led to him quickly becoming a favourite amongst WWF audiences, and his popularity, at certain points, rivaled the fan reaction once reserved exclusively for Stone Cold.

Heading into 2000, both men were rapidly ascending to the top of the business, and many wrestling journalists, including John Powell of SLAM! Wrestling, shared the belief that they were being primed for a championship clash at the upcoming WrestleMania 2000 in Anaheim, California.

In an interview with Greg Oliver (also of SLAM! Wrestling) shortly after his first WWF title victory, the Big Show noted that, as the world champion, the performer holding the belt is “the flagship of the organisation that [they are] representing.” Ironically, despite winning the title at the conclusion of the Survivor Series, it was never truly about him. As 1999 became 2000, Triple H was the flagship of the World Wrestling Federation, and The Rock was nipping at his heels.

The build-up to the Royal Rumble officially began on January 3, when Triple H bested the Big Show for the title in the marquee bout of the first RAW broadcast of the year. The Game, in the midst of multiple feuds with the likes of The Rock and Test, had completed his plan in becoming the champion for the new millennium. Later in the show, the recently fired Mick Foley returned during the main event, attacking Triple H and his DX cohorts whilst resuming his feud with the new WWF champion.

Ten days later, following a severe beating at the hands of Triple H on RAW, Mick Foley officially retired the Mankind character during the opening segment of the January 13 SmackDown! broadcast. In a memorable moment, Foley took off his mask and re-introduced Cactus Jack, his wild, barbarian gimmick that brought him to the attention of pro wrestling fans during his days working in Japan, WCW and ECW. Attacking the champion once again, Foley announced that it would be Cactus Jack taking Mankind’s place in a scheduled Street Fight Match against Triple H for the WWF Championship in the co-main event of the Royal Rumble.

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Running alongside the bubbling Triple H/Cactus Jack program, The Rock was given the task of driving up intrigue for the annual 30-man, over-the-top-rope Battle Royal, known as the Royal Rumble Match. Announcing his participation on the January 10 episode of RAW, the Great One immediately guaranteed, in the manner that only he could, that he would win and go on to face the champion, be that Triple H or Mick Foley, at WrestleMania.

A satisfying Triple Threat, Over-the-Top-Rope Lumberjack match on the go-home episode of SmackDown! ramped up the anticipation further, as the entertaining brawl established, in addition to The Rock, both the monstrous Kane and a now-heel Big Show as viable match-winners.

Nothing Left to Prove

Sunday, January 23, 2000. Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City.

As the WWF audience, packed to the rafters in a sellout, sat waiting in eager anticipation of the two main event matches, a number of performers were waiting in the undercard wings, ready to steal the show.

By the time the Royal Rumble rolled around, professional wrestling newcomer Kurt Angle was enjoying an undefeated streak. Despite the 1996 Olympic gold medallist signing an eight-year deal with the WWF in late 1998, Angle only made his in-ring debut in November 1999, facing a young Shawn Stasiak at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Impressive between the ropes and in promos, Angle was a mid-card star that was rapidly rising.

At the first event of 2000, Kurt Angle was scheduled to battle an unnamed opponent, the identity of which was one of wrestling’s worst kept secrets.

Following his usual heel routine of antagonising the crowd through mocking the local sports team, in this case the NBA’s New York Knicks, Angle’s mystery opponent was revealed. Unfortunately for creative, the element of surprise was taken away, as word had leaked (via the internet dirt sheets) that a certain former ECW Champion was on his way to the WWF. Luckily, as noted by Brandon Stroud of UPROXX.com, it did not matter, as the crowd had been conditioned, largely through years of lobbying from ECW leader/mad-scientist Paul Heyman, to view the man in question as “the most bad-ass and important person in the world.”

Receiving an incredible pop from the partisan hometown crowd, Tazz became the latest in a wave of ECW talent to join the World Wrestling Federation.

After a back-and-forth affair that included a series of immaculate suplexes and other fine examples of collegiate-style wrestling from both men, Tazz locked in his patented Katahajime hold shortly after the 3:00 mark, a submission maneuver known in ECW as the Tazzmission. Choking the former Olympian into unconsciousness, the Human Suplex Machine was declared the winner and Angle’s almost three-month undefeated run was over. Tazz’s debut had successfully established the New Yorker as the WWF’s most believable new attraction, and Kurt Angle was just another victim.

