Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown recap for May 18, 2000

The McMahon-Helmsley Faction shows up to start tonight's show. WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley says Chris Jericho will be sorry he ever spoke her name, let alone disparaged it, for tonight, Chris Benoit will team up with the "very unforgiving" Hardcore Holly to face him and a partner of his choice. WWF co-owner Shane McMahon says he is not in the best of moods or 100% physically, but he will honor his challenge to Big Show. Even though he is hurt, he will not back out of his match with Big Show and he is starting to psych up for their no-disqualification match at Judgment Day. After replaying some footage from last Monday, he gives credit to Big Show's superhuman strength and says that no mere mortal would stand in the ring in front of the crowd, for he is a lion and he will rip his heart out. Shane then admits he is feeling a little better and a little more frisky, so in addition to Sunday's match, he will face Big Show in the ring one-on-one. Triple H replays the footage of last Monday's Rock Bottom through a table to make the fans happy, then calls the fans out on reveling in his pain and anguish and saying that tonight will end differently. He says that after Judgment Day, nobody will be happy about the outcome of the 60-minute Iron Man Match. He announces that falls can be won by pinfall, submission, count-out and disqualification, and also states that if there is a tie at the end of the match, The Rock will remain WWE Champion, then states there will be no tie and no happy ending when he wins the WWF Championship. WWF Chairman Vince McMahon asks the fans to show an ounce of respect, then mentions that his wife, WWF co-owner Linda McMahon, has made some popular decision as of late, such as reinstating "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, giving Mick Foley a WrestleMania main event match and appointing "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee of the 60-minute Iron Man Match this Sunday. He now questions the wisdom of his wife, as Shawn started D-Generation X and his behavior has become more volatile over the years. Vince warns Shawn use good judgment on Sunday, or else, and says the only way The Rock will walk out as WWF Champion is if The Rock makes a deal with the devil himself. He then says he has it on good authority that the devil is "unavailable and real busy." Vince then announces that WWF history will be made tonight, as there will be a lumberjack handicap tables match between The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) and The Rock.

Backstage, Crash Holly pays The Acolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq and Bradshaw) enough money to rest in their headquarters for an hour.

Before the next match, Kurt Angle says that when he is was in the Olympics, he thought he has every single wrestling hold and move one could possibly see, but he was wrong. He says he discovered a wrestling move that would make the Stinkface almost as technical as the German suplex and is the single-most insulting move to all the wrestlers across the country: The Worm. He says The Worm is not a sanctioned wrestling move, and if he were to use it in the 1996 Olympic Games, it would be so embarrassing to all the other athletes and the USA that the USA would have finished dead last behind Guam and nobody would have an Olympic hero to look up to. He says that would be a shame, and that everyone would be forced to root for the Detroit Lions.

Kurt Angle beats Scotty 2 Hotty after sitting down to counter a Victory Roll.

Backstage at The Acolytes Protection Agency, Faarooq and Bradshaw notice Crash Holly is snoring.

Before the next match, Chyna announces that there will no longer be a Triple Threat Match on Sunday because the winner of the following match will face Eddie Guerrero for the WWF European Championship at Judgment Day. She then announces the competitors of the next match, saying Perry Saturn has "the uncanny ability to hunt birds and squirrels at the same time" and that Dean Malenko is "Mr. Personality" and "Mr. Charisma" before telling the fans to stay awake for them. After Saturn and Malenko arrive, Chyna announces that Eddie s the special guest referee for the match.

Perry Saturn vs. Dean Malenko ends in a draw after Malenko hits Saturn in the face with the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and special guest referee Eddie Guerrero hits Malenko - who uses his position as referee to mess with both men - in the face with the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. The bell rings, and Chyna declares the match a draw before stating that both men will face Eddie in a Triple Threat Match for the WWF European Championship at Judgment Day.

Grandmasta Sexay beats Christian after Christian rolls him up and grabs the tights only for Grandmasta Sexay to counter with another with another roll-up before grabbing the tights.

Backstage, one of The Godfather's hos shows up to try to win the WWF Hardcore Championship off a sleeping Crash Holly, but Bradshaw kicks her and referee Teddy Long out of the room.

