Tales from the Attitude Era

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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 Open0:00:27 Welcome / SmackDown 10/12/000:02:10 Staples Center / WWF Scaling Up / XFL Distractions0:05:02 PMFG Fantasy Books the Reveal0:10:22 Kurt Angle as the Best Option for the Driver0:16:49 Episode Overview0:19:55 Dudleys vs Low Down / Conquistadors Debut at Commentary0:22:38 The Rock Sitdown Interview with JR0:27:18 Eddie Attacks Billy Gunn With a Tire Iron0:29:19 X-Pac vs Eddie vs Jericho (IC Title Triple Threat)0:32:08 Austin in Garage / Cops Show Up0:32:40 Angle Recruits Right to Censor / Val Venis vs Rock Booked0:34:27 Al Snow (Hong Kong) vs Albert / Regal on Commentary0:36:36 Jim Ross Pleads With Austin0:39:28 Triple H & Road Dog vs Benoit & Saturn0:43:25 Triple H / Stephanie Backstage0:44:13 Foley to Ring / Austin Agrees to No Mercy0:49:49 Hardys vs Raven & Taz (Tag Title Match)0:53:12 Stephanie Announces She Is in Angle's Corner Permanently0:53:36 Kurt Angle vs Kane0:56:01 Austin Confronts Too Cool / Clocks Grandmaster Sexay0:57:31 Rock vs Val Venis (Main Event)1:00:06 Angle & Stephanie Stand Tall After the Match1:00:45 Stephanie as Head Writer / Russo WCW Discussion1:07:57 Patreon / Sign-Off

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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 valets0:00:00 Cold Open0:00:28 Welcome / RAW 10/9/000:01:49 Austin Hit-and-Run Origins / Everyone Pitched to Be the Driver0:07:13 Sunday Night Heat Promotion / Marketing Missed Opportunity0:08:42 Ratings / Anaheim / WrestleMania 2000 Arena0:14:08 Risk-Averse Booking / The Machine Growing0:18:10 Foley Opens to Mixed Reaction0:19:13 Main Event Booked / Jericho & Triple H vs X-Pac & Benoit0:21:08 Shawn Michaels Brought In / Points to The Rock0:25:00 Lita vs Jackie (Hardcore Title)0:27:17 Chyna & Deborah Backstage0:29:50 Deborah Interrogated by Foley0:32:17 Triple H / Stephanie Backstage0:35:43 Linda McMahon Limo Arrives0:36:35 Raven vs Blackman / Lillian Garcia Botch0:41:40 Linda McMahon Interrogated0:46:18 X-Pac & Benoit vs Triple H & Jericho0:49:15 Triple H Demands Benoit at No Mercy / Edge & Christian0:50:01 Hardys vs Low Down / Conquistadors Debut0:51:13 Al Snow (Greece/Grease) / Regal on Commentary0:55:33 Eddie & China / GTV Shower Reveal1:01:42 Michael Clark Duncan / Vince's Definition of Huge1:03:20 Crash Holly / Scotty Too Hotty Interrogations1:04:51 China Breaks Off Engagement / Billy Gunn1:07:48 Main Event: Rock & Rikishi vs Angle & Kane1:08:45 Rikishi Reveal / "I Did It for The Rock"1:17:22 Listener Mail / Rikishi Quote / Meltzer

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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 Open0:00:30 Welcome / SmackDown 10/5/000:01:45 Writing Staff / Creative Pendulum Discussion0:06:42 Austin Fallout / Show Overview0:08:22 Hardys & Lita vs Low Down & Jacky0:18:05 Foley Backstage / William Regal Debuts0:26:11 Foley Checks Limo / SmackDown Your Vote0:28:13 RTC vs APA & Eddie Guerrero0:31:14 Stephanie / Triple H Backstage0:34:03 Taz / Raven Promo0:36:30 Taz & Raven vs Dudley Boys0:40:02 Austin Arrives / Foley Flips Table0:42:03 Foley Confronts Austin0:48:39 Angle Promo / Edge & Christian vs Rikishi & Too Cool0:52:44 Stephanie / Triple H Part 20:55:40 Blackman vs Albert (Hardcore Title)0:58:03 Angle Approaches Stephanie1:00:17 Benoit vs Jericho / Triple H Runs In1:03:31 Kane Backstage / Rock vs Kane (Main Event)1:05:48 Rikishi Foreshadowing / Austin Reveal Discussion1:16:05 Patreon / Sign-Off

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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 ultimatumChapter Marks0:00:00 Cold Open0:00:27 Welcome / RAW 10/2/000:02:09 Attitude Era Fizzling / WCW Context0:08:41 TNN Ratings / Show Overview0:11:08 Dennis Dunn Tribute / Kevin Dunn0:12:20 Rock Opens RAW / Wrestling vs Talking0:15:31 Rock's Marion Barry Promo0:17:25 Angle Responds / Be Like Kurt0:20:10 Foley / Triple H / The Variety Hour0:25:17 Benoit / Kane / Rikishi / Tag Match Booked0:33:32 Hardys vs Too Cool0:35:36 Foley / Edge & Christian / Hardcore Title0:36:17 Taz & Raven & X-Pac vs Jericho & Dudleys0:41:43 Lita vs Jacqueline Backstage Brawl0:43:10 Rob Loses Patience With Foley0:44:36 Rock & Rikishi vs Benoit & Kane0:45:53 Foley's Ultimatum / Billy Gunn Prime Suspect0:49:12 Edge & Christian vs Blackman (Hardcore)0:52:32 Brooklyn Brawler / Austin Stuns Everyone0:54:52 Austin Stuns Foley0:58:52 SmackDown Your Vote / Capitol Hill Rally1:00:12 Triple H vs Angle (Main Event)1:02:24 Triple H Turns Back on Stephanie1:05:08 Patreon / Sign-Off

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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 100,000Chapter Marks00:00 Cold Open00:28 Welcome / Milwaukee / SmackDown 9/21/200001:55 Show Overview03:06 Opening Segment / Who Ran Over Austin?06:39 Triple H Defends Himself / Gay Panic Analysis09:08 Angle / Xpac Accuses Jericho / Stephanie Blamed11:32 Undertaker Arrives / Brawl14:18 Val Venis vs Scotty 2 Hotty17:20 Backstage: Triple H / Greg Luganis Jokes22:48 Hardys Promo / E&C Dark Room24:19 Al Snow (Spain) vs Steve Blackman27:54 Austin Up Next / SmackDown Your Vote32:34 Austin Pre-Tape33:23 Shane McMahon Returns35:09 Triple H Catches Stephanie in a Lie37:32 Jericho and Lawler vs Xpac and Tazz39:42 Chyna Confronts Eddie Backstage40:41 Eddie's Apology / Chyna's Playboy Cover44:16 Eddie Proposes / Chyna Says Yes48:10 Acolytes / RTC / Too Cool Dancing49:41 Main Event52:07 Gay Panic Spot / Undertaker's Motorcycle53:31 Angle Slam and Sledgehammer54:11 Angle Kisses Stephanie / "Who's Crying Now?"57:10 Final Thoughts / Patreon59:11 Sign-Off

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/talesfromtheattitudeeraOther 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 reasonChapter 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