WWF’s Attitude Era saw some of the more ridiculous endings to PPVs in the history of this great sport. 1997 gave us the Montreal Screw Job, in 98 we witnessed a man being buried alive very slowly, and 1999 saw not only Vince winning the Royal Rumble, but Vince and Shane beating Stone Cold Steve Austin in a handicapped ladder match where a mysterious crane operator cost The Rattlesnake 100% ownership of WWE. In the year 2000, at Survivor Series, they exceeded our wildest imaginations in the way of attempted vehicular manslaughter.
Just one year removed from Stone Cold being run over by a car before his WWE Championship match at Survivor Series 1999, Austin would take the opportunity to get some vehicular revenge of his own. Since being run over by a mysterious white car, the Texas Rattlesnake and an Independent Investigation administered by Commissioner Foley were able to learn upon his return that the driver of said car was none other than Rikishi. Rikishi said that he did it for the Rock, but it was ultimately revealed that Rikishi had done so under the guidance of Triple H. The night Austin was hit his title opportunity was set to come in the form of a triple threat between himself, The Rock, and HHH. Austin was replaced in the triple threat by “Tall” Paul Wight aka The Big Show.
Steve Austin Seeks Revenge On Triple H
With this all revealed and out in the open, Stone Cold had revenge on his mind. HHH and Austin would battle at Survivor Series 2000 in a no disqualification match. The two legends would brawl on the outside of the ring for the majority of the match before action slipped into the backstage area. Just as Stone Cold sends Triple H’s body ricocheting off of a vending machine and Jim Ross is able to utter the words “I’ll take a Pepsi.”, the faction known as the Radicalz arrive on the scene by attacking Austin. The boys were out in full force with Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit continuing to put the boots to Stone Cold as Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko worked to help up Triple H and send him running on his way to live in relative safety far away from the alcohol-fueled redneck.
As luck would have it, Triple H wouldn’t be safe for long. Before slipping out the back door he looks back in horror to see Austin giving hell to all four members of The Radicalz as referees began to swarm the area. The Cerebral Assassin is able to hop into a waiting car as Austin exits the building only to have his fight with various Radicalz continue out there as well. Among the brawling and checking in on the bleeding Triple H back at the car, everyone seems to lose track of the old Rattlesnake. He busts back onto the scene in a forklift and quickly places himself with the lift under Helmsley’s car. The next minute or so is a psychologically gruesome exchange as Austin insists Triple H just sit tight as he is going for one hell of a ride and Triple H spends most of his final moments on the PPV begging with Austin to not do something he is gonna regret. Going as far as to plead with him to please not do this.
Triple H Trapped In A Car, Thirty Feet In The Air On A Forklift
The forklift would raise the car about 30 feet in the air, before releasing it. Fans would hear the extended “Oh My God Austin Don’t, Oh My God Austin Don’t Don't’...Holy S***!” from Triple H as the car was released, doing 180 barrel roll and landing top side down crushing the cab and anyone inside. “Oh My God! The Game is in that car, Austin just dropped the game from...from that Machine!” screamed Jim Ross as he guided fans through the fact that they had just witnessed a possible murder. Austin gets out to look at his handy work, he seems pleased and then walks off into the dark parking lot of Ice Palace in Tampa. That, crazily enough, is how the pay-per-view ends.
In retrospect, it’s good to know that Triple H was not dead in that flattened car. The only thing more ridiculous than this ending however, is the idea that not long after this Stone Cold would find himself teaming with Triple H as the Two Man Power Trip. Come to think of it, it was also ridiculous that Triple H was alive and kicking just a few weeks after this incident, even competing at the next month's PPV in a six man Hell In A Cell match. Aftermath to the side though, this has to be the craziest ending to any PPV in this history of the WWE. Fans were left with many questions after Survivor Series 2000, but one question that was answered was: What happens in a no disqualification match when one competitor crushes his opponent inside a car using a forklift? The answer: No Contest.