5. The Wrestlemania 2000 Main Event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuJXD8A4zSE This should have been one of the greatest Wrestlemania's of all time. Probably the WWE's most creatively fruitful period ever, 2000 marked the year the federation finally left the WCW choking on their dust. While Russo spit on the legacy of the World Heavyweight Championship by putting the belt on non-wrestlers, Triple H was tearing it up as vicious, manipulative champion, having come off a career defining feud with a motivated Mick Foley. Yes, there was a time when HHH was exciting to watch. The absence of Stone Cold, who took time off in late 1999 to recoup from various health problems, had actually been a blessing in disguise. The main event scene was given a new lease of life thanks to the efforts of HHH and The Rock, who was enjoying his most over period as a super charismatic babyface. Having carried the company since Survivor Series, these two were set to clash in what was sure to be a huge money maker. Which they did, at Backlash. Wrestlemania 2000 however, was lumped with a convoluted four way also featuring The Big Show and a recently unretired Mick Foley, with a "McMahon in every corner". Holy swerves Batman! A decent enough match, it ended when Vince McMahon turned on The People's Champ, reuniting with his daughter and giving HHH the win. There was nothing especially bad about it, but it did not feel like a Wrestlemania main event. Casting a long shadow over the event, what would have made an acceptable B-grade PPV title match left the granddaddy of them all feeling like Wrestlemania: In Your House. It's felt they saved the title match everybody wanted to see in order to allow Backlash to pop a monster buy rate. If that is the case, then it was mission accomplished. The Rock vs HHH pulled in 675,000 buys, the best for any wrestling PPV in 2000 not ending with 'mania. In essence, they sacrificed the quality of their biggest show, knowing it would sell on name value alone. As a consequence, we missed out on what could have been the defining moment of a truly magical era.