While Tazz had injected an element of pro wrestling danger into the Royal Rumble, the following bout contained an extremely prominent threat of real danger.

The Hardy Boyz, the latest buzz team following their exceptional Ladder Match with Edge and Christian at No Mercy 1999, had challenged The Dudley Boyz, a heel duo that had also made the jump from ECW recently, to a Tables Match following altercations on the January 17 RAW and January 20 SmackDown!. Although crowds in Philadelphia were no strangers to the tables concept through the likes of Sabu and Public Enemy, the idea remained largely unexplored in the major leagues, and this match was hotly anticipated.

As was common with the surfacing tag teams of the time, the match started at an incredible pace that, throughout the contest, never dropped. Packing into a 10-minute slot as much as possible without shattering the illusion, both teams took a legitimate beating on the way to a thrilling Hardy Boyz victory. The first high-spot of the bout came when Matt and Jeff Hardy, leaping simultaneously from a ladder and a turnbuckle, respectively, drove Bubba Ray Dudley through the first table to tilt the odds in favour of the babyfaces. The score was evened shortly afterwards, however, when Matt Hardy suffered the wrath of a table, courtesy of a top-rope powerbomb.

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From here, the Dudleyz took control, but not before a frightening spot that saw both members of the opposite team take reckless bumps on the outside of the ring. The conclusion of the match came with all four participants battling in amongst the audience, a classic tactic in crowd-pleasing. Taking the action, logically, to an exit way in the middle of the Madison Square Garden, the finish saw Bubba Ray tumble through a number of stacked tables, before Jeff Hardy drove D-Von through the wood with a now-trademark Swanton Bomb from a ridiculous height.  

Alongside the aforementioned Ladder Match from October 1999, the Tables Match at the Royal Rumble paved the way for the outstanding Tables, Ladders and Chairs series between these teams and Edge and Christian at SummerSlam 2000 and WrestleMania X-Seven.

More importantly, these matches also proved that tag team wrestling was back in focus as an innovative and lively attraction after years of being an afterthought in the WWF (a fact highlighted by dud duos such as the hillbilly Godwinns having held the tag titles in recent times). Indeed, as Nick Sellers of 411Mania identified in his retrospective, change was happening in the tag division, and “newer, faster, rougher and more exciting teams were coming in to start a new golden age.”

Having the unfortunate responsibility of immediately following the incredible excitement of the Tables Match, the inevitable comedown spot came in the form of a special Miss Rumble swimsuit competition. Hosted by Jerry Lawler, of course, and featuring a number of female competitors such as Terri Runnels, Jacqueline and The Kat, the concept centred on the WWF Divas modelling swimwear in front of a panel of judges that included “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Sgt. Slaughter and Andy Richter of Late Night with Conan O’Brien fame.

Undeterred by the complete alienation of the female audience, this was typical of the WWF entertainment involving women, circa 2000. The surprise entrant, the then 76-year-old Mae Young, won the contest in a tasteless yet unforgettable segment in which the former NWA United States Women’s Champion left little to the imagination, thanks to a prosthesis.

Sadly, the in-ring action failed to pick up from the ludicrous competition that came before it.

The underwhelming Triple Threat match for a yet-to-be devalued Intercontinental Championship, involving Bob “Hardcore” Holly and co-champions Chris Jericho and Chyna, failed to truly get into its stride. A sloppy matchup that did little to elevate either the performers or the belt, the contest ended with Jericho pinning Chyna via a Lionsault to become the undisputed IC Champion. Unsurprisingly, the most entertaining section of the bout was Jericho’s pre-match promo, a speech that emphatically showed how over his “Y2J” character was and forecast his climb towards the WWF main event scene later in the year.

Stuck in the same notions as the Triple Threat match, the bout between The Acolytes and the New Age Outlaws for the WWF Tag Team Championship was lacklustre and effectively counted as filler. Bizarrely afforded a running time of only two-and-a-half minutes, the match suffered under the time restrictions, but nonetheless featured an impressive Clothesline from Hell spot that saw a pre-JBL Bradshaw run through Billy Gunn with an almost surreal amount of force. Gunn, alongside partner the Road Dogg, retained the belts by pinning Bradshaw after interference from fellow DX member, X-Pac.

