SmackDown comes from Baltimore on October 5th, 2000, and it is a noticeably better show than the RAW that preceded it. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani spend a few minutes up top explaining what that probably means behind the scenes: somebody noticed, somebody said something, and the pendulum swung back toward wrestling. William Regal shows up and within minutes of sitting at the commentary table, uses the word "besmirched" and immediately gets over with everyone in Rob's friend group. Tommy says Regal has the full checklist and is the total package, not Lex Luger.

Austin confronts Foley in a segment that actually works. Foley tells Austin that his job has sucked since Austin arrived, which Rob and Tommy note is exactly what they had been saying for weeks. Austin gives Foley the chance to reconsider, hears no, and delivers what passes in Steve Austin's world as an apology before stunning him anyway. Tommy says the stunner is starting to feel like a pie in the face. Meanwhile, in the second Stephanie and Triple H backstage segment of the night, she tells him "the only thing hurting me is you." Both hosts agree it is not going where it should.

In the main event, Rikishi runs in and interferes on The Rock's behalf against Kane, costing them the match on a DQ. Tommy and Rob spend the back half of the episode fantasy booking a better Austin mystery driver reveal, agree there was almost nobody satisfying on the current roster, and settle on Goldberg or Flair as the only options that would have actually worked.

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Other major discussion points include:

• Jacky and Low Down pin Lita in what everyone expects to be a Hardy exhibition; Jeff Hardy hits a split-legged moonsalt that Rob says suggests he has been watching Sabu tapes; the upset does not lead anywhere for Low Down despite Tommy pitching for them backstage
• Billy Gunn interferes in the X-Pac match to help Al Snow win; Michael Cole explains on commentary that it is because Billy Gunn was kicked out of DX; Tommy says this is his pet peeve and the announcer explanation is the weakest possible version of storytelling
• Eddie Guerrero eats a Goodfather powerbomb pin in the RTC match; Tommy says you can always recover from a loss if your character has attitude around it, and Eddie Guerrero has plenty of that
• Benoit comes out and complains; Jericho interrupts and challenges him; they have the match of the night before Triple H runs in and bleeds; Rob says he would rather see Jericho and Benoit than Benoit and Triple H
• Taz and Raven win via DQ over the Dudley Boys on a convoluted ring bell spot; the Dudleys immediately powerbomb Raven through a table; the crowd wanted the tables the entire time and Tommy says it all feels like a house show already

0:00:00 Cold Open

0:00:30 Welcome / SmackDown 10/5/00

0:01:45 Writing Staff / Creative Pendulum Discussion

0:06:42 Austin Fallout / Show Overview

0:08:22 Hardys & Lita vs Low Down & Jacky

0:18:05 Foley Backstage / William Regal Debuts

0:26:11 Foley Checks Limo / SmackDown Your Vote

0:28:13 RTC vs APA & Eddie Guerrero

0:31:14 Stephanie / Triple H Backstage

0:34:03 Taz / Raven Promo

0:36:30 Taz & Raven vs Dudley Boys

0:40:02 Austin Arrives / Foley Flips Table

0:42:03 Foley Confronts Austin

0:48:39 Angle Promo / Edge & Christian vs Rikishi & Too Cool

0:52:44 Stephanie / Triple H Part 2

0:55:40 Blackman vs Albert (Hardcore Title)

0:58:03 Angle Approaches Stephanie

1:00:17 Benoit vs Jericho / Triple H Runs In

1:03:31 Kane Backstage / Rock vs Kane (Main Event)

1:05:48 Rikishi Foreshadowing / Austin Reveal Discussion

1:16:05 Patreon / Sign-Off

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RAW is at the MCI Center in Washington DC on October 2nd, 2000. The show opens with a tribute to Dennis Dunn, father of executive producer Kevin Dunn, who reportedly saved the entire WWF tape library from a fire that would have ended any hope of a WWE Network. Then The Rock opens with a Marion Barry joke that kills in DC. Then Angle comes out. Then Triple H. Then Foley. Then Benoit. Then Kane. Then Rikishi. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani have a name for this. They call it the variety hour. It is not a compliment.

The Austin investigation finally moves an inch when Billy Gunn is brought out as the prime suspect, clears himself with a flight delay alibi, and drops the first real clue in weeks: the person who ran Austin over had blond hair. Foley announces he has solved the case and immediately leaves. Austin stuns Billy Gunn anyway. Later, Austin stuns Foley before Foley can finish announcing a suspension. Rob likes the moment. Tommy already knows the reveal is going to disappoint everyone. The best spot of the night is the Brooklyn Brawler falling over a catering table before Austin even extends his hand.

The TNN numbers held steady from week one, which the hosts treat as genuinely impressive given typical first-week drop-off. The bad news is the show has less than thirty minutes of wrestling in two hours. The worse news is that for the first time, Rob is losing patience with Mick Foley as commissioner.

Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches.

You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early!

