The tag team ladder match was born. Triple H finally got his one on one PPV match for the WWE Title, the Rock took revenge on a nasty Englishman and a 70+ year old woman became the Women's Champ on this terrific return by the WWE to their very best PPV form.
The big event going into the PPV was British Bulldog's interference in the Rock's title match with Triple H at the UK only Rebellion event. Rock would face Bulldog here looking for a measure of revenge. This left Austin as the No.1 contender.
The night began with the Godfather pinning Mideon despite the interference of Viscera to win a terrible match. This was followed by another poor match which saw Ivory lose the WWE Women's Championship to the 78 year old Fabulous Moolah. THis was followed by another average match which saw Hardcore and Crash Holly defeat the New Age Outlaws by DQ after Gunn performed the fame asser on a steel chair.
Next up came the first memorable match of the night as Jeff Jarrett, in his final WWE match, dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Chyna in a Good Housekeeping match. This was basically a hardcore match using kitchen implements and cleaning tools. Jarrett knocked Chyna out using the championship belt, but referee Teddy Long refused to count the pin because an IC Championship is not a household implement. Jarrett the assaulted Long, allowing Chyna to smash Jarrett with his own guitar (which I would hardly call a household implement either) and pick up the pin. Chyna became the first and only woman to win the IC Championship. Jarrett therefore took an unwanted place in history as the first male to lose a major WWE title to a woman. He would have both Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero for company by the time WrestleMania 2000 rolled around. Jarrett has been widely ridiculed by the WWE since leaving and starting the unsuccessful TNA promotion and his blind faith in Vince Russo, but I thought he was a decent worker and the WWE thought enough of him to give him the IC Title on 8 different occasions, and was professional enough here to lose to a woman on PPV while working out of contract. Two sides to every story they say...Fun match too.
Next match saw the Rock challenge the winner of tonight's WWE Championship match to a title match at Survivor Series immediately after making short work of the British Bulldog. Triple H clobbered the Rock with a sledge hammer for his troubles and "The Great One" left the ring on a stretcher.
Next up saw one of the most important matches in WWE history, the first ever tag team ladder match. the contestants Edge and Christian and the Hardyz. The match came about as the culmination in a month long storyline which saw the former Mrs Goldust Terri Runnels put her services up for grabs in a best of five series. They won two matches each and so the contract for Runnels services was put into a briefcase and hung above the ring. No one had ever seen anything quite like this in the WWE or WCW and it was easily the best match of 1999 and started a memorable run of ladder matches involving the two teams and usually the Dudleyz as well. Jeff Hardy eventually grabbed the briefcase and the Hardyz had won the services of Terri Runnels. From a career point of view all 4 had achieved considerably more. Three of them would go on to become world Champions in the WWE and the fourth certainly had his high points as well.
Next match saw Val Venis defeat Mankind for no apparent reason, countering the mandible claw into a pin attempt.
Next match was a four corners elimination match won by X-Pac. Others involved in order of elimination were Bradshaw, kane and Faarooq. Entertaining enough match, but probably went too long before the first pin.
This brings us to the main event, in which Triple H defeats Steve Austin to retain the WWE Title. This was a typical main event for the time period. Vince McMahon was then in a rivalry with Triple H and stopped him from using the Sledge hammer he had used to take down the Rock earlier in the night. Triple H gets busted open, but regains the ascendancy, causing the Rock to come to the ring with the sledgehammer Triple H had used on him earlier. Guess McMahon either gave it to him or just casually left it backstage where anyone lying on a stretcher nursing broken ribs and bleeding internally (all storyline folks) could pick it up and run down to the ring to take revenge on the man who had hurt him. Anyway, his vengeance didn't quite go to plan, the Rock accidentally taking out Austin and then eating a pedigree. Triple H pinned Austin, who then brawls with him into the parking lot, only for new IC Champion Chyna to save the day and get Triple H to safety in a limo.
So there you have it, slow start building to a brilliant tag match and an entertaining main event. Easily the best PPV show of the year, apart perhaps from the excellent UK only show also called No Mercy, which occurred in May. We seem to be building nicely to a Rock/ Triple H feud for the belt, and between Jericho, Angle and the new ECW guys, there seems to be a lot of fresh talent there ready to take off. No to mention guys like Rock (as a good guy anyway), Big Show and Triple H who are still relatively new to the main event.