Game Time

“Real f**king Cactus Jack, the guy from the Nasty Boys match, the guy from ECW, the guy from those grainy tape-to-a-tape-to-a-tape Japanese death matches, in a WWF ring against the WWF Champion,” noted Brandon Stroud when remembering the semi-main event of the 2000 Royal Rumble. “That is real. That is danger.”

Today, 14 years later, it is a difficult task to accurately portray just how big the hype and anticipation for the WWF Championship Street Fight was. In a way, it was tantamount to classic pro wrestling storytelling, the type of illusion that only comes around in those very special, yet very rare moments. Think Steve Austin and Mike Tyson in early 1998, think CM Punk in the summer of 2011. In January 2000, it was the idea that the sadistic Cactus Jack may indeed legitimately hurt the champion Triple H that had every fan gleefully suspending their disbelief.

Mick Foley has a special history with Madison Square Garden. Stemming from a hitchhiking trip in October 1983 that took him from his university to the arena to witness Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka make history with his influential cage-top bodysplash, it is no secret that Foley has a spiritual connection with “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” When he entered the ring at the Royal Rumble, in what would transpire to be his last appearance at the arena as a full-time performer, the world of wrestling knew he would be intent on making his mark.

Triple H, accompanied to the ring by his wife, was introduced last, as per the custom of a defending champion. The fact that Stephanie kissed her husband and immediately returned to the back was a simple, forgettable moment to most, but, subliminally, meant a great deal in establishing the match as being, in the words of Jim Ross, not for the weak of heart. As Triple H steadily climbed through the second rope, reluctantly handing senior referee Earl Hebner his title belt, the WWF’s big-time match of the year was underway.

Cactus Jack dominated the early stages, but it took a mere 160 seconds for Foley to take the first vicious hit of the match. Echoing the serious mauling he received at the hands of The Rock a year earlier, the challenger suffered an unprotected blow to the face thanks to Triple H and a steel folding chair. Unnervingly, most knew this wouldn’t be the last in this match.

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From here, the brawling made its way around ringside, into the crowd and into the entranceway. Whilst taking a suplex onto a wooden pallet at the five-minute mark, Triple H suffered a nasty laceration on his left leg, an injury that would go on to be featured more extensively in the WWF Home Video extras. Bleeding heavily from his limb, The Game somehow continued, and added to his leg wound shortly thereafter with a gash to his forehead, a side-effect of Cactus Jack’s favourite weapon, the 2x4 plank wrapped in (ungimmicked) barbed wire.

For a man that had previously wrestled on nails, wire and Composition C-4 explosives, it was natural for Foley to take the pain in some high spots, too. After threatening to piledrive the champion on Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross’ announce table, Foley was back-body dropped through the wood and subsequently slammed onto the hard steel ring steps. As a result, the bout’s momentum started to shift.

Again alluding to the events of Royal Rumble 1999, Triple H handcuffed Cactus Jack’s hands behind his back and unleashed a flurry of stiff chair shots that were delivered with such force that a section of the steel buckled and broke away. Happily, before the brutality could continue, The Rock interfered on Foley’s behalf, and a New York City “cop” helped the challenger escape his unfortunate predicament. Jack responded with the previously attempted piledriver through an announce table, and the outcome of the match seemed as good as sealed.

The finish came at the 25-minute mark, and will be remembered as one of the most remarkable conclusions to a match in history. The emergence of Mick Foley’s patented bag of thumbtacks, despite Lawler’s humorous attempts to disguise it (“He’s gonna hit him over the head with a sandbag!”), drew raucous cheers from the crowd. Scattering them in the ring, Foley was the architect of his own downfall as Triple H reversed the challenger’s momentum and threw Cactus Jack over his head and onto thousands of piercing nails.

A Pedigree onto the puddle of thumbtacks later, and Triple H pinned Cactus Jack to retain his WWF Championship.

In short, this contest was special, really special. As the victor himself commented, in a WWF Magazine special from 2002 (via The John Report Blog of WWE), the Street Fight was the match where “people stood up and took notice of Triple H as someone above the norm…and gave Cactus Jack the platform that he wanted to go out on.” At the conclusion of this bout, Triple H’s status as a main event player was instantly made credible, and Mick Foley began the last sustained run at the top of his career.

