With Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle airing tonight, I've prepared a look back at the Torch Newsletter in-depth coverage of the The Rock vs. Triple H "Iron Man" 60 minute match from Judgment Day 2000. The following are excerpts of several articles from that week's newsletter providing a number of perspectives analyzing the match.

-Wade Keller, editor

Torch Newsletter Archive
Originally published: Pro Wrestling Torch Weekly newsletter #382
Judgment Day PPV - May 21, 2000
Cover dated: April 6, 1996

COVER STORY by Wade Keller, editor

Headline: Triple H beats Rock in 60 minute main event

Subheadline: They ran 30 seconds behind so finish didn't go as planned, but the improvised finish worked well enough

Triple H defeated Rock to capture the WWF Title in a historic 60 minute Iron Man match. The headline match at the May 21 Judgment Day PPV lived up to or surpassed expectations, although the finish did not go as planned.

At the 60 minute mark, Undertaker had just chokeslammed Triple H. Special ref Shawn Michaels, who was knocked out at ringside, got up just in time to see the chokeslam. The bell rang signifying the end of the 60 minute time-limit, but Michaels ruled that Undertaker's interference constituted a DQ of Rock. The falls were even until the DQ, so Triple H was awarded the match and the title.

The finish was supposed to come about 30 or 40 seconds later, but they ran short on time. Part of the timing problem came when Triple H had the wind knocked out of him on the chokeslam onto the announcing table. He was late getting up and that set back the timeline of planned events.

In the last minute Undertaker was supposed to set up Triple H for the tombstone. Michaels at that point was supposed to enter the ring and plead with Undertaker not to do it or he would have to DQ Rock. Undertaker would do it anyway, so Michaels would call for the bell. Meanwhile, Rock would crawl back into the picture and drape an arm over the KO'd Triple H, but the bell would ring just as Michaels began to count the pinfall.

Because they ran short on time, everybody had to improvise. Michaels, whose earpiece wasn't working, was instructed to go ahead and call for the DQ even though the spot where he tried to talk Undertaker out of the tombstone didn't take place. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler had to improvise their commentary and explain that Michaels did indeed see Undertaker's chokeslam and that the chokeslam happened before the bell, therefore Triple H was the winner by DQ.

The crowd was into the match from start to finish. It was a huge challenge to pull off a 60 minute match in any era, but especially today when fans have become used to three minute TV matches. Triple H booked the match almost single-handedly and called the action during the match. Rock contributed some ideas, but for the most part Triple H worked closely with Jack Lanza on the structure, pacing, and content of the match. Pat Patterson was not involved in the booking of the match. In fact, he missed the PPV entirely since he was on his way to Montreal to spend time with his family for a long-planned vacation.

Everyone was pleased with the match afterward, and there was a combination of regret and acceptance that the finish was mistimed. The finish would have gone off as planned had Undertaker been sent to the ring 30 seconds earlier.

Even though the match was outlined in great detail beforehand, there was quite a bit of improvising during the match. In fact, although Rock is being largely praised for carrying his end of the match well, he came out of the match with more negative heat on him than at any time in recent months. Rock showed up late at the arena that day (although he has a rep for being late, and he wasn't "later than usual" for him). After not having a lot of input on the planning of the match, he did a lot of second guessing of what was planned that afternoon and even during the match. There was a mistimed spot or two caused by Rock calling audibles or vetoing Triple H's calling of spots. He probably could have helped the finish of the match had he had the wisdom, realizing they were running short on time, to more quickly go through his signature spots.

The feeling within the WWF right now is that Rock has a lot of distractions and so many outside demands on his time that he isn't applying himself to his on-air WWF work as much as he should be. Rock's role model is Steve Austin, and some believe it would help Rock if Austin were around to advise him on dealing with so many mainstream pressures. Lanza pulled Rock aside to chat about some of the above issues. Because of what happened at the PPV and at Raw and Nitro afterward, Undertaker is already expressing leeriness about what it's going to be like working with Rock.

In defense of Rock, he wasn't even consulted when the 60 minute format was booked. He was overseas filming his role in "Mummy 2" when Vince McMahon decided to book an Iron Man match. Rock didn't put up a fuss about the format and got himself in great shape for the match. Vince was criticized by some internally for booking Rock in a 60 minute match since they feared it would "expose" Rock's shortcomings. In a way, it did (Rock had to have some basic spots explained to him backstage before the match because he had never done them before), but Rock showed that his shortcomings aren't great enough to overcome his strengths.

