Triple H, X-Pac, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn vs Cactus Jack, The Rock, Rikishi & Too Cool (WWF, 2-7-2000)

WWF RAW Is WAR, Dallas, TX

This is a requested review. This match came about because Cactus Jack, then hot on the heels of WWF champion Triple H, helped bring The Radicalz (Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, and Saturn) into the WWF, only for them to turn on him. So they’re allied with DX tonight, and Cactus needs teammates for a 10-man tag. He got The Rock first, and then just before the 5-on-2 handicap match was to start, Rikishi and Too Cool joined the fray.

The fight starts 5-on-2 before Rikishi and Too Cool even hit the ring, and when they get in they help clear the ring. It’s just a pure fight all over the place. HHH and Rock go up the ramp and Rock suplexes HHH on it. Jack knocks Benoit into the crowd. Rikishi allegedly hits X-Pac with a belly-to-belly, but the camera doesn’t catch it. (JR calls it.)

When the dust settles, it’s X-Pac and Grandmaster Sexay. Sexay with a neckbreaker. Up to the middle rope, he misses a kneedrop. X-Pac tags Saturn in, but Saturn runs into a powerslam. Tag to Scotty 2 Hotty. They send Saturn off the ropes and drop him with a back elbow and double team elbowdrop.

Bulldog from Scotty, and he sets for the worm. Crowd is going apeshit. The chop hits. Stephanie McMahon is on commentary being kind of annoying but I guess good at her job. Malenko catches Scotty with a suplex, and tags to Dean Malenko.

Leg lariat from Malenko, then a clothesline in the corner. Scotty reverses a suplex and hits a reverse suplex. Rikishi is tagged in. Crowd’s loudness on every tag on the babyface side cannot be overstated. Rikishi takes over on Malenko, who tries a sunset flip and then wisely realizes, before it happens, that he’s about to get ass’d in the face. Rikishi with a Samoan drop on the tagged-in Benoit.

Benoit off the ropes, ducks under a clothesline, sets for a German suplex, and GETS IT. Huge pop for Benoit getting the big man over. Rikishi reverses a whip to the corner and shakes the camera with a belly-to-belly suplex. Assvalanche in the corner, and then a tag to Cactus Jack. Note how even though Jack is the one chasing the WWF title, Rock is saved for the last hot tag, because he’s still the bigger deal.

Jack pummels Benoit down in the corner, then goes after HHH, knocking him off the apron. Jack batters HHH on the commentary table, but Saturn and X-Pac hop down to help Hunter out. Jack rolled back into the ring, where Benoit distracts the referee and the heels gang up in the corner. HHH comes in when Jack is vulnerable.

HHH with boots in the corner, stomping Jack down. Cactus comes back with one big right hand, but HHH hits a knee to the gut and tags to X-Pac. X-Pac reversed on a whip, Jack hits a swinging neckbreaker.

Crowd going crazy in anticipation of the hot tag to The Rock, and they go wild when he’s tagged in. Rock drops X-Pac on a right, Malenko spinebuster, spinebuster Benoit, Rock Bottom on X-Pac! One, two, HHH breaks the pin. HHH sets for the pedigree, Rikishi superkicks him, Saturn comes in and superkicks Rock. X-Pac sets Rock in the corner for the Bronco Buster, but he’s caught coming in with a monster clothesline.

Tag to Sexay, he hits the Tennessee Jam! He gets tripped dancing by Eddie Guerrero, injured but out here, and X-Pac recovers with a spin kick. Tag to HHH. Sexay ducks a clothesline but eats a high knee. The “asshole” chant is off the charts.

Saturn tagged in, nails Sexay with a hard lariat. Tag to Benoit, Sexay sent in, hit with a back elbow and a double team snot rocket. Back suplex from Benoit, two count. Tag to Hunter. He baits Rock into the ring, and Sexay is stomped upon in the heel corner.

HHH with a vertical suplex, tag to Saturn. Saturn drops a leg, two count. Saturn with chops in the corner. Malenko tagged in. Double team dropkick. Tag to Benoit, had chop, right hand, he and Malenko send Sexay in, Sexay ducks a clothesline, and hits a double DDT!

Cactus Jack gets the hot tag! He drives Benoit to the corner and bites him. Oh, the referee didn’t see the tag! Now it all breaks down with everyone in! HHH hits Sexay with a pedigree, Benoit hits the flying headbutt, and that’s the match.

After the match, the New Age Outlaws run in with weapons and help the baddies out, before the lights go out, come back on, and Paul Bearer and Kane return to the WWF. He had been betrayed by Tori and X-Pac in particular last he was seen. Seven heels standing alone are afeared of Kane! Saturn gets chokeslammed! Billy Gunn gets chokeslammed!

Rating: 4.5/5. This was a really fun one to go back to 18 years later. This is a famous RAW main event largely because the crowd is molten in Dallas. It is all action, a 10-minute sprint of wild big moves and huge reactions from one of the great wrestling crowds you’ll ever hear.