Despite the two meeting again under the Hell in a Cell stipulation the following month at No Way Out, this contest remains the best showdown between Triple H and Mick Foley. Essentially, the Street Fight did exactly what an effective title bout traditionally has done and always should do—it made the developing Triple H look like a legitimate champion, and elevated the departing Foley despite his shoulders being the ones pinned to the mat.

The Royal Rumble Match, always a highlight of the wrestling year, was the second marquee match of the night.

With a WrestleMania headline slot on the line in the storylines, the match mattered to each and every competitor and, much like the bloody brawl that preceded it, fans simply knew that this match was big time.

Former Euro-continental Champion D’Lo Brown and Too Cool member Grandmaster Sexay had the dubious honours of entering the 2000 Rumble Match at No. 1 and 2, respectively. After five minutes of by-the-numbers Battle Royal action that also featured the likes of Christian and Headbanger Mosh, the match kicked into life with the entrance of Rikishi Phatu at No. 5. Given the traditional big-man-that-shines role (made most famous by Kane in 2001), the popular Rikishi eliminated seven participants, including the gargantuan heel Viscera, over the course of his 15-minute stay in the match.

The highlight of Rikishi’s display, however, came alongside his Too Cool stablemates Grand Master Sexay and Scotty Too Hotty. After clearing the ring, the faux hip-hop trio began their trademark lights-down, sunglasses-on dance routine that elicited mass cheers from the New York audience, until the segment came to an abrupt end. In an act that planted the most embryonic of seeds for his heel turn and headline run opposite The Rock and Steve Austin in the winter months of 2000, Rikishi turned on his friends and threw them out of the match.

With Rikishi being joined by the likes of Test, Big Boss Man and the British Bulldog (three performers that, sadly, have since passed away), the ring was starting to fill up when former two-time WWF Champion and Connecticut Congress candidate Bob Backlund made a cameo appearance at No. 14. Eliminated two minutes later by Chris Jericho, Backlund made his way to the back through the crowd as Crash Holly and Chyna, the company’s first ever female Rumble entrant, made their way to the ring.

What is worth noting about this Royal Rumble match is the fact that the World Wrestling Federation of January 2000 had enough talent on their hands to book several run-in moments to add an extra layer of chaos to events. The (almost numerous) interferences from the Kaientai duo of Taka Michinoku and Sho Funaki were entertaining if only for the former’s face-first crash landing on the ringside mats, and the Acolytes-targeted attacks from Shane McMahon’s Mean Street Posse served a satisfying purpose.

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The Rock, having guaranteed victory in an animated promo earlier in the night, entered at No. 24, and immediately eliminated the abhorred Boss Man. The other odds-on favourites emerged towards the latter stages of the bout, starting with the entrance of the Big Show at No. 26, followed by Kane at 28 and X-Pac in the precious No. 30 slot.

Enforcing their dominance instantly, The Rock, Big Show, Kane and X-Pac eliminated a combined total of nine men on the way to becoming the illustrious final four, guaranteeing a WrestleMania title shot for one of the four. In a perfectly executed spot, The Rock reversed a spinning heel-kick and threw X-Pac over the top rope, but with the referees distracted by the ringside fracas involving Kane and the New Age Outlaws, the DX member was able to slither back into the ring undetected and continue, a la Steve Austin in 1997. This led to the unjust elimination of Kane, and it was down to three.

Unfortunately for the McMahon-Helmsley faction’s hired gun, the Big Show made short work of X-Pac, hurling him out of the ring with ease after no-selling a Bronco Buster. With only one man left to dispose of, the giant seemed destined to headline only his second WrestleMania as a WWF employee. After reversing The Rock into a devastating Chokeslam, the Big Nasty Bastard, as he was known in the pre-PG era, surveyed his surroundings, and decided the section of the ring opposite the entranceway was just the place to throw the adversary out to.

Hoisting him high above his head, the Big Show edged The Rock over the top rope. In an ingenious move that would alter the outcome of the bout, the Great One clutched onto the top rope and shifted his weight to allow the momentum to carry his opponent out of the ring. The Big Show, an almost sure-fire winner, had effectively eliminated himself from the match and The Rock, as he had guaran-damn-teed it in the weeks before, was heading to WrestleMania.