Rock got winded about half–way through, but got a second wind and carried his end of the match very well. Triple H has no memory of certain segments of the match. He was exhausted during the match, especially since he took more bumps and harder bumps than Rock throughout the majority of the match. In the last three minutes, both turned it into a higher gear.

Michaels also left the match with some negative heat, which is no surprise. Michaels also showed up late at the arena that afternoon, claiming he missed his flight because he forgot to bring his driver's license to the airport and had to return home to get it. When he finally did arrive, he didn't seem to be as clear-headed as the WWF had hoped. He didn't like the earpiece referees wear, so he pulled it out during the match (it may not have been working perfectly). It would have helped to have the earpiece in since in the final three minutes, everybody in the back as screaming for the wrestlers to speed up the pacing of the finishing sequence. Michaels could have helped send that message had he been wearing the earpiece. Also, Michaels was in the wrong spot initially when he was supposed to bump off the apron at the end of the match.

Before the match, he mentioned aloud that he could step back in the ring without much prep time and wrestle a 60 minute match given the current WWF style. Within ten minutes after the event, Michaels bad-mouthed the match, saying that it wasn't everything it could have been. Michaels blamed some missteps on Rock trying to change spots in mid-stream in the match.

The WWF did everything it could at the PPV and at Raw and Smackdown the next two days to shift the heat away from Michaels making a "controversial call" in the main event to put heat on the wrestlers involved in the match. Michaels is not going to be an integral part of the storyline from here on out. The focus of the storyline now is going to be Vince McMahon trying to drive a wedge between Rock and Undertaker because Taker carelessly cost Rock the title at the PPV.

The commentary by Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler was well-received. Lawler played as straight of a role as he ever has in calling the match. They even threw a change–up in the announcing formula at the end as Ross sided with the decision that favored Triple H and Lawler openly questioned it. That was Ross's idea. Ross also encouraged Lawler to be more serious than usual during the match.

Despite the backstage problems, they delivered a memorable runaway match of the year candidate and reintroduced a major character at the end.

***

KELLER'S MATCH ANALYSIS

(6) Triple H defeated The Rock six falls to five to capture the WWF Title in a 60 minute Iron Man match. Before the match, Triple H sent the McMahons to the back. The match build slowly for ten minutes, but Rock then hit the Rock Bottom out of nowhere for a quick pin. Rock remained on offense for several minutes including applying a figure–four. Triple H surprised Rock with a Pedigree at 25:30 to even the score 1-1. Triple H soon scored another fall with a small package. At the halfway point, both seemed extremely tired. They brawled up the rampway and back. Triple H hit a facebuster and a piledriver for a pin to go up 3-1 at 32:25. Triple H applied a sleeper, but Michaels caught Triple H using the ropes for leverage and broke the hold. At 40:35 Rock hit a DDT and scored a pin to cut Triple H's lead to 3–2. At 44:00, Triple H used a chair on Rock. Michaels called for the DQ, establishing that he would calls rules strictly. Triple H, though, quickly covered the KO'd Rock to go back ahead 4–3. Rock began to bleed. Triple H went to a sleeper and scored a submission win to go up 5-3 at 47:35. Rock came back with a superplex at 52:00 for a two count. With five minutes left, Rock blocked Triple H's Pedigree attempt on the announcers table and smashed Triple H into it with a Rock Bottom. The table didn't break and Triple H was slow in getting up. Rock rolled into the ring and Triple H was counted out, making the score 5–4 with four minutes left. Triple H came up bleeding. At 56:30, the McMahons came back out. Rock knocked both Shane and Vince off the apron, then hit a spinebuster and People's Elbow on Triple H for a three-count to tie the score 5–5. Shane pulled Michaels out of the ring, but Michaels nailed Vince and Shane. Dogg and X-Pac hit the ring and beat on Rock. Undertaker then came out on a motorcycle and cleared the ring with chokeslams. The crowd went nuts. Undertaker chokeslammed Triple H. Michaels looked at the ring just as time expired and saw Undertaker chokeslam Triple H. He awarded Triple H a DQ fall, thus Triple H won. A brilliantly booked, well-executed, superbly paced match. (****3/4).