Val Venis suddenly shows up. He says that for the last two months, he has been suppressed by the single-most repressive regime in the history of the World Wrestling Federation: the McMahon-Helmsley regime. He says that week after week, he has heard the exact same excuse: "We don't have any plans for you." Tonight, he has decided he will make his own plans. He says that it was just last year when he was WWF Intercontinental Champion, and he issues an open challenge to whoever is Intercontinental Champion after Judgment Day on Raw. Suddenly, Chris Benoit shows up and says there is no doubt in his mind that he will still be Intercontinental Champion, and tells him that he not only accepts his challenge, he proposes they do it right here, right now before he loses his patience. Suddenly, Chris Jericho shows up and says there is only one problem: while Benoit is on his way to retaining the title, he may be running into a little bit of wall, because after he experiences the Walls of Jericho, he will not have to worry about the Intercontinental Championship, for "The Crippler" will become "the crippled" and the only way he will be able to properly walk is if he is cooking Chinese food. He then says that on Monday, it will be him vs. Val Venis instead. Suddenly, Hardcore Holly shows up and asks Val Venis what gives him the right to start making challenges, as it should be him who is facing the Intercontinental Championship on Monday night, not Venis. Jericho interrupts him, saying that since WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley put him in a match against Holly and Benoit with a tag team partner of his coice and since Val Venis happens to be unhappy and currently in the ring, Venis will be his tag team partner for tonight. This starts the next match.

Val Venis and Chris Jericho beat Chris Benoit and Hardcore Holly after Hardcore Holly hits Jericoh in the head with a steel chair to break the Walls of Jericho following a chair shot to Venis on the outside. After the match, Hardcore Holly attacks Benoit with the steel chair and hits him several times in the left leg with it before referees run in to separate both men. Benoit, who is holdingonto his left leg in pain at this point, has to be put on a stretcher.

Before the next match, Edge and Christian pose for five seconds for the benefit of those with photography. For their pose, Edge wears a Colorado Avalanche jersey while pretending to score a goal on Christian (who is wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey), all while Kurt Angle celebrates.

Rikishi beats Edge by disqualification after Kurt Angle and Christian get involved. During the match, Edge puts on a hockey mask to protect himself from the Stinkface, but Rikishi catches wind of this. After this, Rikishi hits Edge with a Samoan drop, then puts the hockey mask o before Angle and Christian interfere, which starts a brawl between them and the rest of Too Cool (Grandmasta Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty). During the post-match dance, Edge, Christian and Angle attack Too Cool (Grandmasta Sexay, Scotty 2 Hotty, Rikishi) from behind before mocking Too Cool's dancing. Too Cool get back up and charge at them, forcing them to retreat.

At The Acolytes Protection Agency, Faarooq and Bradshaw note that Crash Holly is still snoring.

At The Acolytes Protection Agency, Pat Patterson introduces Faarooq and Bradshaw to Joe C, a hip-hop artist who is also part of Kid Rock's entourage. The three of them head out of the room, with Faarooq stating that Crash Holly's hour is up.

Before the next match, Shane McMahon says that he will misplaced his wrestling gear and that he will be at Judgment Day, wreslting gear and all. He then mentions that he runs rings around Big Show to the point that it makes him look like "the Big Slow," and tonight, he wants to see just how fast he is as he runs tonight's special gauntlet match. He then introduces Big Show's new opponents for tonight: T&A (Test and Albert). When Big Show makes quick work of them, Shane introduces The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan into the gauntlet match. Despite the four-on-one advantage against Big Show, he fends everyone off, and Shane puts X-Pac and "Road Dogg" Jesse James in the gauntlet match. As Big Show fights off six men at once, Shane McMahon hits Big Show in the back with a steel chair before laying the chair down on the center of the mat for an X-Factor into a foreign object. Shane then performs an assisted choke slam on top of a steel chaie with help from everyone else in the ring, and Shane McMahon pins Big Show for the three-count. Shane McMahon beats Big Show.

Backstage, Gerald Briscoe pins Crash Holly for the WWF Hardcore Championship. Suddenly, referee Jim Korderas trips on a chair, waking Crash up, and Crash grabs Korderas and has him tag along as he chases Brisco all the way to the ring. This starts an impromptu Hardcore Championship match. During the match, Pat Patterson shows up and distracts Crash, allowing Brisco to hit Crash in the head with a garbage can so that Pat Patterson can give Crash a Stinkface. Crash boots Patterson in the groin before hitting him in the butt with a nightstick. Crash then chases Brisco backstage.

Backstage, Kevin Kelly interviews The Rock. who says that Triple H has the plan of a lifetime, and the last time he was in the ring with "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, Shawn cost him the WWF Championship. He makes it clear to Shawn that he never forgets., and makes it clar to Triple H that he has not forgotten all of the matches he has had with him, and says that for one hour, Triple H will feel all his pain, anger and fury, and he will walk in and out the WWF Champion and The People's Champion.

The lumberjacks for the next match as The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, T&A (Test and Albert), The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan..

The Rock vs. The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) ends in a no-contest. During the match, The Rock and The Dudley Boyz stop fighting each other and fight off all of the lumberjacks - The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, T&A (Test and Albert), The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan - instead. X-Pac and "Road Dogg" Jesse James put The Dudley Boyz through a table after Tori hits Buh Buh Ray Dudley with a low-blow, and Triple H puts The Rock through a table with a Rock Bottom. WWF Chairman Vince McMahon declares D-Generation X (Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg) the winners of the match, and the show ends.