[2000-07-13-WWF-Smackdown] HHH vs The Undertaker (No Holds Barred)

[soup23]

We start with a HHH promo. He is using SmackDown to kind of reiterate the big happenings of Raw. Nothing earth shattering, but nothing awful either. The sledgehammer is being emphasized more. The match proper is fine with the biggest heat spot coming from Steph grabbing Taker's hair and him stalking after her. Angle runs in as a receipt for what happened earlier in the show but he whacks Taker with the sledgehammer making it ambiguous as to who exactly he was aiming for. HHH gets the win. *3/4

[GSR]

Triple H says that it’s no secret he and Mick Foley have never got on, now, even when he’s 10,000 miles away, he’s still trying to screw with him and tonight has booked him in a ‘no disqualification’ match against the Undertaker. He’s always been one step ahead of him though, it didn’t matter if he was Mankind, Dude Love or Cactus Jack, he always came out on top. Now, after he’s retired him, Mick Foley’s still trying to screw him over, but he remains one step ahead and proved that on Monday night. ‘The Game’ recaps what they did to Chris Jericho on Raw and explains how it was all an elaborate plot right from the start. He goes on to say that was only the beginning and if Chris Jericho makes it to Fully Loaded, he’ll finish what he started. In regards to his match with the Undertaker, he warns him that if you screw with him you end up in an ambulance, and backs that up with clips of it happening to Y2J on Raw.

 

HHH tries to sneak attack the Undertaker but he sees him coming and gets in the first shots. A big clothesline, Taker drops an elbow and Triple H kicks out of the cover at two. ‘The Game’ ducks under a swinging arm, countering whatever Taker had planned with a neckbreaker. He doesn’t stay in control for long though, running into a big boot after Taker reversed an Irish whip. The ‘Last Ride’ is signalled for, but Triple H rolls under the bottom rope and takes off in the direction of the dressing room. Taker sets off after him and brings him back to ringside where he slams his head into the ring steps. As he chokes Hunter on the commentary table, Steph pulls him by the hair trying to get him to stop. Taker turns and snatches her around the throat, but before he’s able to lay a hand on her HHH is back to his feet. He decks ‘the Game’ and returns to stalking Steph. Again though Triple H comes to his wife’s protection, this time jabbing Taker in the ribs and then cracking him over the back with a steel chair. The two trade blows with Taker eventually getting the upper hand. Powerslam for a super close near fall. HHH counters the backdrop with a facebuster, goes for the pedigree but Taker counters that. Kurt Angle is out; he picks up the sledgehammer and swings it at Triple H as Taker has him up for the chokeslam. ‘The Game’ falls to the mat though and he connects with the Undertaker instead. Kurt’s face and reaction says it all as its clear the shot was meant for HHH. Hunter makes the cover, getting the three, and he’s helped out of there by Stephanie.