List of WrestleMania 2000 Critical Reception and Reviews

Triangle Ladder Match — **** (Meltzer) — Most Praised Match

Outstanding — Blueprint for TLC Era

Dave Meltzer rated the Triangle Ladder Match **** in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter — the highest rating on the card and one of the highest for a tag team match in WM history. Cagematch reviewers described it as 'outstanding' and 'a blueprint to future TLC and Money in the Bank matches.' One reviewer specifically praised Jeff Hardy's Swanton Bomb as the defining image of the entire event. The match's critical reception was so positive that it is the primary reason WM2000 is remembered as anything other than a disappointment.

John Powell Called WM2000 'A Flop' — Most-Quoted Critical Verdict

Canadian Online Explorer Review — One of Most Cited WM Criticisms

John Powell's Canadian Online Explorer review of WM2000 — calling it 'a flop' and 'one of the worst WrestleManias the World Wrestling Federation has produced in its 15-year history' — remains one of the most widely quoted critical assessments in WM history. Powell specifically cited the lack of standard singles matches and the 'low-impact brawling' in multi-competitor bouts. The review captured a genuine critical consensus that WM2000, despite its Triangle Ladder Match excellence, had failed to meet WrestleMania's standard of in-ring quality across the full card.

Main Event — *** (Meltzer) — Controversial Booking

Technically Competent — Booking Decision Polarised Audience

The main event received a *** rating from Meltzer — above average but not outstanding. Cagematch reviewers described it variably as 'an overbooked mess with a flat finish' and as 'great — I did enjoy the main event' depending on individual expectations. The universal point of critical discussion was the booking decision to have Triple H retain over The Rock — with the consensus being that Rock should have won the championship on WrestleMania's grandest stage.

Undercard — First Four Matches Called 'Awful' and 'Worst in WM History'

Opening Matches Generated Near-Universal Criticism

The first four matches on the WM2000 card — the opening tag, Hardcore Battle Royal, T&A vs. Head Cheese, and Catfight — were near-universally criticised as among the weakest opening sequences in WrestleMania history. Cagematch reviewers noted 'four of the first five matches being really bad' and 'the first few nearly put me to sleep.' Meltzer ratings of 1/4* and 1/2* for the first two matches reflected the minimal critical enthusiasm for the event's early programming.