[2000-08-17-WWF-Smackdown] HHH vs The Rock

[soup23]

We get the McMahon extended family reconciliation with them leading right up to and eventually having HHH and Angle shake hands with each other. Foley comes out and shows clips of the kiss from Angle to Steph on Monday. Foley also announces that Rock will face one of them in the ring tonight. Backstage HHH and Angle are bickering and Shane tells Steph they should discuss it. Shane comes back with the solution that he will face Rock to keep the family in harmony. Steph comes back to Shane and offers up herself to face Rock. She hypothesizes that it would be champion vs. champion. Shane comes back with HHH/Angle and puts the kibosh on Steph facing The Rock and says HHH will be doing it. Angle brings up the stuff from Monday and storms out leaving the building. Steph chases him down and says that Kurt fits and belongs. Steph brings up the three I’s but Kurt says he is not wanted and leaves. Foley comes out before the match and says that Steph and Shane are banned from ringside but he sets up Steph vs Lita and Shane vs Steve Blackmon for Monday night. The match itself is a greatest hits version but good an entergetic. The finish continues the theme of Angle/HHH working together as Kurt returns and lays out Rock allowing HHH to get the pedigree and the pin. At the end of the show, HHH and Angle raise each others hand on the entranceway. **1/2

[AstroBoy]

Rock and HHH have fine chemistry and enough familiarity to work a concise and effective match in this role. They don't blow through anything and it's nothing to remember but it's fine and leads them to the eventual ending with Angle and HHH standing tall to pose a serious serious threat to Rock leading into Summerslam. Fine match. Good booking.

 

**1/4