WWF "Royal Rumble 1999"

[adamclark52]

WWF “Royal Rumble”
January 24th, 1999
From the Pond in Anaheim, California
Commentators: Michael Cole and Jerry “the King” Lawler

Tonight: the Royal Rumble, and Vince McMahon has put a bounty on whoever eliminates Stone Cold Steve Austin. Plus, the winner of the Royal Rumble is granted a shot at the WWF World Championship at Wrestlemania.

Road Dogg vs. the Big Bossman
Despite Road Dogg being the Hardcore champion at the time this match was not under hardcore rules or for the Hardcore Championship, so that took away any real interest a match between these two could have had. I thought remembered the Big Bossman being a surprise entrant in the 1999 Royal Rumble but I guess not, because he was also one half of the WWF Tag Team champions at this time. It was an okay match. I think the point was for the Corporation to wear members of D-X down before the Royal Rumble.
Winner: the Big Bossman

For the WWF Intercontinental Championship
“Bad Ass” Billy Gunn vs. Ken Shamrock (champion)
The bar wasn’t very high but this was a much better match. As good a match as you’re ever going to see from Billy Gunn.
Winner: Ken Shamrock

Vince McMahon and his cronies are getting pumped up for the Royal Rumble.

For the WWF European Championship
Gangrel vs. X-Pac {RULES!) (champion)
Referee: TEDDY LONG, PLAYA!
Aside from a really REALLY bad botch on a roll-up at the end this was a good (but short) match.
Winner: X-Pac (RULES!)

Kevin Kelly is with the members of D-X and they say they’re a family but it’s every man (and woman) for themselves in the Royal Rumble.

Shane McMahon comes out to introduce Luna. He calls Sable (who was injured previously on Sunday Night HeAT) out to forfeit the WWF Women’s Championship to Luna. She refuses.

Strap Match for the WWF Women’s Championship
Luna vs. Sable (champion)
This was far from as bad as it could have been, even though they totally forgot the rules of a Strap Match. I thought it was once your opponent touched a turnbuckle it like...reset the count or whatever? I thought you had to touch all four in a row without your opponent touching any? Not here.
Winner: Sable

The Corporation is ready for the Royal Rumble, the bounty and the WWF World Championship shot at Wrestlemania.

Doc Hendrix asks the Rock if he will be able to do what no one else has ever done before: make Mankind say “I Quit”. He guarantees victory.

“I Quit” Match for the WWF World Championship
The Rock vs. Mankind (champion)
This match was a lot of fun; be it the crazy punishment they both took, the Rock anytime any microphone was in his face or the insane chair shots at the end. I wonder how sick the Rock felt at the end having to do that?
Winner: the Rock (new WWF World Champion)

The Royal Rumble
Featuring: Al Snow, Billy Gunn, Chyna, D-Lo Brown w/Terri Runnels and Jacqueline, Dan Severn, Droz, Edge, Gangrel, Gillberg, Goldust, Golga, Jeff Jarrett w/De-Bra, Kane, Ken Shamrock, Kurgan, Mabel, Mark Henry, Owen Hart, Road Dogg, Steve Blackman, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Test, the Big Bossman, the Blue Meanie, the Godfather w/two hoes, Tiger Ali Singh, Triple H, Val Venis, Vince McMahon and X-Pac (Rules!)
This was a lot of fun at the time but watching it now...it really kinda sucks. All that mattered was Stone Cold getting his hands on Vince McMahon, which could have been done any other way but I guess it served its point in storyline purposes. And at least Stone Cold DID get his hands on Vince, something that’s absence has been well documented in all the authority figure storylines since. Aside from those two though it was just a bunch of low card guys killing time and a lot of times where a single guy was standing in the ring by himself. Even D-X didn’t do too much other than be there. It really showed how weak the undercard of the WWF was in 1999 that the final four (as Vince McMahon sat outside the ring) was Austin, Owen Hart, D-Lo Brown and the Big Bossman.
Winner: Vince McMahon
______________________________________________
I wasn’t that high on the Royal Rumble but the entire undercard was really good. The WWF Championship match was kinda hard to watch at the end but was worth watching the entire show for. And Stone Cold verses McMahon really never did get old. Overall the show was a good time capsule to glory days of yore. Before the dark times. Before Stephanie McMahon was even known of.

The crowd here was maybe the most Attitude Era-y you’ll ever see. I was on the lookout for the “X-Pac Rules” guy but I didn’t see him. So here he is.

[Milkman Norm]

An awful, awful show imo.

[Bang Bang Bart]

May 27, 2020 15:28:48 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

An awful, awful show imo.