The big event going into the PPV was British Bulldog's interference in the Rock's title match with Triple H at the UK only Rebellion event. Rock would face Bulldog here looking for a measure of revenge. This left Austin as the No.1 contender.
The night began with the Godfather pinning Mideon despite the interference of Viscera to win a terrible match. This was followed by another poor match which saw Ivory lose the WWE Women's Championship to the 78 year old Fabulous Moolah. THis was followed by another average match which saw Hardcore and Crash Holly defeat the New Age Outlaws by DQ after Gunn performed the fame asser on a steel chair.
Next up came the first memorable match of the night as Jeff Jarrett, in his final WWE match, dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Chyna in a Good Housekeeping match. This was basically a hardcore match using kitchen implements and cleaning tools. Jarrett knocked Chyna out using the championship belt, but referee Teddy Long refused to count the pin because an IC Championship is not a household implement. Jarrett the assaulted Long, allowing Chyna to smash Jarrett with his own guitar (which I would hardly call a household implement either) and pick up the pin. Chyna became the first and only woman to win the IC Championship. Jarrett therefore took an unwanted place in history as the first male to lose a major WWE title to a woman. He would have both Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero for company by the time WrestleMania 2000 rolled around. Jarrett has been widely ridiculed by the WWE since leaving and starting the unsuccessful TNA promotion and his blind faith in Vince Russo, but I thought he was a decent worker and the WWE thought enough of him to give him the IC Title on 8 different occasions, and was professional enough here to lose to a woman on PPV while working out of contract. Two sides to every story they say...Fun match too.
Next match saw the Rock challenge the winner of tonight's WWE Championship match to a title match at Survivor Series immediately after making short work of the British Bulldog. Triple H clobbered the Rock with a sledge hammer for his troubles and "The Great One" left the ring on a stretcher.
Next up saw one of the most important matches in WWE history, the first ever tag team ladder match. the contestants Edge and Christian and the Hardyz. The match came about as the culmination in a month long storyline which saw the former Mrs Goldust Terri Runnels put her services up for grabs in a best of five series. They won two matches each and so the contract for Runnels services was put into a briefcase and hung above the ring. No one had ever seen anything quite like this in the WWE or WCW and it was easily the best match of 1999 and started a memorable run of ladder matches involving the two teams and usually the Dudleyz as well. Jeff Hardy eventually grabbed the briefcase and the Hardyz had won the services of Terri Runnels. From a career point of view all 4 had achieved considerably more. Three of them would go on to become world Champions in the WWE and the fourth certainly had his high points as well.
Next match saw Val Venis defeat Mankind for no apparent reason, countering the mandible claw into a pin attempt.
Next match was a four corners elimination match won by X-Pac. Others involved in order of elimination were Bradshaw, kane and Faarooq. Entertaining enough match, but probably went too long before the first pin.
This brings us to the main event, in which Triple H defeats Steve Austin to retain the WWE Title. This was a typical main event for the time period. Vince McMahon was then in a rivalry with Triple H and stopped him from using the Sledge hammer he had used to take down the Rock earlier in the night. Triple H gets busted open, but regains the ascendancy, causing the Rock to come to the ring with the sledgehammer Triple H had used on him earlier. Guess McMahon either gave it to him or just casually left it backstage where anyone lying on a stretcher nursing broken ribs and bleeding internally (all storyline folks) could pick it up and run down to the ring to take revenge on the man who had hurt him. Anyway, his vengeance didn't quite go to plan, the Rock accidentally taking out Austin and then eating a pedigree. Triple H pinned Austin, who then brawls with him into the parking lot, only for new IC Champion Chyna to save the day and get Triple H to safety in a limo.
So there you have it, slow start building to a brilliant tag match and an entertaining main event. Easily the best PPV show of the year, apart perhaps from the excellent UK only show also called No Mercy, which occurred in May. We seem to be building nicely to a Rock/ Triple H feud for the belt, and between Jericho, Angle and the new ECW guys, there seems to be a lot of fresh talent there ready to take off. No to mention guys like Rock (as a good guy anyway), Big Show and Triple H who are still relatively new to the main event.