[2000-03-13-WWF-Raw] HHH & X-Pac & Road Dogg vs Rikishi & Too Cool

[soup23]

I continue to like the HHH vs. Rikishi feud and all the ancillary elements that allow HHH to have ring time on tv but not against any of the Mania opponents. The Worm is really getting over as one of the biggest moves in WWF and Rikishi had a better reaction here than the previous week which was just an off crowd. Another shoddy finish that was too similar to the European title match as this time X Pac uses the ring bell to hit Rikishi allowing HHH to get the pin. *1/2

[Loss]

This is a slightly remixed version of the DX theme between the original version and the Run-DMC version that I don't remember at all. Rikishi is still the most over active babyface in the company not named The Rock, which makes this a fun match. Scotty 2 Hotty messes up The Worm, which the crowd doesn't like at all.

[GSR]

Lilian Garcia announces the DX team as weighing 981lbs! They’ve got Stephanie and Tori accompanying them and I’m not sure all five of them weigh that much, let alone just the men! The Grandmaster gets the better of X-Pac in the opening exchanges and he tags out to see if the Road Dogg can do any better. High hip toss on him, the Dogg then ducks under a Too Cool double clothesline and a pair of left jabs for both as he starts to ‘juke and jive’. He goes for a double jab as the coup de grace, but the two of them block the shot, grab his hair and slam him backwards to the canvas. They drag the Dogg over to their corner and tag in Rikishi for the ‘stink face’, however he’s able to shoot between the big man’s legs before he has that almighty behind in his face. X-Pac and Road Dogg pinball for Rikishi, noggin knocker and now he takes a page out of the Dogg’s book with his dancing, and drops them both with stereo jabs. He makes out as though he’s going to give X-Pac a bronco buster, when ‘The Game’ enters the ring for the first time and Rikishi turns his attention to him. The big man telegraphs a backdrop though, facebuster and X-Pac with a spinning heel kick. The crowd try to rally behind Rikishi and it appears to work as he reverses the whip into the turnbuckles and then squashes the Dogg, ass first, in the corner. Bulldog by Scotty, although it looks like he forgets to finish off ‘the worm’ (he went and nailed Triple H and X-Pac after ‘the worm’ move, then just picks Road Dogg up) which doesn’t go down well with the ringsiders at all. Bodyslam and a legdrop off the top by the Grandmaster. He’d rather dance than make the cover though, and that gives X-Pac the chance to boot him in the stomach and hit the ‘X-Factor’. A clubbing right from Scotty sends X-Pac tumbling through the ropes to the floor, but HHH then lays him out with a neckbreaker. Rikishi with a belly to belly and a thrust kick. He climbs the turnbuckles for the ‘Banzai splash’, but as Stephanie distracts the official, X-Pac clobbers him over the head with the ring bell. Triple H gets an arm over him and DX come out on top.

 

Wasn’t expecting Rikishi to be the one to drop the fall. When watching I did think that maybe they should’ve given him a pin on Triple H, but with Wrestlemania around the corner, not the best of ideas. At least with a finish like that though it shouldn’t really do him any damage and does protect him.