Grilling JR #53 WWE Backlash 2000

On this episode of Grilling JR, WWE Hall of Famer Jim and host Conrad Thompson look back on Backlash 2000. It was the second Backlash PPV, and featured Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit, Big Show vs. Kurt Angle, and a main event between The Rock and Triple H (with Shane McMahon as special guest referee) for the WWF Championship. That and so much more as JR shares stories and insight you won't hear anywhere else!
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[@ROSTAFA]

Starts at 8:54 43:30 card discussion.

[@malkelly9889]

Thanks for saving me a lot of time.

[@sincerelyme7423]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍👍👍

[@shamsi780]

This was huge because it was Rock's 1st world title as a babyface.

[@gazlloyd9478]

The "Austin, Austin, Austin!" call from JR gives me goosebumps to this day without fail on this PPV. I was hoping you would talk more about Austin's return and how JR called it.

[@bane2256]

Massive pop for Austin

[@josephboza7448]

It was the biggest massive pop I have ever heard for somebody gone 6 months. Shows how much of a star Steve was during the Monday Night wars.

[@darianlynch2687]

Just watched this PPV like it was first time. From start to finish, the show had high energy and huge pops. #WhenWrestlingWasGood #GladIGotToWitnessIt

[@dominicholley2995]

Kinda salty neither Jr nor Conrad mentioned that sick ass top rope ddt finish in the Malenko/Scotty match. Best thing that happened all night outside of Austin

[@NotAGarage]

Just dropped in to say I was at the event with my parents at 13 years old. I made a sign for Saturn

[@Rschr101]

Best show of 2000.

[@rollo-koster5338]

Over survivor series 2000?

[@GorditoCrunch343]

@@rollo-koster5338 Survivor Series 2000 sucked aside from Austin vs HHH. That was literally the only selling point of the show. Backlash 2000 on the other hand is almost perfect with every match, and the return of Austin was booked beautifully.

[@titone311]

Fully loaded 2000 was the best this was 2nd.

[@ROSTAFA]

This was the 1st ppv I ever bought at 8 years old. In my opinion, this made me continue to stay a wrestling fan. 2nd time I ever saw Stone Cold, besides the fact he wrecked the DX expressed 3 days prior.

[@OGSilverfox8]

Never popped so hard when Austin entered that ring. We had alot of free PPVs on channel 4 in the UK. Alot of memories made and watched. Man the attitude era had it all.

[@richfranklin9270]

😂 😂 Hell yh.. I used to stay up at night to watch it knowing I had school the next day.. Good Times man 👏🏿

[@bane2256]

One of the loudest pops of all time

[@mikeypitt8315]

5 WWF PPVS were on channel 4 here in the UK Royal Rumble 2000,Backlash 2000,Fully Loaded 2000, Armageddon 2000 and Royal Rumble 2001.

[@BradAaronTaylor]

​@@mikeypitt8315Backlash 2001, InVasion and Vengeance were all on Channel 4 too.

[@jamesflint9639]

I remember taping the WWF PPV's and Sunday Night Heat every week on Channel 4, in those days you had to set the recorder timer using the the 8 digit number for the show printed in the TV guide and hoping it worked! Those were the days

[@mattrobinson3549]

Can't believe they didn't go into any detail about the DX Express and how they couldn't get it to blow up after Austin tried 3-4 times. Was at the show and it was pretty awkward/funny when it happened. Afterward, Austin came out to the ring and drank a crap ton of beer. So a select few got to see Austin back in the ring for the first time before everyone else did.

[@jessecool8623]

I was hoping to hear about that too.

[@danielrierson6683]

This was awesome. I fell in love with Trish stratus here lol

[@SuviruGunasekara]

Same.

[@JW0082]

My favourite EVER PPV. It was perfection ❤️

[@jonbourgoin182]

1:39:47 I’d argue the pop Austin got when Linda announced he would be in Rock’s corner was equally if not LOUDER than the pop he got at Backlash! Linda barely got his name out and the place ERUPTED

[@jdonut513]

Have a link to a clip? I remember that moment vaguely.. I've always pointed to Backlash as my favorite pop and run in though

[@GorditoCrunch343]

@@jdonut513 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYenYYJom9aGorc It's 2 mins into the video.

[@rickyaguilera2301]

He'll yeah I was one of those people marking out when she announced his name and also known as hhh bad dad

[@chadhoganlive]

Wait is this the new official channel?? I like the new format.

[@GJR]

Yes and thank you

[@GetOnTheFloor82]

The single greatest NON Wrestlemania PPV ever. My ultimate fave. Start to finish. Just brilliant 👏

[@jonbourgoin182]

I’d wager it was Triple H getting in Vince’s ear to put the kibosh on Jericho in the main event of WM2000

[@hellohell77]

You know while Jericho was hot back then, that was the Rock's time. It should've been HHH vs Rock at WM 16 and rock go over then. You could even have the Austin stuff. Jericho could've maybe a title match with the rock later that year. That would've been cool. And he could've beat HHH on the way to that.

[@carterfamilychannel]

not mentioned the return of debra at the start with the massive crowd pop?