Certain moments come to define certain careers.

Although other occasions, like his 2002 epic with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in Toronto, spring to mind quicker than his Royal Rumble victory, the image of a victorious People’s Champion standing on the turnbuckles at Madison Square Garden, looking towards a headlining role at WrestleMania, must be remembered as a definitive symbol of The Rock’s first run at the top.

Rumbling On

Incredibly, the aftermath of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was as hectic as its main event, and led directly into what should have been the biggest WWF event in history, WrestleMania 2000.

Regrettably, the WWF and its creative team, as eager as ever to throw fans off the scent of a possible match or storyline, made a mess of their booking decisions, and the main angles heading into the year’s most important show become one amalgamated blur.

Firstly, following the stopgap No Way Out event in February, Mick Foley emerged from his month-long retirement at the behest of Linda McMahon to challenge Triple H once again, while the Big Show, angry at the calamitous manner of his Royal Rumble elimination, had defeated The Rock with the aid of Shane McMahon to stake a claim at a WrestleMania title opportunity.

Undoubtedly, a WWF Championship match between Triple H and The Rock was the logical WrestleMania main event, and was a showdown the fans were clamouring to see. However, with three men now holding considerable reasons, both on and off screen, to headline the Show of Shows against the champion, a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match was booked for the event a mere seven days in advance, with the inevitable involvement of the feuding McMahon family.

In the wake of Triple H’s shock victory in California, becoming the first heel in WrestleMania history to walk out of the event as the heavyweight champion, the WWF spent most of the following months engaging in a singles program between Helmsley and The Rock, a series that took in several entertaining moments such as the latter’s title win at Backlash in April and the much-anticipated returns of both Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker.

Much of the next year was spent establishing Austin and The Rock as the top WWF babyfaces and, following the conclusion of the continuing hit-and-run angle (it was, as expected, Triple H who masterminded the attack) and a brief run with Kurt Angle as champion, the two were set to collide for the WWF Championship. Their titanic headline encounter at 2001’s WrestleMania X-Seven, an event widely regarded to be the greatest WWF super-show ever staged, and Austin’s subsequent heel turn, were incredible pieces of storytelling and remain pivotal moments in the history of the pro wrestling industry to this day.

While the 2000 Royal Rumble represented a success for the World Wrestling Federation in the ring, it also holds weight as a significant event in the fate of the entire business.

The pay-per-view, a financial success earning a mammoth 590,000 buys (via The Coli), marked the beginning of professional wrestling’s last great run as a valuable entity in the mainstream American entertainment market. The crossover success of the event’s main star, The Rock, led to the WWF being featured as a legitimate alternative to the likes of the NFL and NBA. High-profile slots on Saturday Night Live and in the pages of such publications as USA Today served to further drive home the fact that the WWF had the it factor at the turn of the millennium.

Sadly, and somewhat inevitably, the run could not last, as the audience of 2014 know only too well. The deaths of WCW and ECW represented a lack of competition to drive the WWF forward and, coupled with the departures of The Rock to Hollywood and Steve Austin to retirement, led to an eventual downturn of interest in the product as a whole. As is well documented amongst even the most casual of wrestling journalist online, today’s professional wrestling is simply not as popular as it was in 2000.

This, however, is somewhat inconsequential for the long-time fan, as the fact that a WWE pay-per-view was once headlined by a still-mobile Mick Foley having his face driven into thousands of thumbtacks is a most-welcome reminder of the glory days of the Attitude Era and, in many ways, a symbol of youth. The 18-to-30 demographic that was once so coveted by Vince McMahon and Co. have grown up and, despite today’s programming being borderline insulting to older fans, memories of a cool, contemporary and, above all, relevant World Wrestling Federation are cherished now more than ever.

Today, professional wrestling is a completely different animal to what it was back in 2000. As a whole, the fans have accepted that. But one event that has, and always will, channel the spirit of the magical Attitude Era, is the Royal Rumble.

Thank you for reading!

What are your memories of the 2000 Royal Rumble pay-per-view? Comments welcome below and on Twitter: @matthewtsquires

Matt Squires is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and covers other sports for websites such as This Is Futbol. For more on Matt, please visit his personal website Matthew T Squires.