The Year in PPV- 1999, Part I

If you recall some of my previous Attitude Era reviews, I'm not the biggest fan of the era. I don't have that soft spot for it like most fans do. I'm more of a Ruthless Aggression Era fan. Yet, here we have what many consider the most popular time to be a wrestling fan. It had one of the most talented wrestling rosters ever and fans were absolutely glued to watching the product. Naturally, 1999 should be one of my favorite years to watch right? RIGHT?!?!

So let's begin 1999 with one of the most controversial Royal Rumble moments in history...


1. Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble midcard had some really unique midcard matches with a member of D-Generation X involved in the first three matches. We had Road Dogg vs. Big Boss Man, Billy Gunn challenging Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Championship, and X-Pac defending the European Championship against Gangrel. Then we had a strap match for the Women's Championship with Sable defending the belt against Luna Vachon. In all honesty, these matches were just warms up until we got to the two main events. The first main event was an "I Quit" match for the WWF Championship. Mankind and The Rock beat the crap out of each other in an absolutely brutal match that did wonders for both characters. Like the Hell in a Cell match with the Undertaker, this was a reminder for the fans of how much Mick Foley was willing to put his body on the line to entertain people. As for The Rock, it showed a darker and sadistic side for the Corporate Champion and proved he could hang with a hardcore legend like Foley.

Then we get to the Royal Rumble match. This match is not beloved by most purist wrestling fans for the obvious end result. In one of the most shocking Royal Rumble moments, it came down to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon. Considering they both started the match, had moments where they left the ring, went backstage, spent most of the match out of the ring, then came back to finish the match, it really made the other 28 contestants feel unimportant. Yes, the Austin/McMahon rivalry was the biggest thing in the company, but this was not the proper payoff fans wanted. And even worse, it had to follow that phenomenal WWF Championship match and completely left fans pissed off. And even worse than that, the result of this match was COMPLETELY USELESS by the time we got to the next PPV. I'm sure you're familiar with how the match ends, but sadly to say, that image is not the only time you'll see McMahon win something prestigious this year...

Mild Recommendation


2. St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House

I feel like this show was the WWF's attempt at an ECW show, or an ancestor to the Extreme Rules PPV. St. Valentine's Day Massacre had a lot of hardcore gimmicks added to feuds, such as a very entertaining Hardcore Championship match with Al Snow and Bob Holly. And then we had matches that just had compelling ideas, such as the Intercontinental Championship match (Ken Shamrock vs. Val Venis) that had Billy Gunn as guest referee, or the tag team match between D-Generation X (Triple H and X-Pac) and the Corporation (Chyna and Kane).

Then we get to matches to paint the main event picture for WrestleMania, starting with a Last Man Standing match for the WWF Championship. Mankind and The Rock proceeded to once again beat the crap out of each other, in a match that wasn't as good as their "I Quit" match, but still delivered in quality. The main event was a Steel Cage match to determine the number one contender for the WWF Championship. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon had a match that served as much better payoff than what they were given in the Royal Rumble match. This was a straight up beatdown, but it was tons of fun and Mr. McMahon had a BIG surprise waiting for Austin.

Mild Recommendation


3. WrestleMania XV

Oh gosh, this WrestleMania is AWFUL! Never before have I seen a year that had such a wide array of talent put on such a terrible show. Think about the people at this WrestleMania: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, Big Show, Undertaker, Kane, Triple H, Shane McMahon, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, Owen Hart, Jeff Jarrett, and the show STILL SUCKED! A lot of the problems were in the booking process. Certain wrestlers were switched from their division to another (like Billy Gunn and Road Dogg swapping the Hardcore and Intercontinental Championships), title contenders were decided in a pre-show battle royal (which made little sense because it was for the tag team championships), and some wrestlers turned on each other, reunited, and then turned on other people. And then we just have matches that nobody cared about. There was the boxing match between Butterbean and Bart Gunn that absolutely BURIED the Brawl for All concept. And then we had a Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Big Boss Man that was simply the worst. Never before have I seen a Cell match where literally no one cared. And that's this show in a nutshell.

The ONE match that will be remembered for all the right reasons is the WWF Championship match with The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was the first match in their WrestleMania trilogy, and it may be the worst in quality, but it absolutely fit the tone of the era's main event matches, so it's not a complete letdown. If it wasn't for this match, this would probably be the absolute worst Mania in history, so it must say a lot about The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to end a turd show on a high note.

Skip It


4. Backlash: In Your House

This PPV wasn't actually that bad, as it carried on the idea of rematches and post-Mania feuds. The midcard matches were ok, but when the show really gained my interest was in the Boiling Room Brawl between Big Show and Mankind. While it was only a couple minutes long, Big Show and Mankind really make the most of the time and putting on a solid hardcore match. Another personal feud on the card was between Triple H and X-Pac. It's not the greatest match in the world, but it had a historical significance in showing how Triple H could perform as a future main event heel.

I really loved the WWF Championship match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. This match really picked up in quality thanks to the No Holds Barred stipulation, and the inclusion of Shane McMahon as guest referee. This was a GREAT sign of things to come for Rock and Austin, as this ranks higher than their Mania XV match, and set the standard for the Mania X-Seven match to live up to. Also, the on-air moment that happened after this match is ABSOLUTELY INSANE and made fans want to tune in the next night on RAW. THAT is how you end a PPV!

Mild Recommendation


5. No Mercy (UK)

We all know how I feel about UK exclusive PPVs, so let's just cut to the chase. This is the epitome of a RAW on PPV. None of the midcard really mattered, feuds were just filler to get from Backlash to Over the Edge, and in a week, no one would even remember the PPV. There's only one major strength with this show and it's the rivalry between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shane McMahon's Corporate Ministry.

The main event was a triple threat for the WWF Championship with Stone Cold Steve Austin defending the title against Triple H and the Undertaker. In the annals of history, this would seem like one of the most star studded triple threats imaginable, so naturally the quality should reflect that right? Well, it doesn't. That's not to say it's bad, but it's a tad underwhelming. Triple H wasn't nearly the legend he is nowadays, so there weren't as high expectations back then. It's an example of a match that probably impressed viewers back in the day, but doesn't age well. As Triple H evolved his game (pun intended), there was a notable increase in his ability to be a ring leader. Heck, we even see signs of that later on in 1999, but here he was just filling a spot in a multi-man match where the focus was clearly on Austin and Taker.

Skip It


Initial Thoughts: Wow! This is NOT the way to get your year off on the right note. There was a handful of good matches, but there was so much stuff I didn't care about from these shows. Like I've said before, I think the Attitude Era is overrated. Yes, the personalities were all memorable and engaging, but the matches were so formulaic that it is really difficult to re-watch the same style of match over and over again as I move through these shows. One would've hoped the year would've gotten better within the next few months, but unfortunately, tragedy struck the company that would leave them in a really difficult spot soon after this string of PPVs.

Continued in Part II...


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