Royal Rumble ’99

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Royal Rumble

January 24, 1999

Arrowhead Pond

Anaheim, California

News & Notes: I covered most of the build in my RAW review, so I’ll focus on the extra stuff here. First, Dennis Knight underwent a transformation. Undertaker placed him on an altar, made him drink his blood, and renamed him Mideon. Taker promised another sacrifice at the Royal Rumble. In other news, Mark Henry’s night with Chyna and Sammy took an unexpected turn. Henry found out the hard way Sammy was a man in drag. Chyna humiliated Mark. She showed an embarrassing video of the moment to Mark’s mom. Meanwhile, Terri Runnels used the miscarriage to manipulate D’Lo into doing PMS’s bidding. Next, we have poor Al Snow. Goldust played literal head games with him. He stole Head and prevented Al from reclaiming it. Finally, Dan Severn revealed his neck injury was a ruse. He helped Owen attack Blackman during a Lion’s Den Match.

We hear “No Chance in Hell” for the first time in the opening video. It will soon become Vince’s theme music. They recap everything that led to the Royal Rumble. Austin and Vince will enter the Rumble at numbers one and two. Shane called his father omniscient. Vince guaranteed Austin has no chance in hell of winning. McMahon even put a $100,000 bounty on Austin’s head. He hates Stone Cold, but Austin promised to whip McMahon’s ass all night long! 10-10-220 presents the Royal Rumble: No Chance in Hell.

Fireworks explode as Michael Cole welcomes everyone to southern California. Cole and Lawler speak about the Rumble and the $100,000 bounty. Vince will award the money to whoever eliminates Austin. Lawler also points out Chyna is the first woman to enter the Rumble Match.

Then Road Dogg arrives for his bout. He calls himself a hardcore fish in a big pond. But he is hardcore for life until the day he dies. That’s no lie! Cole tells us this isn’t a Hardcore Title Match. The Corporation wanted a straight one-on-one encounter. They didn’t want to give Road Dogg the advantage. Cole says this makes him suspicious. Next, Road Dogg does his spiel. He says DX presents the Hardcore Champion of the world, The Road Dogg Jesse James—and Bad Ass Billy Gunn. (Are they co-champions?)

Big Boss Man vs. Road Dogg

Notes: Road Dogg and DX had issues with The Brood, but I will discuss those later. Meanwhile, Boss Man continued his usual corporate dirty work. He faced Triple H in the Lion’s Den cage to punish Hunter for attacking Shane. It turned into a corporate beating for Helmsley. DX came to his rescue and brawled with the Corporation. Then Boss Man and Shamrock lost to Owen and Jarrett in a non-title bout. Now Owen and Jarrett want a tag team championship shot, so Boss Man and Shamrock jumped them.

The Match: Boss Man tries to intimidate Dogg by running the ropes. Then they trade strikes. Road Dogg regroups when Boss Man grabs the nightstick. The ref removes the weapon, so Dogg crotches Boss on the post behind the ref’s back. Boss Man recovers and takes control with more punches, eye pokes, and a bear hug. Dogg bites him to get free, only to eat a knee to the gut. Then Boss can’t remove a turnbuckle pad and settles for a spinebuster. He also uses a Boss Man Attack on the ropes, a backbreaker, and chokes. Boss fends off a sleeper, but Dogg slams him off the top rope. Dogg follows with Shake, Rattle, & Roll and a shaky knee drop. However, Boss Man surprises him with a Boss Man Slam for the win.

Thoughts: This should have been a Hardcore Match. It was mostly punching and kicking. To be fair, their punches looked good. But I don’t want a contest full of them. It wasn’t an exciting opener. A hardcore brawl would have worked better.

Winner: Big Boss Man (11:52)

They recap the Billy Gunn/Ken Shamrock feud. Gunn mooned Ken’s sister, Ryan. Cole called it a master plan to goad Shamrock into a match. Ken attacked Billy twice and tried to break his ankle. Lawler says Shamrock turned into a madman after Billy mooned his sister.

During Gunn’s entrance, Cole says Billy claims his ankle isn’t a worry. Lawler doesn’t believe him. Then Gunn grabs a mic. He tells Shamrock to come get his ass kicked. Billy also says, “If you’re not down with WPMC, I’ve got two words for ya!” (What is the WPMC?)

