Smackdown!
Fayetteville, North Carolina
August 31, 2000

After four days away from World Wrestling Federation programming, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley made her return as SmackDown! kicked off from Fayetteville, N.C. Stephanie thanked the crowd for their concern as to her whereabouts, and for the record, she said that she was at Shane’s bedside as the “Boy Wonder” convalesced in a medical facility after SummerSlam. She added that she and Triple H were again in wedded bliss, and that the Game would arrive to the building shortly.
That brought out Kurt Angle, who said he admired Stephanie for putting on such a brave face after the way Triple H “mandhandled” her at SummerSlam. He showed the replay of Triple H slugging Stephanie, and he tried to convince her that it wasn’t an accident. He then showed the replay of Triple H and Chyna hugging on Monday’s RAW – footage that Stephanie hadn’t seen! Mrs. Game was irate.

Chyna then came to the stage and tried to tell Stephanie that Kurt was just manipulating her. Angle turned it around on the Ninth Wonder of the World, however, saying that Chyna attended to Triple H instead of Eddie Guerrero when Angle hit them both with chairs Monday night, again trying to show Stephanie that Chyna was trying to steal her man. Chyna then said she would shove Angle’s Olympic medals down his throat!

The Ninth Wonder of the World entered in the ring, and immediately, Stephanie got up in her face.

Angle, who just seconds earlier said he would only hit Chyna in self-defense, snuck up from behind and executed the Olympic slam on Chyna! Eddie Guerrero came down to save his Mamacita as Stephanie and Angle scampered away.
Moments after the segment ended, Triple H arrived at the arena. He walked into his locker room to find Stephanie and Kurt. Kurt snuck out, and then Stephanie slapped her husband, asking why he didn’t tell her about his conversation with Chyna. Triple H then left and said he’d come back when he had cooled down.

In a one-on-one match-up, the Road Dogg reversed a bicycle kick into a pump-handle slam, allowing him to pin Bull Buchanan.

An incensed Chyna and Eddie Guerrero went to Commissioner Mick Foley’s office, and Mamacita demanded a match against Kurt Angle. But the commish refused, instead putting Angle in a Triple Threat Match against both Eddie Guerrero and Triple H.

The Hardy Boyz and Lita promised to leave their home state of North Carolina as victors prior to their six-person tag team match against Edge, Christian and Jacqueline. Indeed, after a Swanton Bomb, Jeff pinned Christian for the win!

Kurt Angle then approached Stephanie, hoping to clear up some confusion. He said that their kiss on last week’s SmackDown! was just what good friends do, and that’s what they are – good friends. Stephanie said OK, but she just needed space, and Kurt said he’d be there for her.

Next up, Al Snow made Perry Saturn tap out to a dragon sleeper to become the new European Champion!

The Game returned to his locker room for a little chat with his wife. He admitted that he should have told her about his conversation with Chyna, and that he was wrong. Stephanie said that it was OK, and that she was just disconcerted because he and Chyna had a relationship in the past. But when Stephanie went to kiss him, Triple H pulled away, saying that Stephanie could get upset about him and Chyna, but that she and Kurt didn’t have a past relationship, so what’s up with their recent trysts? Stephanie said, again, that she and Kurt were just friends. But Triple H soon grew enraged, even throwing furniture around the locker room as Stephanie screamed at him to stop.

In an interview with Kevin Kelly, Al Snow said that he wanted to restore prestige to the European Title – for all the people of Europa!

Next up, the Undertaker faced Chris Benoit in a match to determine the No. 1 contender to The Rock’s World Wrestling Federation Championship. A winner had to be decided by pinfall or submission, and the Undertaker seemed to be well on his way to a title shot. But as he set the Wolverine up for a chokeslam, Kane interfered, just as the Undertaker had in Kane’s title match against The Rock on RAW. The Undertaker won the match by DQ, but did not earn the No. 1 contender position.

After the bell, Kane and Benoit double-teamed the Undertaker until The Rock came out to make the save.
Prior to his match against Chris Jericho, Tazz asked where Jim Ross was. He asked if J.R. was hiding, or if he was at home unfreezing his frozen face. During the match, he went to the commentator’s table and punched Jerry Lawler. Lawler then attacked Tazz. Jericho then gained control of the match, scoring a Lionsault for the pin.

Just Joe entered Kurt Angle’s locker room and said that he’d just heard a lot of noise coming from the McMahon/Helmsley locker room. Angle hypothesized that Triple H had hit Stephanie again, and stormed away to check on his “good friend.”

After Taka and Funaki had laughed at them for losing the TLC Match at SummerSlam, the Dudley Boyz were out for revenge against the tag team known as Kaientai. After the bell rang, the APA came to ringside with the black gloves on – meaning that someone had hired them! We would soon find out that it was Taka and Funaki who hired the two men, and thanks to the APA’s interference, Taka was able to pin D-Von Dudley. But apparently the Acolytes’ services ended after the closing bell, because after the match, the Dudleys put Taka on a table, and then Buh Buh powerbombed Funaki through both Taka and the table!

As Stephanie got some coffee backstage, Kurt asked if she was OK and if Triple H had hit her. Stephanie said she was fine, which led Angle to believe that she was just protecting her husband.

Trish Stratus approached Val Venis as he prepared for his match against Rikishi and demanded that he show her the proper respect after she made him Intercontinental Champion. She said that losing the title to Chyna was just a minor setback. Val said that he won the title on his own, and that it was all her fault that he had lost it. He said that he was sick of Trish, and that he was done with her. Trish said that Val would be sorry.

Rikishi was accompanied by Mandy and Victoria for his match against Val, who was by himself. Midway through the match, the Right to Censor hit the ring, and Rikishi had to fight off all three men. Too Cool came down to even the odds, battling the Goodfather and Bull Buchanan on the outside. But the Right to Censor would soon get their revenge when Steven cracked the ring bell over Rikishi’s skull, allowing Val to score the pinfall.

Backstage, Eddie Guerrero prepared for his Triple Threat Match, and Chyna promised that she would be in his corner and not Triple H’s. 

In the McMahon/Helmsley locker room, the Game apologized for losing his cool. He said that his wife meant everything to him, and that whenever he saw Kurt Angle with her, it made him sick. The two reconciled, and then there was a knock at the door. It was Fayetteville’s Finest, several police officers investigating a call of spousal abuse. They asked Triple H to go downtown with them for some questioning.

As Triple H made the long walk to the cop car, Stephanie swore up-and-down that she had nothing to do with the complaint. She even told the cops that she was the Game’s wife and that he hadn’t done anything, but the officers weren’t listening, and Triple H was driven away in the back of a squad car.
As he was being put into the car, Commissioner Foley approached Stephanie and said that the main event on SmackDown! would now be Eddie against Kurt in a singles match. He also said that it would be unfair for Chyna to be in Eddie’s corner if no one was in Kurt’s corner – so he demanded that Stephanie be in Angle’s corner.

The main event match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle was emotional and brutal, with both Stephanie and Chyna getting involved on several occasions. Finally, Chyna threw her Intercontinental Title into the ring for Eddie, but Kurt picked it up instead, clobbering Eddie and scoring the pinfall win. After the pin, Chyna clotheslined Angle to the outside of the ring. Stephanie then again approached Chyna and got in her face, screaming “Who the hell do you think you are?” That enraged Mamacita, who then delivered a DDT to the Game’s wife! Kurt saved Stephanie and helped her to the back as SmackDown! went off the air.