Only notable for Rock/Mankind I Quit and the PPV theme becoming Vince McMahon’s theme.

[chrom]

God the roster sucked at that time

[Famous Rocking Chimes]

May 27, 2020 15:40:57 GMT -5 chrom said:

God the roster sucked at that time

And yet you could argue this was the WWF at its peak in terms of popularity, certainly in the amount of wrestlers that were OVER.

The in-ring quality left a lot to be desired but at least you cared about the entire roster, something I wish WWE would do today.

[Christian]

Here's some footage from that PPV

[4real]

May 27, 2020 17:19:56 GMT -5 Famous Rocking Chimes said:

May 27, 2020 15:40:57 GMT -5 chrom said:

God the roster sucked at that time

And yet you could argue this was the WWF at its peak in terms of popularity, certainly in the amount of wrestlers that were OVER.

The in-ring quality left a lot to be desired but at least you cared about the entire roster, something I wish WWE would do today.

I don’t know there was a few guys in the early part of the Rumble that maybe the crowd didn’t care about (Singh, Blackman, Meanie, Severn) but the majority was over no doubt.

The quality of this Rumble is poor but WWE did have some good talent in it so could have made it work better. Also there were multiple times in the match where the ring was empty. And the rest of the roster did feel like an after thought compared to the Austin McMahon storyline.

[Venti]

I love this Rumble match, even if it is centered around one angle.

Honestly, along with the build-up to Wrestlemania 13, the whole build-up to Wrestlemania 15 is one of my favorites.
From the Survivor Series with Rock being coronated as the Corporation's champ, to Mankind having his moments as champ, to Austin FINALLY getting his hands on Vince in the cage, and ending with Austin dethroning the corporate champion at Wrestlemania.
Long tangent aside, I mention this, because this PPV/Rumble match ended up being a key part of that whole angle.

Also, I know the undercard of the following year is much more beloved by many people, due to the higher scale of match technicality and skill, but I personally love the undercard from this time period.

[adamclark52]

Undercards in the Attitude era are usually garbage so this was nice to see actual matches and very little overbooked gimmicky shit

[fw91]

Two things I remember most is Gillberg going over and out in seconds, and The Dudes in the front row doing the Bentley Bounce in the front row to Gangrel's theme when he came out during the rumble.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I still say this is the worst Rumble match.

More than one point with a totally empty ring. Entire match in service to one angle. Won by Vince. Nobody else got any shine. A roster of all extremely over wrestlers with mostly shitty wrestling.

Undercard isn't much better. I found the Foley/Rock match unwatchable in its final stretch even ten years back, never mind now. The other matches are just shitty.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

I like this show. It’s a fun Rumble.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

May 28, 2020 18:53:50 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

I like this show. It’s a fun Rumble.

I am legitimately baffled by this. Please tell me what you like about it. Two segments of a totally empty ring? Road Dogg, doing nothing for two minutes? Intimate shots of the entrance to the women's bathroom? The most black ring gear you'll see in one place until Rumble 2009? The list of legendary, all-time-classic gimmicks like Golga, Droz, Tiger f***ing Ali Singh, a ludicrously green Test... I mean the 28th entrant was D'Lo Brown! D'Lo is super underrated, don't get me wrong, but number 28???

Genuinely man, what are the bits in that you liked? I can barely think of even any entrants that I liked, never mind spots.

[Feargus McReddit]

F*** that Rumble match. Seriously.

Like, one segment of an empty ring you can get (hell, it was effective for Corbin's run at the 2018 Rumble) but two?! And both of the times weren’t even because the guy was eliminated by someone else? Like...Christ.

And sorry, you can have a match consist of one overarching plot without making almost the entirety of your roster look unimportant and insignificant in the grand scheme of it.

That and 2015 were both examples of “How to make your roster look like goobers in 60 minutes or less”.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

May 29, 2020 15:59:06 GMT -5 Feargus McReddit said:

F*** that Rumble match. Seriously.

Like, one segment of an empty ring you can get (hell, it was effective for Corbin's run at the 2018 Rumble) but two?! And both of the times weren’t even because the guy was eliminated by someone else? Like...Christ.

And sorry, you can have a match consist of one overarching plot without making almost the entirety of your roster look unimportant and insignificant in the grand scheme of it.

That and 2015 were both examples of “How to make your roster look like goobers in 60 minutes or less”.

How would you make that Rumble roster look important? How many actual sharks are in there?

I know that in '99, the jobbers were as over as main eventers are now, but how many legitimate sharks are actually in that match? 1. Stone Cold 2. Kane 3. Shamrock 4. Charitably, Owen Hart?

