Kurt Angle Kisses Stephanie McMahon – WWE SmackDown 8/24/00 Review

Kurt Angle dismisses the EMTs from Stephanie McMahon’s room, tells her he really cares for her, and kisses her to close the show. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani break down the August 24, 2000 edition of WWF SmackDown, the final episode before SummerSlam 2000, live from the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The whole episode builds around one question: will Stephanie pick Triple H or Kurt Angle as her mixed tag partner? The McMahon family love triangle is at full boil, and the final two minutes of the show are, as Tommy puts it, maybe the most melodramatic moment in WWE history.

Chris Jericho rolls out a Benoit photoshop promo that Tommy and Rob agree is well below the level of their blood feud, complete with Dr. Seuss rhymes. Benoit fires back with his own “picture.” In the Tazz/Lawler saga, Tazz spray-paints Lawler’s rental car, smashes the window, and finds J.R. in the passenger seat.

Other major discussion points include:

– Rikishi moons Right to Censor, wins his match against the Goodfather, and teases Stevie Richards with the stink face before Bull Buchanan pulls him out at the last second to save the heat for SummerSlam

– The six-person tag (Trish/Val/Test vs Chyna, Eddie Guerrero, and Steve Blackman) ends when Val’s nunchuck attack on Blackman backfires and takes out Test instead

– Kurt Angle pitches himself as Stephanie’s partner backstage, promising the match won’t last more than three minutes. Triple H then storms out when Stephanie suggests Angle made good points about the hothead thing, proving the critique in real time

– Road Dogg and X-Pac lose a handicap match to Undertaker in what Tommy and Rob call the least heated angle heading into SummerSlam

– A full breakdown of the SummerSlam 2000 card

– The WWF’s SmackDown Your Vote campaign, a partnership with MTV’s Rock the Vote driven by the looming threat of censorship from the Parent Television Council

—

Just announced!

Rob and Tommy announce the launch of their brand new Patreon featuring watch-alongs for classic matches.

The first watch along includes Rock vs Hogan and Buddy Rogers vs. Pat O’Connor.

Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera

—

00:00 Intro

03:29 Stephanie Demands a Rematch

09:37 Backstage: Triple H Proves Angle Right About the Hothead Thing

10:29 Rikishi Moons Right to Censor

15:17 Eddie Guerrero & Chyna Backstage

21:47 Trish Stratus & Val Venis vs Chyna, Eddie Guerrero & Steve Blackman

27:32 Backstage: Kurt Angle Pitches Himself as Stephanie’s Partner

29:26 Tazz Spray-Paints Lawler’s Rental Car

34:47 Chris Jericho’s Terrible Benoit Photoshops

39:12 Benoit Responds with His Own “Picture”

42:13 DX vs Undertaker (Handicap Match) / The Slow-Burn Breakup That Isn’t Working

44:06 Triple H Storms Out on Stephanie / SmackDown Your Vote

46:34 Saturn vs Al Snow / The Thong Stinkface Match Is Set for SummerSlam

48:55 Jericho & Hardies vs Benoit & Edge & Christian

51:01 Triple H Confronts Angle Backstage / The Rock’s Big Easy Promo

53:03 Main Event: The Rock & Lita vs Kurt Angle & Stephanie McMahon

55:33 Epilogue: Kurt Angle Kisses Stephanie McMahon to End the Show

56:34 Analysis: Is This the Best SummerSlam Go-Home Angle Ever?

1:02:29 The SummerSlam 2000 Card Is Set