Wwf 1999 was a clusterf*** of a year

[ChitownKnight]

While a lot of it was entertaining, I feel like there were too many face/heel turns and a lot of swerves. Also what happened to the Undetaker? He was booked in that 6 pack challenge and just dipped off because he refused to face HHH. Vince winning the WWF title was also absurd. And The whole Big Show/Bossman storyline was hilarious and there was a segment where they were doing a 10 bell salute for his dad and when the cameras were pointing to the fans, they were morso happy to be on camera lol. Also not only did the titles get hot potatoed but it seemed like there was a world title match every week

[CeilingFan]

All of that is true, but WCW 1999 was even worse. Only ECW had a stellar year.

[madness50]

WCW really could have stayed competitive with WWF in 1999, but their booking and momentum just went into the toilet.

[Andy Martin]

1999 was a clusterf*** of a year in general.

[msc]

And yet it was the year that I became a fan!

That Bossman tribute poem is still printed on my memory as a scene in such bad taste it jumped right back over the line and was hilarious.

[Timeless Hayterade]

About Undertaker refusing to participate in the six pack challenge: It was due to the fact that since the Summer of 1998, he had been working through various injuries and they caught up with him by September 1999. That was just to write him off so he could heal up those nagging injuries.

[ChitownKnight]

Also, how about Steph turning heel because she wasn’t appreciative of the fact that her dad orchestrated her kidnapping. I’m almost done with 99, hopefully 2000 will be a lot better

[James Fabiano]

For all the talk about Russo being filtered, things started becoming more like the Vince Russo we all know and dislike in 1999 WWF.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

1999 was a f***ing trainwreck creatively and from Backlash to Armageddon is definitely more shit then good. First few months of ‘99 have a lot of shit but the main event scene is great

[Deleted]

1998 and 2000 were two of the greatest years ever so it's almost impressive how 1999 was smack dab in the middle and managed to be so awful.

Maybe the worst Royal Rumble match ever, the worst KOTR winner ever, a mediocre Summerslam, a terrible Survivor Series and Wrestlemania felt like just a regular PPV (14 felt like a huge show but the others from that era didn't feel special at all - 17 was definitely the beginning of the modern era where Wrestlemania really became a larger than life event again). The beginning of the devaluation of the IC title, going from Austin/Owen/Rock/HHH/Shamrock having heated rivalries over it previously then in 1999 is started changing hands every other week and with the likes of Godfather/Jeff Jarrett/Val Venis. Big Show debuting with a lot of hype and almost immediately being a huge bust ( I recall he lost to Austin clean in his first match and on free TV!). The higher power storyline. And of course the Owen Hart tragedy.

There was obviously some good stuff. The first show of the year with Mankind winning the title was a great moment. The HHH/Chyna double swerve at Wrestlemania was one of Russo's best. Jericho's debut was a memorable moment even if the rest of his year was weak. The HHH/Stephanie marriage angle was brilliant. Overall it really was a weak year though considering the absolutely insane numbers they were doing.

[eJm]

The WCW comparison is kind of appropriate, mostly because it could be argued both were terrible in 1999 mostly because they were both coming off highly influential and successful 1998s.

Both were just keeping what worked going and doing storylines that, looking back (or at the time depending) were pretty goddamn bad besides a few glimmers.

The difference being one company learned from it, or at least had their head writer leave into the year, and adapted to the changes and pushed new talent towards the main event and the other was WCW.

Hence why WCW 2000 is regarded as one of the worst periods of any wrestling promotion ever and why WWF 2000 is regarded as one of the best.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Feb 17, 2021 16:48:10 GMT -5 eJm said:

The WCW comparison is kind of appropriate, mostly because it could be argued both were terrible in 1999 mostly because they were both coming off highly influential and successful 1998s.

Both were just keeping what worked going and doing storylines that, looking back (or at the time depending) were pretty goddamn bad besides a few glimmers.

The difference being one company learned from it, or at least had their head writer leave into the year, and adapted to the changes and pushed new talent towards the main event and the other was WCW.

Hence why WCW 2000 is regarded as one of the worst periods of any wrestling promotion ever and why WWF 2000 is regarded as one of the best.

