Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown recap for May 4, 2000

Referee Earl Hebner is given a hometown ovation before the next match.

Chris Jericho beats Chris Benoit to become the WWF Intercontinental Champion! During the match, Benoit gets in an argument with referee Earl Hebner after Hebner stops him from attacking Jericho at ringside. After a shoving match, Benoit shoves Hebner out of the ring, and Jericho hits Benoit with the Intercontinental Championship before hitting the Asia moonsault off the ropes for the win.

The McMahon-Helmsley Regime is seen entering the arena.

The McMahon-Helmsley Regime shows up. WWF Chairman Vince McMahon says it is great to be in Richmond, Virginia, as it is a city of great historical significance be being the capital of the Confederacy, the home of Jefferson Davis, where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech, the capital of Virginia, and - as of late - its corrupt city council and being the home of referee Earl Hebner. Vince then shows his anger with Hebner and says it is only right that Hebner returns to the ring in his hometown, not as a referee, but in his very first wrestling match. If Hebner disobeys his order, then it will be a breach of contract and he will be fired again and remain fired. He then says it would not be fair for Hebner to face single competition in his very first match, as he will have The Rock as a tag team partner in a match against D-Generation X (Triple H, X-Pac, "Road Dogg" Jesse James) where the WWF Championship is on the line. He announces that The Rock will lose the WWF Championship if he or Hebner get pinned, and that a new WWF Champion will be crowned and history will be made.

We see a vignette where three girls play "Patty Cake" in front of a furnace before the words "Judgment Day is coming" show up on the screen.

In footage from earlier today, Edge and Christian are getting facials to remove the stench of Rikishi Fatu's rear end from the Stinkfaces they received on Raw. Christian says that Rikishi will pay for inventing the Stinkface, and Edge says they lost the cover of Tiger Beat because of it.

Eddie Guerrero and Chyna beat Essa Rios and Lita.

Before the next match, Kurt Angle says he has a problem with his opponent tonight, Hardcore Holly. Angle states that when he thinks of "hardcore," he thinks of hardcore pornography. He says that there are children here tonight, but then realizes the state motto is "Virginia is for lovers," and while he is not a critic, he says that motto should be extended to "Virginia is for lovers, provided those lovers are not from the same family." Hardcore Holly shows up and tells Angle that he doesn't give a rat's ass about his philosophy, and neither does the people. He also says that while Virginia is for lovers, it is not a place for a 30-year-old virgin who is about to get his kicked ass.

Kurt Angle beats Hardcore Holly. During the match, Angle feigns a knee injury, and Hardcore Holly continues to stomp on Angle's right knee despite instructions from the referee to stay back. Holly and the referee have a shoving match, and the referee shoves Holly into Angle, who is on his feet and ready to hit a German Suplex with a bridge pin for the win. After the match, Holly dropkicks Angle before grabbing a steel chair and slamming Angle onto it in the middle of the ring.

The Rock: The People's Champ is now available on VHS and DVD!

Before the next match, Christian tells the fans that there is nothing to be alarmed about, as his and Edge's faces are "100% ass-free." Edge tells Rikishi that he will rue the day he decided to wear a thong in the ring and disgrace the faces that the people.

Rikishi beats Edge and Christian in a 2-on-1 handicap match by count-out. After the match, Edge and Christian continue to attack Rikishi, but Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) run in to make the save for Rikishi. Afterwards, Too Cool and Rikishi dance.

Backstage, Tori and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley are met by The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von), and Stephanie chews them out for picking on women and putting them through tables, with both women saying they are poor, pathetic excuses for me. They walk away, and D-Von has to stop Buh Buh Ray from grabbing Stephanie, reminding him that there are consequences for putting Stephanie through a table. Buh Buh Ray simply smiles.

The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy) beat T&A (Test and Albert) after Albert argues with the referee. After the match, T&A knock Jeff Hardy out of the ring before ganging up on Matt.

Backstage, Johnathan Coachman interviews referee Earl Hebner. Hebner asks Coachman how he would feel if he was asked to go into the ring that he does not do. He says that he is a referee, not a wrestler, and that they are forcing him to get his ass kicked or lose his job. He says he will feel awful if he costs The Rock the WWF Championship, and asks how he will make a living for his family afterwards.

Big Show comes out to the next match as "Shonan the Barbarian." He then says he will crush his opponents beneath his feet and show no mercy as he does his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. When Bull Buchanan shows up, he pulls out a baton and attacks Big Show with it before the bell rings. Big Show quickly recovers and manhandles Buchanan.

Backstage, WWF chairman Vince McMahon talks with referee Earl Hebner, hoping that there are no hard feelings between them and that he hopes Hebner gets hurt or costs the WWF Championship, saying that Hebner will have tried his best regardless.

Backstage, Crash Holly finds a bounce house complete with a basketball game. Suddenly, he is pushed inside by Dean Malenko, but Crash fights him off and runs away. The chases makes its way to the crowd, where an impromptu Hardcore title match takes place. During the match, Perry Saturn gets involved, and Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn argue. Crash retains the WWF Hardcore Championship against Dean Malenko after knocking a trash can into Malenko, knocking him into Saturn and allowing Crash to get a schoolkid pin for the win. After the match, Saturn and Malenko brawl, and referees have to keep them apart.

Backstage, Big Show meets with WWF co-owner Shane McMahon, who has no idea what to think about his latest costumes. After the break, Shane McMahon tells Big Show he let him down at WrestleMania, and that he wanted to make him someone. Instead, Big Show was the first man eliminated, and since then, he has made a fool of himself and that he has become "pathetic," "pea-brained," and a "waste of perfectly good oxygen" and "an unmotivated slob," and that nobody will care about he does because he doesn't deserve it.

Backstage, Kevin Kelly interviews The Rock and Earl Hebner. The Rock syas the deck is stacked against him once again, and if either he or Hebner lose, he loses the WWF title. He says that WWF chairman Vince McMahon fails to realize that he will not lose the title, and tells him to stick D-Generation X (Triple H, X-Pac, "Road Dogg" Jesse James) up his candy ass.

The Rock and Earl Hebner beat D-Generation X (Triple H, X-Pac, "Road Dogg" Jesse James). During the match, Chris Jericho shows up and attacks WWF chairman Vince McMahon, allowing Hebner to hit X-Pac with a low blow to stop a chair shot and allowing The Rock to hit X-Pac with the Rock Bottom for the win. After the match, D-Generation X attacks The Rock, and Vince McMahon forces Earl Hebner to watch as Triple H hits The Rock with a shot to the head with the WWF Championship followed by a Pedigree. After that, Vince and WWF co-owner Shane McMahon throw Hebner to DX. Triple H punches Hebner out with one punch, with subsequent punches busting Hebner open in the mouth. Triple H then hits Hebner with a Pedigree on a steel chair after DX gang up on Hebner even further. Rikishi runs in and fights off DX to make the save for The Rock, then Big Show runs in and fights DX as well before hitting Shane with a headbutt. The numbers game catches up to Big Show , but The Rock is able to recover until Triple H hits him with a low blow. Big Show is also hit with a low blow, then The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) show up with a table and fend off DX. Jericho rejoins the good guys just in time for Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco to be headbutted and thrown into the ring by Rikishi. Patterson gets a Stinkface, while Brisco gets powerbomber through a table. Two EMTs then show up with a stretcher for Earl Hebner, and The Rock accompanies Hebner up the ramp to end the show.