***

TORCH STAFF PPV ROUNDTABLE (excerpts)

Jason Powell, assistant editor (9.0): Rock and Triple H deserve praise for having the confidence in their abilities to work an Iron Man match at this point in their careers. Both, especially Rock, stood to lose a lot had the match not come off well. Given his popularity, it would have been understandable had Rock balked at the proposed match. By taking the match, both men proved their desire to be recognized as for their wrestling talents rather than as just being great performers. They delivered by working hard and keeping the crowd's interest throughout. The booking of the match was very good. While I could have done without the interference at the end of the match, the crowd's reaction to Undertaker only added to it. Only one week after Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn had a match of the year candidate, Rock and Triple H blew them out of the water.

Bruce Mitchell, columnist (8.0): (Which of course is higher than the 8.0 I gave Hardcore Heaven). This show was going to live or die on whether two good, if limited, workers with great personas could hold today's audience for 60 minutes. It was quite a risk since that could have been one looong, ugly hour. This was much more effectively booked, particularly with the multiple falls, than the Iron Man match with HBK and The Hitman. The match was good enough that there was plenty of heat for Brian Lee, I mean, Taker's long–awaited return. He was a burned–out character when he left, so it's going to be interesting to see how fresh he is this time. Michaels seems out of place and a little disinterested as just a supporting player.

Wade Keller, Torch editor (8.0): A thoroughly, consistently entertaining and diverse PPV event. Each of the six matches was distinct: A six-man match, a three-way match, a comedy match, a submissions match, a tables tag match, and an Iron Man match. Each match stood out as having its own role on the event, and nothing duplicated anything else. It will be difficult to top this event for Best Major Event honors. The WWF didn't have any lame–duck matches meant to fill time. The main event was a superb finish to the event. It kept my interest and obviously the interest of the crowd from start to finish.

***

END NOTES by Wade Keller, editor

Iron Man Match Thoughts: Last month I expressed disappointment that the WWF's top two wrestlers - Triple H and Rock - were never given an opportunity by the WWF to show off what they could do in a self–contained 15-20 minute match without a series of distractions and interference. I got my wish and then some. For the first 56 minutes on Sunday, Triple H and Rock were left to carry a match on their own without any outside help. I fully expected, going into the match, that at the 10 minute mark, somebody would come to ringside and interfere causing a schmoz for a minute or two. Then, at the 30 minute mark, someone else would come to the ring and interfere. At 45:00 I expected Undertaker to come out and get involved in the match, leading to a controversial finish. Instead, Rock and Triple H had 56 minutes to prove they are world class workers. They did that.

It would be impossible for two wrestlers' weaknesses not to be exposed when put in a position to fill 56 minutes on their own. But at the end of the match, I wasn't listing in my head the weaknesses of Rock and Triple H. I was amazed at how strong they both looked. To complain about them looking tired would be ridiculous. It is a one-hour match, and fatigue is expected - it's a logical part of the drama of the match. To say that they stalled early is also silly. Of course the two wrestlers involved built slowly. They knew they were going to wrestle an hour, so their strategy would logically include a more tentative, less aggressive start. Yet, every maneuver during the opening five minutes played into the mindgames each wrestler was trying to play on the other. The intensity on the faces and the emoting of emotions were intense and believable. As a viewer, I empathized with both wrestlers since I knew they were nervous about having to go 60 minutes. That made me more emotionally involved in a match both from a storyline perspective and a real life perspective than I have been in a long time.

The falls that Triple H booked for the match were well–timed and diverse. Having Rock go ahead at first made the match better. Had Rock been climbing from behind the entire 60 minutes, it would have gotten old. By having Rock have a lead for the first 25 minutes, his climb from behind for the next 35 minutes was fresher.

The falls were believable and innovative. Every fall was different, and just about every conceivable finish was utilized: Rock won by pinfall after using his finisher, Triple H won by pinfall after his finisher, Triple H won with a small package, Triple H scored a straight pin, Rock scored a straight pin, Rock won by DQ after use of a chair, Triple H scored a pin with feet on the ropes, Triple H won by submission, Rock won by submission, Rock scored a pin after his finisher. Triple H won by DQ due to outside interference.

The match didn't insult viewers' intelligence. Triple H didn't cheat to get every pinfall. He is a heel who is good enough to hang with the top babyface, but is willing to cheat to gain that extra edge. He gains fans' respect, but relies on shortcuts enough to infuriate them.

I loved that one chairshot was so influential in turning the tide of the match. Rock's selling of the one chairshot did a lot to repair the damage done when Mick Foley selfishly absorbed more than a dozen chairshots 18 months ago to get himself over.