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Other major discussion points include:

• Raven takes the pin in his second week as Jericho and the Dudleys beat him, Taz, and X-Pac; Tommy sees a potential faction and explains what it could have been with the right booking
• Lita vs Ivory is advertised and never happens; Jacqueline attacks instead and they brawl through the locker room out to the garage where Jacqueline hits Lita with a fire extinguisher off the top of a truck
• Edge and Christian are steered into a hardcore title shot against Steve Blackman; Edge calls the title cracked and gross; they lose and look like herbs; Tommy explains how to take a loss without losing your heat
• Benoit chairs Kane during the tag match to cost them the win, setting up what should be a Benoit-Kane program; Rob asks if it goes anywhere; Tommy confirms it does not
• Triple H vs Angle for the number one contendership ends with Benoit interfering, Stephanie accidentally handing Angle the match, and Triple H taking a chair to the head; Triple H ends the show by turning his back on Stephanie crying in the ring
• SmackDown Your Vote is up to 110,000 registered voters; The Rock spoke at a Capitol Hill rally and almost told Gore and Bush where to go before settling for a much more measured ultimatum

Chapter Marks

0:00:00 Cold Open

0:00:27 Welcome / RAW 10/2/00

0:02:09 Attitude Era Fizzling / WCW Context

0:08:41 TNN Ratings / Show Overview

0:11:08 Dennis Dunn Tribute / Kevin Dunn

0:12:20 Rock Opens RAW / Wrestling vs Talking

0:15:31 Rock's Marion Barry Promo

0:17:25 Angle Responds / Be Like Kurt

0:20:10 Foley / Triple H / The Variety Hour

0:25:17 Benoit / Kane / Rikishi / Tag Match Booked

0:33:32 Hardys vs Too Cool

0:35:36 Foley / Edge & Christian / Hardcore Title

0:36:17 Taz & Raven & X-Pac vs Jericho & Dudleys

0:41:43 Lita vs Jacqueline Backstage Brawl

0:43:10 Rob Loses Patience With Foley

0:44:36 Rock & Rikishi vs Benoit & Kane

0:45:53 Foley's Ultimatum / Billy Gunn Prime Suspect

0:49:12 Edge & Christian vs Blackman (Hardcore)

0:52:32 Brooklyn Brawler / Austin Stuns Everyone

0:54:52 Austin Stuns Foley

0:58:52 SmackDown Your Vote / Capitol Hill Rally

1:00:12 Triple H vs Angle (Main Event)

1:02:24 Triple H Turns Back on Stephanie

1:05:08 Patreon / Sign-Off

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SmackDown comes from Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh on September 28th, 2000. Before Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani get to the show, they read a listener comment that takes about two minutes to accurately diagnose every creative problem WWF is about to run into over the next two years. Tommy cannot disagree with a word of it.

Foley opens the show warning Austin to play by his rules or else. Austin responds by hiding in a phone booth backstage and jumping Road Dog in the middle of a hardcore match. Raven gets his first WWF promo and it is immediately buried by a Jericho interruption, dragged into the Taz and Lawler comedy feud, and aimed at entirely the wrong people. Rock and Triple H team up against Angle and Benoit in a main event that works as a match and means nothing as a story. Stephanie pulls a chair away from Rock at the worst possible moment. Angle slam. Three count.

Tommy, still occasionally sending in material but increasingly disconnected from the room, explains what is actually happening behind the scenes: not laziness, but too many voices, a soap opera decree from management, Hollywood writers who do not know the roster, and a company so financially successful it has stopped being hungry. The people there are working harder than ever. The output is getting worse.

Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches.

You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early!

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

Other major discussion points include:

• Lita introduces the new tag champions the Hardys before beating Jackie in a match that Edge and Christian have no business being ringside for
• Steve Blackman gets nothing from his SummerSlam moment; six weeks later he is in a throwaway hardcore match used as a vehicle for an Austin run-in
• Trish recruits Kane for a six-man by mentioning Rikishi; the hosts assume it leads somewhere; it does not
• Raven and Taz beat Jericho and Lawler after X-Pac interferes and Raven hits the DDT; the Dudleys run out after; Tommy says Raven and X-Pac should have been the team
• Chyna strips down mid-match to intimidate Steven Richards; the hosts note she looks exactly the same; she wins anyway
• Stephanie pulls the chair away from Rock and hands Angle the win; Rob says the milk on the Triple H and Angle story is starting to turn

• 0:00:00 Cold Open
• 0:00:27 Welcome / SmackDown 9/28/00
• 0:03:06 Listener Feedback / YouTube Comments
• 0:11:04 Foley Opens the Show
• 0:19:16 Benoit / Angle / Main Event Booked
• 0:22:40 Austin Finds Road Dog and X-Pac
• 0:26:23 Lita vs Jackie / Hardy Tag Titles
• 0:27:35 Road Dog vs Blackman / Austin Phone Booth
• 0:32:32 Trish / Kane Backstage
• 0:33:54 Taz / Raven Promo
• 0:40:46 Jericho Interrupts / Tag Match Set Up
• 0:42:37 Triple H / Rock Backstage
• 0:43:15 Sunday Night Heat / MTV Discussion
• 0:45:42 Too Cool & Rikishi vs Kane & T&A
• 0:46:53 Jericho & Lawler vs Taz & Raven
• 0:49:13 Rock Promo / Kevin Kelly
• 0:50:01 Chyna vs Steven Richards
• 0:54:42 Foley on Stage / Austin Stuns X-Pac
• 0:58:38 Triple H / Rock Backstage
• 0:59:48 Rock & Triple H vs Angle & Benoit
• 1:06:23 Patreon / Sign-Off

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