This week on Tales from the Attitude Era, Rob Pasbani and former WWF writer Tommy Blacha head to the Ice Palace in Tampa for the April 13, 2000 episode of SmackDown! The road to Backlash is getting shorter, and we discuss the creative pressures of building a pay-per-view card with only a few weeks of TV.

With the roster in their home state of Florida, the show has a fun, house-show vibe. The Rock has secured his title shot, but the McMahon-Helmsley Faction isn't done with him yet, setting up a huge six-man tag team main event between The Rock & The Acolytes and Triple H, Big Boss Man, & Bull Buchanan.

We also dive into:

- A hot opening match for the European Championship between Eddie Guerrero and Rikishi.

- The Hardy Boyz taking on Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko in the work-rate match of the night.

- The debut of The Big Show's "Fat Bastard" impersonation from Austin Powers.

- Chris Jericho getting on Stephanie McMahon's bad side, leading to a handicap match against DX.

- The brief and bizarre introduction of Stephanie's personal trainer, Muffy.

Join us as we break down the matches, the backstage stories, and whether the Attitude Era was starting to feel a little repetitive at this point in its run.

0:00 - Intro

2:15 - Laying the Groundwork for Backlash

6:56 - Is The Attitude Era Getting Repetitive?

11:37 - Eddie Guerrero vs. Rikishi (European Championship)

17:11 - Are DQ and Count-Out Finishes Better?

23:02 - The McMahon-Helmsley Faction Kicks Off The Show

25:12 - Head Cheese at the Old Folks' Home

26:59 - The Hardy Boyz vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko

28:49 - Kurt Angle gets Big Show as a Tag Team Partner

31:55 - Crash Holly vs. Perry Saturn (Hardcore Championship)

33:22 - The Big Show does his "Fat Bastard" gimmick

39:30 - Chris Jericho's Case of Mistaken Identity

42:03 - Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Albert

43:43 - Jericho is Booked in a Handicap Match

45:48 - Introducing... Muffy?

55:56 - Main Event: The Rock & The Acolytes vs. Triple H, Boss Man, & Buchanan

57:49 - The Observer Notes: Chyna/HHH Breakup & Undertaker's Return

1:00:05 - Behind the scenes interest in Brock Lesnar & Alexander Karelin

1:01:05 - Sunday Night Heat Results

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Tommy Blacha made his name in Hollywood as a writer on Conan O'Brien, co-creator of Metalocalypse on Adult Swim, and a writer on shows like The Eric Andre Show and Da Ali G Show. But, a little-known fact about Tommy's career is that he was the head writer of WWE (WWF at the time)) during their most successful period, starting in 1999, taking over for Vince Russo, who left for the competition. This podcast, Tales from the Attitude Era will be a retrospective of Tommy's time in the head writer position and the roller coaster ride that is pro wrestling, co-hosted by Rob Pasbani.

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