I debated giving the match five stars, but I stopped short at four-and-three-quarters. To me, a four-star match is great. A three-star match is very good. Two stars is exactly average. One star is a disappointing or bad match with some redeeming qualities. A five-star match is not only great, but also historically significant and works to advance the style of wrestling. I gave Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon in the first ladder match five stars.

This match came close to five stars. It was historically significant because it broke from the formula and tested the top two wrestlers in the game. It showed guts to book the match. Their execution showed they had the skills to pull it off. The crowd was engaged from start to finish. The botched finish was the deciding factor in cutting it a quarter star short of five stars. The runaway match of the year.

Something to be excited about regarding this match is that these two are only going to get better. Neither utilize a ring style that is going to cut their careers short. Triple H could be a lead heel champion in the WWF for the next several years, and after his recent performances, I look forward to seeing the series of PPV main events he can deliver. For years, Triple H's ring style seemed sluggish. He couldn't seem to break out of it and turn his matches up another gear. Now he does. I hope this match is the start of a series of PPV main events where he and his opponents don't rely on the cheap and repetitive shortcut of brawling through a crowd to fill time. I hope there are more WWF PPV main events in the future where the wrestlers are allowed to carry the match themselves by drawing out the emotions of fans through their work in the ring, not through a series of ringside distractions.

***

READER REACTION

Rick Garcia, San Bruno, Calif: Best: Benoit vs. Jericho. Worst: Shane vs. Show. As I watched, I came to the realization that I really don't need to see the first 50 minutes of Rock vs. Triple H as the best part will always be last. After "Futurama" and a bit of "King of the Hill," I turned back to see what was totally expected, the biggest swerve in the PPV. Now, I expected the Undertaker to return, I even expected Shawn Michaels to do the deed, but come on. How surprising is it to see Rock lose the belt? Even though Undertaker was a bit late on his Tombstone, and Michaels didn't seem to mind that the time ran out, I at least would liked to have been a little more surprised. Note to Vinnie Mac: Stop giving the same main event at every PPV. Move on. I did. Viva Fox.

Clint Novak, Clinton Township, Mich. (9.0): Best: Rock vs. Triple H. Worst: Shane vs. Show. The WWF demonstrated why they are the number one company in wrestling. People, including myself, had doubts whether an Iron Man match could be pulled off with today's wrestling audience. The WWF demonstrated that it can be done. The match carried the audience for 60 minutes, had plenty of action, features submissions, brawling, countouts, interference, and more. Vince McMahon was able to put the "screw the Rock" twist on the match without using the overdone Montreal finish. The submission match demonstrated that Benoit and Jericho are the best pure wrestlers going today. The Radicalz three–way was well done, the table match set the crowd up well for the finale, and the opening match was entertaining. Shane McMahon showed he is a bump machine, and the Big Show prevented this PPV from being a perfect performance.

Rashon Brooks, Orange, N.J. (7.0): Just as I thought, the Iron Man match carried this PPV. The triple threat match was a little disappointing but everything else met or exceeded my expectations. The opening match had its moments. The submission match was great, around four stars. Big Show vs. Shane was more entertaining than expected even though I don't see what the purpose of jobbing Big Show to Shane is. At least the ending was believable. The table match was hot in the beginning, lost a little heat once the tables were brought in but weren't used, then went on to the decent finish. Up until this point, all of the matches except the Intercontinental match were unspectacular for a PPV. A bad main event would have made this PPV pretty mediocre. Fortunately, the Iron Man match was better than I thought. THe lack of run–ins until the end of the match was a relief. Undertaker's return was handled well. Way too much of Brisco and the McMahon family. Overall, a good, but not great PPV.

Brian Mazza, Courtland, N.Y. (): Best: Tie between Rock vs. Triple H, Benoit vs. Jericho. Worst: Big Show vs. Shane. The main event was booked very well and both guys really delivered. I thought this match was booked much better than the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels Iron Man match even though the wrestlers didn't have the athletic ability. Both wrestlers put on a great show and came through in the clutch. Neither wrestler seemed to be blown up afterward. A great return for the Undertaker. His new character is great and should make him much more over with the fans. It was a nice swerve to have Benoit win as it established him as a tough heel. Even Show vs. Shane was a decent match.