[@guyincognito5706]

38:00 He became a main eventer after earning $250K for ten years. I’m sure Vince was thrilled to be paying the guy that much for a decade with little to no return, especially between 1996 and 1999. I mean, look at what Vince did to Bret to break his 20-year contract, and how many times Vince has gone back on his word, and fired people for much less, including Jim

[@DROSS881]

Jr speaking about Chyna was funny 😄 to me RIP to Chyna

[@BrandonMobley614]

18:19 good ol’ Red Ass JR 😂

[@krossover6642]

This Main Event should have been a main event for Wrestlemania 2000

[@robjgolde3221]

Most of this whole card should’ve been Wrestlemania 2000, with the exception of the Triangle Ladder Match. Keep that match and put the rest of the Backlash 2000 card in there, then Wrestlemania 2000 would’ve been waaaayyyy more memorable.

[@rickyaguilera2301]

One of my favorite ppvs of all time I stil have it recorded on vhs tape

[@mikejohn3265]

I looooved Malenko! Especially in WCW

[@for111]

So strange that they chose Mania to build up Backlash. Mania 16 was hot garbage, by and large, whereas Backlash was awesome.

[@GorditoCrunch343]

2000 was the year when the B-PPVs were better and had bigger payoffs than the big 4. Very odd but still one of their best years ever

[@Sachin_C10]

It's so sad that The Rock Vs Triple H ended so soon, otherwise would've been the greatest rivalry of the late WWF.

[@kerrycaldwell2519]

ufc still does ppv you just have to pay 10.99 just to buy the 75 $ ppv

[@badwolf8787]

Ultimately yeah I agree with JR that Rock should've won the belt at Mania but I will say the swerve made him winning the belt here feel bigger & less expected, the Mania finish was more a harbinger of things to come, with McMahon family overindulgence & what's best for HHH being more important than what's best for business. At the very least from here on in he should've held on to the title till at least No Mercy. '00 was the Rocks year & how they butchered his hot run with the belt always bugged me.

[@stevepmg9202]

Here's the thing - at the time, Austin was hurt and Foley was retired, so they basically had to run with Rock and Hunter and whoever they could hope to elevate on the way. The TV was a non-stop storyline running those two against each other with the PPV as basically an "end of chapter" every month. They had to work with each (with assorted add on stips or characters) at Mania, Backlash, Judgment Day, KOTR, a brief respite at Fully Loaded then again at SummerSlam bringing Kurt into the mix before finally divorcing from each other and (briefly) truly moving onto other feuds, save Armageddon. Does interest in the pair fighting stay the same from Backlash all the way to SummerSlam if Rocky beats him every month or, in fact, does the Joker have to get the edge on Batman sometimes before eventually getting his comeuppance? Speaking as someone who was 17-18 that year having lived through Hulkamania, then the down swing, and then 2000-2001 being the best years they really had on TV and PPV, I'd never look back and think "Rock should have had a long run with the belt," I just think "Christ, this was the peak." Rock having a long run wouldn't have added anything to the product, would have robbed us of an extra month of the chase between Judgment Day and KOTR, spiced up with the addition of Taker to the chasing pack. When Rock wins the rapid fire titles as a babyface, just as he did as a heel, I don't think it means any less each time because the TV made us believe it was a big deal and that he and Hunter were evenly matched. Does it denigrate Rock's legacy that he won his 6 titles in 18 months compared to Hogan taking 9 years to win the 5? Only if you're oblivious to times changing. Is it comparable to the shoddy booking of Reigns winning the title three times in about the same length of time in 15-16 instead of one run that meant something? Same answer. I guess I'm saying ; in comparison to any other time period in company history I'm not sure I'd change anything about the booking at the top because it was as good as it ever was.

[@gmangannon3105]

Love this show ... what were Stephanie& Shane like ?

[@chriscalvert8023]

Conrad had no fucking clue who Fred Gywnne was. 😂

[@guyincognito5706]

11:04-11:16 Boy, is that the understatement of the millennium

[@leafonhead777]

I always find it funny that JR is a commentator and has spent thousands of hours talking into a microphone, yet he's SO loud and awkward on webcam.

[@dianaheinz33]

Mocking the sound of Chyna's crying was in poor taste, Jim. She was worth that million too, by the way. Perhaps the environment would have been too much for her after the breakup considering how emotionally fragile she was, but look at what happened to her when she lost that support structure of her wrestling family. Tragic.

[@countof3everybodyOD]

Awesome interview/show but can you never say ‘I love you for that’ again

[@mikedesil23]

Why?

[@michaelpitt57]

I love you for that

[@packpock4369]

This was a good ppv. Stone Cold got a huge pop when he came out. I never cared for the hardcore matches. They were cheesy. That belt was a joke. Only a couple guys made the belt legit. Taker was one of them.

[@Eric-wu7bp]

I cringe at JR’S (at his best) Jim Cornette impersonation

[@Phantusa]

Jr top announce ewi gorilla and Vince

[@Richie-Stefon-King]

23:20

[@idcwhatuthink4985]

Damn so hes the reason they let her go... prolly called her herman munster to the boys smh

[@TheGoldnDog]

Sorry the impersonation of Chyna's laugh when she is miserable just doesn't get over with me. Making light of someone's pain doesn't appeal to me. Obviously he dealt with it all the time so he is probably numb to it but still not the most tactful thing he has ever done

[@aaronjordan7729]

Right when he's the one with the monster mouth that only one side moves.

[@joshifan29]

Jericho is NOT Canadian. No matter how hard he tries to be.

[@norfsidedre3333]

Proof?

[@joshifan29]

@@norfsidedre3333 research it. He's even said it before.

[@anthonydaro4134]

The gay parade?