[Cranjis McBasketball]

May 29, 2020 15:56:00 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

May 28, 2020 18:53:50 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

I like this show. It’s a fun Rumble.

I am legitimately baffled by this. Please tell me what you like about it. Two segments of a totally empty ring? Road Dogg, doing nothing for two minutes? Intimate shots of the entrance to the women's bathroom? The most black ring gear you'll see in one place until Rumble 2009? The list of legendary, all-time-classic gimmicks like Golga, Droz, Tiger f***ing Ali Singh, a ludicrously green Test... I mean the 28th entrant was D'Lo Brown! D'Lo is super underrated, don't get me wrong, but number 28???

Genuinely man, what are the bits in that you liked? I can barely think of even any entrants that I liked, never mind spots.

Enjoyed the Austin/McMahon stuff, the overall insanity of the Kane and Ministry stuff. The Rumble had a story to tell and it told it.

I’m not saying it’s amazing or even really very good but I am saying it’s fun and I like it.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

May 29, 2020 18:06:00 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

May 29, 2020 15:56:00 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

I am legitimately baffled by this. Please tell me what you like about it. Two segments of a totally empty ring? Road Dogg, doing nothing for two minutes? Intimate shots of the entrance to the women's bathroom? The most black ring gear you'll see in one place until Rumble 2009? The list of legendary, all-time-classic gimmicks like Golga, Droz, Tiger f***ing Ali Singh, a ludicrously green Test... I mean the 28th entrant was D'Lo Brown! D'Lo is super underrated, don't get me wrong, but number 28???

Genuinely man, what are the bits in that you liked? I can barely think of even any entrants that I liked, never mind spots.

Enjoyed the Austin/McMahon stuff, the overall insanity of the Kane and Ministry stuff. The Rumble had a story to tell and it told it.

I’m not saying it’s amazing or even really very good but I am saying it’s fun and I like it.

You do you, bruh! I am glad you enjoyed it, I wish I could.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

May 29, 2020 18:21:30 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

May 29, 2020 18:06:00 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

Enjoyed the Austin/McMahon stuff, the overall insanity of the Kane and Ministry stuff. The Rumble had a story to tell and it told it.

I’m not saying it’s amazing or even really very good but I am saying it’s fun and I like it.

You do you, bruh! I am glad you enjoyed it, I wish I could.

Just go back and let the Rumble be. Just watch, not with an open mind, but with a mind that knows what it’s getting and is ready for fun. Be positive about it.

[adamclark52]

May 29, 2020 16:14:10 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

May 29, 2020 15:59:06 GMT -5 Feargus McReddit said:

F*** that Rumble match. Seriously.

Like, one segment of an empty ring you can get (hell, it was effective for Corbin's run at the 2018 Rumble) but two?! And both of the times weren’t even because the guy was eliminated by someone else? Like...Christ.

And sorry, you can have a match consist of one overarching plot without making almost the entirety of your roster look unimportant and insignificant in the grand scheme of it.

That and 2015 were both examples of “How to make your roster look like goobers in 60 minutes or less”.

How would you make that Rumble roster look important? How many actual sharks are in there?

I know that in '99, the jobbers were as over as main eventers are now, but how many legitimate sharks are actually in that match? 1. Stone Cold 2. Kane 3. Shamrock 4. Charitably, Owen Hart?

Agreed. Who else could you have added though? Put the Rock and Mankind in and you would have had to taken two other top guys out to fill the title match spot. or double duty. but I don't like double duty at all, even if it was undercard guys. And the Undertaker. But the way he was booked at this time he really couldn't lose so it would have been impossible to have him in it and had the same results with the Austin-McMahon stuff. They wouldn't have done the "Maven spot" with him at this time.

As others have said: the roster was NOT good then.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

May 29, 2020 18:28:01 GMT -5 adamclark52 said:

May 29, 2020 16:14:10 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

How would you make that Rumble roster look important? How many actual sharks are in there?

I know that in '99, the jobbers were as over as main eventers are now, but how many legitimate sharks are actually in that match? 1. Stone Cold 2. Kane 3. Shamrock 4. Charitably, Owen Hart?

Agreed. Who else could you have added though? Put the Rock and Mankind in and you would have had to taken two other top guys out to fill the title match spot. or double duty. but I don't like double duty at all, even if it was undercard guys. And the Undertaker. But the way he was booked at this time he really couldn't lose so it would have been impossible to have him in it and had the same results with the Austin-McMahon stuff. They wouldn't have done the "Maven spot" with him at this time.

As others have said: the roster was NOT good then.

Peak business, terrible wrestlers. It's fascinating.