Rob Burns, Aberdeen, Wash (9.0): Best: Benoit vs. Jericho. Worst: None. From top to bottom, one of the best PPVs I've ever seen. Whenever Benoit and Jericho face off, they prove that the WWF will be around for a very long time. An excellent match with both getting good rub from one another for the future. Shane McMahon is crazy for taking all of the bumps he does. It was expected that he would get help during his match against Show. It's about time the Radicalz beat the crap out of each other. The Dudleys vs. DX match was good for the spots at the end. The six–man tag opener got the crowd going. If only Brian Christopher knew how to dance. The only things that kept me from giving the event a 10.0 was the slow, but expected beginning to the Iron Man match and the Undertaker's late arrival. It would have been perfect if Taker had cleared the ring with two minutes left to allow Triple H and Rock one final push to fight it out to the end. But that is nit–picking.

Rob Millstein, Ascot, England. (8.0)Best Match: Rock vs. Triple H. Worst Match: Eddie vs. Saturn vs. Malenko. This was a very good PPV, especially the underdcard matches. It is not often that I want to watch all of the undercards, but it was not a problem this time. It is only a matter of time before Kurt Angle follows in the same path as the Dudleys by turning face just because he is so over with the fans. It seems like the fans cheer for him until he starts to talk. I expected a little more to happen with the IC match, just because I was confused with the ending. Jericho didn't tap or anything and they called the match before J.R. or King said he passed out, oh well. The Iron Man match was very well done, I was not bored at all, and I was surprised to see how quickly the time went by. The Taker's return was very confusing for those who were watching on TV. We didnt see him until he was ringside. They should have let us see him when he was on the ramp. I was expecting the lights to go out, or at least to see his video or hear the music a little louder. He just kind of showed up. Granted, I am happy to see him back, but I was expecting more. Overall, this was a very entertaining PPV and I am happy to say that SKY Satelite did not edit this one.

M.W. Jergensen, Baltimore, Md. (8.0): Best: Benoit vs. Jericho. Worst: Dudleys vs. X–Pac & Road Dogg. Overall, a very solid PPV with focus placed on quality wrestling for a change. I was skeptical as most were about the Iron Man match, but with Ross and Lawler leading the way, it was better than expected. I still think that a guy like Rock who only does five moves shouldn't be put in this type of match because it exposes his weaknesses. I was glad to see Michaels teased the superkick but didn't go through with it. The Dudleys need to be put in a major feud for the tag titles. What happened to their rematch? Instead of facing the lame, tired team of Road Dogg and X–Pac, they should be moving up. If there were only a good manager around to put with Benoit so that he could become the next great heel. Whose idea was it to have Christian and Edge not speak for the first 15 months of their WWF tenures? They cut very funny promos along with jug blower, Kurt Angle. Even though Undertaker's return was predictable, I liked it, and wonder where he'll go next. A new Ministry? A tag team with Kane?

Neil DiCarlo (1.0): This score is coming from a WWF fan. The only part of the PPV that was worth $29.95 was Undertaker's appearance. I've never seen someone lifted as high off the ground as X–Pac was when Taker chokeslammed him. The Iron Man match was boring. Rock and Triple H should have watched tapes of Ric Flair du8ring his classic 60 minute matches. Maybe they would have learned something. The finish of the match was horrible. Hopefully Linda McMahon will reverse the decision on Raw.

Kevin Wilder, Des Moines, Ia. (9.0): Best: Rock vs. Triple H. Worst: Undecided. It's hard to pick a worst match as the only one that I could even consider (Show vs. Shane) featured great bumps from Shane McMahon which made me enjoy the match. Wow, the WWF has shown why matches are the most improtant thing. Everything seemed to fall in place with solid action throughout. Take notes, Russo. I have to admit, I marked out for the Undertaker and his "biker badass" look. It's his best gimmick to date and proves that he still has legs left. If the PPV's turn out to be better than Raw, it's fine by me. If I have to pay $30, I better feel like I'm seeing something special. This show delivered on that end.

Mark Kellaway, United Kingdom (9.0): Sensational. Rock and Triple H deserve all of our respect for doing the hour and doing it in style. Kudos to the booking team for Undertaker's return which has made a long–term feud seem fresh again. Solid action all the way through which showed why the WWF is on top of the mountain. I felt sorry for Perry Saturn who was the star of the ever so slightly disappointing three–way, but didn't get any reaction from the otherwise hot crowd. Well worth staying up into the early hours to watch. Damned time differences!

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