[2000-09-18-WWF-Raw] HHH & Kurt Angle & Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley vs Test & Albert & Trish Stratus

[soup23]

Stephanie comes out for her promo that she does every once in a while and she is still a fresh enough character that it isn’t stale yet. The heat from Chicago is great and she calls out Foley to cancel the Unforgiven match between Angle and HHH. Angle comes out instead and has provided a video package showing HHH being violent to Steph. Angle tells Steph that HHH is the biggest piece of trash human he has ever seen. HHH comes out and then gives a long reasoning on how Kurt has annoyed him. The punchline ends with HHH hypothesizing that Angle is a woman. Foley comes out and says the match is a go for the PPV and he sets up a six person tag for tonight with T&A/Trish vs Angle/HHH/Steph. Backstage, HHH says he is going to have to work with Angle he guesses. Steph is mad that she was never given a rematch for the title. Angle barges in and says he will protect Steph and asks HHH to go a week without hitting his wife. HHH gets a line in to go a week without hitting on him to a big laugh from the Chicago crowd.

 

The match itself is fun for the five minutes it lasted. I think T&A were amped up to be in this position as both display some good double team moves. The dynamic with all being heels is unique and gives the fans a chance to decide who to cheer for. Trish attacking Steph gets a cheer for instance but Steph pinning Test does as well after the pedigree. Angle gives Steph a big congratulatory hug for the victory and HHH responds by beating up Angle. They have built the match up well, now lets see if it delivers. *3/4

[AstroBoy]

See I actually think that Angle/Triple H had lost some steam by this point. It just seemed there was very little left they could do to escalate the story without crossing some certain lines.

 

The match is fine and one thing I love about WWF at this time is their ability to intermingle their midcard with upper card to solid results like this. Trish is getting a bit of a chance to break out and that's on display here. Test and Albert did pretty well here in spite of their blandness and this was fine in leading up to the Unforgiven match between Angle/Triple H.

 

*

[GSR]

When Stephanie says that she has come out to put an end to something that she should’ve put an end to a long time ago, Jerry Lawler quips to JR “she’s not going to fire you is she?”  She knows that she is a special woman and that men have been vying for her affection all her life, but what’s going on now between her husband, HHH, and her good friend, Kurt Angle, has gone too far and wants Commissioner Foley to come out here and cancel their match at Unforgiven.  No Mick Foley but Kurt Angle, who tells her that the match has to take place because if he doesn’t teach Triple H a lesson while he has the opportunity, she is going to end up a lot unhappier than she is at the moment.  He then shows her a video of Hunter’s conduct over the past few months, from being caught in compromising positions with Trish Stratus and Chyna, to ‘accidentally’ hitting her on more than one occasion.  That brings out Triple H who thinks that maybe he got Kurt Angle wrong, childishly implying that because he only wants to be ‘friends’ with a hot woman like Stephanie, because he only wants to hang out with her, that he therefore must be gay.  Brilliant!  Foley joins them and he too gets in digs at Kurt’s expense.  He informs Stephanie that the match at Unforgiven will take place, but they’re not going to tear each other apart tonight because he’s ordering a six person tag between the three of them and Test, Albert and Trish Stratus.

Triple H is still at it with the ‘mind games’ as JR calls it; flouncing and mincing over to tag in Kurt and then mocking him when he grabs Test from behind.  Jerry Lawler joins the fun, claiming that a couple of weeks ago he witnessed Angle playing a Village People CD.  A nice modern reference there from ‘the King’!  Belly to back suplex, but Kurt has still got HHH in his head and instead of continuing the attack on Test goes to have words with his partner.    When he turns back around he walks right into an Albert clothesline.  Double underhook suplex.  Gut wrench powerbomb by Test.  Kurt escapes the pumphandle and hits a DDT.  An enthusiastic Stephanie and Hunter both want the tag and even though Angle tags Steph, Triple H takes her place blindsiding Test.  Neckbreaker, facebuster and Albert breaks up the pin by pulling HHH under the bottom rope to the outside.  Stephanie slaps Test and he responds by palming her backwards into the turnbuckles.  Trish with a bulldog, Test heads upstairs, but before he can land the top rope elbow Triple H gives him a shove causing him to lose his balance.  ‘Pedigree’ on Test and for the ultimate humiliation HHH puts Stephanie on top to get the three.  Kurt gives her a hug to celebrate the win and on seeing him doing so Hunter loses it.  The two eventually separated and kept apart by a bunch of referees.