I mean you really can't overstate how talent-rich this period was. The marquee matches of the show:

The Rock v Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship
The Dudley Boys v Edge and Christian v Kane and Undertaker
Stone Cold v Triple H 2 of 3 falls grudge match (1st fall match, 2nd fall street fight, 3rd fall cage)

I mean...what? This was all ON THE SAME SHOW. And Benoit was still on the roster, and Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Jericho!!! Talent for days.

The show is fantastic. EVERYBODY IS ROAD WARRIORS OVER.

Some notes:

- The Austin/Hunter 2 of 3 falls match is as brutal and "old school" as anything I can remember from that era. Slow, mechanical, physical, beautiful. Austin comes out hot for the first 10 minutes but Hunter eventually takes control for most of the rest of the match- a full 30 more minutes. This is FORESHADOWING; Austin's been gone for a year and both Rock and Hunter are white-hot here. The look on his face as he exits the ring is telling, and it's a welcome addition to the context that leads to Austin making a deal with Vince headed into WM 17.

- Kurt Angle...guys Kurt Angle was a MASTER worker with the ability and timing of a 12 year veteran. Except at about this time he'd wrestled for like 3 years! My goodness. That cornball red white and blue shit was so so so over. He'd later evolve into a more bloodthirsty MMA-inspired tactician, and that was fine too. But white bread American value-touting Kurt Angle was a BOSS.