Pretty much this 

WWF turned that shit around real fast and kept that going while WCW double if not tripled down on the insanity. What in theory should have been a coup in WCW getting the lead writer from WWF ended up being shittier then they could actually imagine 

Difference was Vince at that time still listened to others and you obviously had stars pitching their stuff in while in WCW, if it didn't work for Hogan it wasn't happening and you couldn't get the other top guys to give a damn about anything outside of their spot outside of Bret, Sting, Flair etc

[hassanchop]

Feb 17, 2021 15:12:22 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

For all the talk about Russo being filtered, things started becoming more like the Vince Russo we all know and dislike in 1999 WWF.

Imagine if Russo stayed in 99 how things would turn out

[dangerousdanpotato]

The year the IC title went down the toilet

[adamclark52]

I found it really lost steam around Summerslam

[DoubleDare]

Even Triple H & Chyna joining the corporation was done very Vince Russo like.
Chyna turns on Triple h & DX and joins the corporation.
But then during WM XV turns on Kane and is back with HHH & DX.
But then Triple H turns on DX with Chyna and joins the corporation.

[The Creepo Man]

Feb 17, 2021 19:26:32 GMT -5 dangerousdanpotato said:

The year the IC title went down the toilet

The year the European title was found in Shane’s duffle bag

[James Fabiano]

Feb 17, 2021 17:25:21 GMT -5 hassanchop said:

Feb 17, 2021 15:12:22 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

For all the talk about Russo being filtered, things started becoming more like the Vince Russo we all know and dislike in 1999 WWF.

Imagine if Russo stayed in 99 how things would turn out

A Russofixion thread, you say?

Wellllllllll.....

Kurt and Steph do NOT wind up together, because Kurt and Hunter secretly have an affair! (Triple H was making fun of Angle crying because he was playfully teasing his crush)

Chris Jericho learns that Chris Benoit is his father, just weeks after it was revealed that they were brothers.

TLC match involves Terri again and becomes the Second Terri Invitational Tournament (or the second TIT).

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Feb 17, 2021 17:11:20 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Feb 17, 2021 16:48:10 GMT -5 eJm said:

The WCW comparison is kind of appropriate, mostly because it could be argued both were terrible in 1999 mostly because they were both coming off highly influential and successful 1998s.

Both were just keeping what worked going and doing storylines that, looking back (or at the time depending) were pretty goddamn bad besides a few glimmers.

The difference being one company learned from it, or at least had their head writer leave into the year, and adapted to the changes and pushed new talent towards the main event and the other was WCW.

Hence why WCW 2000 is regarded as one of the worst periods of any wrestling promotion ever and why WWF 2000 is regarded as one of the best.

Pretty much this 

WWF turned that shit around real fast and kept that going while WCW double if not tripled down on the insanity. What in theory should have been a coup in WCW getting the lead writer from WWF ended up being shittier then they could actually imagine 

Difference was Vince at that time still listened to others and you obviously had stars pitching their stuff in while in WCW, if it didn't work for Hogan it wasn't happening and you couldn't get the other top guys to give a damn about anything outside of their spot outside of Bret, Sting, Flair etc

Yeah, neither the WWF or WCW's TV product really holds up going back to it, but the WWF protected their top stars, so guys like Austin, Rock, Taker, Foley, HHH, etc. were all being used in ways that preserved or enhanced their appeal. Even if something like the Higher Power storyline didn't have the greatest conclusion, they weren't doing anything really stupid like having Austin turn heel and being the Higher Power or Undertaker turning face in the midst of him terrorizing innocent Stephanie McMahon.

WCW, on the other hand, were actively killing their top stars, with a Hogan and Flair double-turn that made no sense, DDP finally winning the title as the People's Champion and then turning heel immediately afterwards, Kevin Nash throwing the WCW title away to start the year but treating it like it meant everything to him four months later, Goldberg not pursuing a rematch for most of the year, eventually even Sting turning heel for reasons; the list goes on and on.

It's not hard to see why the WWF, despite putting on absolute trash for most of the year, left WCW in the dust as the year went on. Because you at least knew you would be entertained by your favorites, as opposed to wondering why anyone would watch this shit.

[chrom]

Wasn't until E&C and The Hardy Boys had their series of matches did it turn around