Five days after No Way Out, new World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam kicked off SmackDown! feeling great. He walked into the Elimination Chamber, survived five of the blue brand's best, and walked out of Satan's Structure with the Big Gold Belt. RVD told the WWE Universe that he can not begin to express how he feels about having a title around his waist again. Van Dam said that his New Year's resolution was to become a champion, no matter what title it is. The Battle Creek native said he just wanted to look forward to that trip into the airport metal detectors and the security guard says, "Whoa! Look at the size of THAT thing!" Van Dam also had a little promise for all the "Van Assassinators" out there: He WILL walk out of WrestleMania 2000 with the World Heavyweight Championship. Suddenly, glass shattered and the arena came unglued. It was SmackDown! General Manager "Stone Cold" Steve Austin! The Texas Rattlesnake had some news for RVD. Big Show, the man who lost his World Title at No Way Out, will invoke his rematch clause on April 2. Also, the World Heavyweight Champion will team up with his 'Mania opponent later that night against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Batista. The match was even-sided for the most part, until Piper made a crucial mistake by hitting Show in the back with a steel chair while referee Charles Robinson was down. The World's Largest Athlete chokeslammed The Hot Rod, then teamed up with Van Dam for the two-man finisher. A KO Punch to Batista followed up by a Five-Star Frog Splash for the victory. As the two were celebrating, Big Show stunned the world by hitting Van Dam with the KO Punch and simply leaving. "What the...Big Show has left this crowd speechless!," said SmackDown! play-by-play announcer Michael Cole. He really did.

The next week, Big Show started things up in a suit and tie, being forced to hear the boos from the WWE Universe rain down on him. Although the 441-pound giant showed remorse at first, he eventually snapped and said RVD had it coming. Show stated that he was supposed to walk into WrestleMania as the World Heavyweight Champion. HE was supposed to be the one finding out his opponent. And HE was supposed to win the Elimination Chamber, not Van Dam. As the crowd jeered some more, The World's Largest Athlete admired his right hand. The same right hand that has been serving up knuckle sandwiches for the past five years, including one that was fed to RVD seven days ago. Show said that his knockout punch is a weapon of mass destruction, and that he should be in jail for the strength of his fist. The Tampa native closed his statement by saying in 23 days, Van Dam will feel the weapon of mass destruction, and he'll never be the same again. Later that night, the World Heavyweight Champion faced Kane (who is still entitled to a championship match after WrestleMania) in a non-title match. "Crank It Up" by Brand New Sin played as soon as RVD nailed the Van Daminator and a Five-Star Frog Splash was coming. Van Dam attempted the Five-Star anyway, but The Big Red Monster avoided it. Kane then channeled his half-brother The Undertaker by using the Tombstone Piledriver to seal victory. After the match, Big Show waited for the World Heavyweight Champion to get up, then hit the W.M.D. (Weapon of Mass Destruction) on him for the second week in a row. Show then held up the Big Gold Belt while putting one boot on Van Dam's body.

Wrestling pundits and critics admired Big Show's heel turn, stating that he works much better in that position and looks more like a world champion now than when he held the title. The next week, Austin decided to have both Van Dam and Show confront each other-in the ring. To prevent a brawl, security was hired. Big Show came out first and took several jabs at RVD, calling him a "fluke champion" and the guy "who simply took what never belonged to him in the first place." The 441-pound giant demanded the Battle Creek native to come out and talk to him like a man, if he is a man. Van Dam's theme played, but nobody came through the curtain. The World Heavyweight Champion ran through the crowd, scaled the top rope, and took Show by surprise with a clothesline. Austin's request to maintain order failed, as the two WrestleMania opponents were going at it. Security did little, so did road agents. Eventually, Show speared Van Dam and went for the W.M.D. But RVD ducked and dropkicked the Tampa native. The Battle Creek native then locked in The Rings of Saturn again, which he has renamed the Van Crushinator. The show ended with several SmackDown! superstars trying to get Van Dam off a bleeding Big Show. The week afterwards, Van Dam faced United States Champion Chris Jericho in a highly-awaited Champion vs. Champion match. At one point, RVD missed Rolling Thunder and Y2J hit the Lionsault. Van Dam locked in the Van Crushinator on Jericho, and it was too much for the blue brand's #2 titleholder to overcome. After the match, Big Show revealed what he did to the World Heavyweight Champion's car-destroy it. An enraged Van Dam went to the parking lot and saw his damaged car. It was just another trap. The #1 contender destroyed RVD using the cars as his friends, and it was capped off with a chokeslam through the glass window of a Buick. Show slowly held up the WHC as Van Dam was motionless inside the Buick.

Two days before WrestleMania, SmackDown! was live/taped from WrestleMania Axxess at the Anaheim Convention Center. A video package aired for the RVD/Big Show title match, and Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler made their picks. Cole chose Van Dam, while Lawler predicted the World's Largest Athlete would win. Later that night, to end SmackDown!, RVD cut a promo. The World Heavyweight Champion talked about how much of a conman Big Show is, and that for a short time, he considered the giant his friend. Van Dam said that what the #1 contender has done to him the past couple weeks don't matter anymore, because the only thing that matters is 48. 48 hours until they finally go one-on-one. 48 hours until the irresistible force meets the immovable object. "AND 48 HOURS UNTIL I WHOOP YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CHAVEZ RAVINE! My name is Rob Van Dam, and I'm going to leave WrestleMania 2000 STILL your World Heavyweight Champion!" And that's how it ends. At WrestleMania 2000, an angry giant invokes his rematch clause against the man who supposedly "stole" the World Heavyweight Championship from him. Will Rob Van Dam prove he ain't no fluke and walk out of Arrowhead Pond having slayed the beast? Or will Big Show's new, heelish attitude prove to be the difference between a new champion and defeat?