Intercontinental Title Match: Ken Shamrock (c) vs. Billy Gunn

Notes: Billy Gunn isn’t Shamrock’s only problem. Val Venis spotted a beautiful blonde in the crowd and hit on her. He found out it was Ken’s sister, Ryan Shamrock. (Ken’s girlfriend plays the role, so it’s a little odd.) Val’s disrespect earned him a beating. However, Billy Gunn saw an opportunity. He mooned Ryan Shamrock to get under Ken’s skin. It worked. Ken agreed to an IC Title match with Gunn. Then Billy faced Boss Man in a Hardcore bout. Ken jumped Gunn and injured his ankle with the steps and an anklelock.

The Match: They exchange strikes and whip each other around the ring. Gunn uses a clothesline, a chinlock, and a suplex. Ken answers with a knee-lift, a slam, and kicks. Then Billy hits the Fameasser, but he is slow to cover. Next, Shamrock low-bridges Gunn and they brawl outside. Billy drives Ken onto the announce table. Shamrock rams Gunn into everything he can find. Back inside, Shamrock targets Gunn’s injured leg and controls him with front facelocks. It continues until a ref bump. This allows Val Venis to run in and give Ken a DDT. He leaves, and Billy crawls over to pin him. It only gets two! They fight back and forth until Gunn misses a flying clothesline. He lands on his bad leg, so Ken grabs an anklelock for the submission.

Thoughts: It was slow and boring. The action picked up by the end, but it didn’t save this. I like how the leg work factored into the finish. It at least had good psychology, but it still wasn’t thrilling.

Winner: Ken Shamrock (14:23)

Vince is backstage with Shane and the Stooges. He paces the floor as Shane gives him a pep talk. Shane asks how it felt to slap Austin. Vince says, “He’s mine!” Then Shane predicts Vince will throw Austin out of the Rumble. Vince repeats Austin is his, so Shane calls him the man.

European Title Match: X-Pac (c) vs. Gangrel

Notes: Triple H defeated Gangrel, so the Brood targeted DX. They performed a bloodbath and soaked poor Road Dogg. He scored revenge on Heat. Road Dogg interrupted Edge & Gangrel vs. Jarrett & Owen. This led to Road Dogg vs. Gangrel for the Hardcore Title. Road Dogg retained his gold with multiple chair shots. Now Gangrel attempts to take another DX member’s belt.

The Match: They do headlocks, leapfrogs, and shoulder blocks. X-Pac nails a back suplex, a sliding leg drop, and kicks. But he crashes on a missed corner attack. Gangrel capitalizes with a corner splash, a capture suplex, and a chinlock. He also uses a press and drop, but Gangrel misses a flying elbow. It opens the door for X-Pac’s heel kick, wheel kick, and Bronco Buster. Then they fight on the top rope and X-Pac lands a flying crossbody. Gangrel reverses into a pin and Teddy Long counts a three. He ignores it because it wasn’t the finish, so the fans let him have it! Next, Gangrel hits a powerslam. He then ducks for a backdrop, but X-Pac surprises him with the X-Factor. It earns a victory.

Thoughts: It was a solid bout, but the botched three count brought it down a notch. X-Pac didn’t kick out in time. I don’t blame Teddy Long. He did his job. Other than the mistake, I enjoyed this.

Winner: X-Pac (5:53)

Kevin Kelly interviews DX. He asks Triple H about the Rumble, but Road Dogg grabs the mic. Dogg says he will win the Rumble and the $100,000. X-Pac enters the room and says the same. Then Triple H speaks. He claims DX is as tight as it gets, but this is about the WWF Title. It also concerns a hundred grand. This is every man for himself. Chyna interjects and says, “And woman!”

Shane McMahon appears. Cole wonders why he is there. Lawler says Shane does whatever he wants. He might take Cole’s job! But that’s not Shane’s reason for being there. He introduces Luna as the next Women’s champion. Shane announces Sable suffered a chronic back injury. (Does he know what chronic means?) She can’t compete, so Shane invites Sable to forfeit the title. They show clips of Luna attacking Sable on Heat. Sable arrives, but she asks the ref to ring the bell. Shane tells her to have it her way. He then joins the commentators and expresses his surprise at Sable’s decision.

Strap Match for the Women’s Title: Sable (c) vs. Luna (w/ Shane McMahon)

Notes: I mentioned Luna’s Spider Lady attack in my RAW review. The stunt got Sable’s attention. She gave Luna a championship shot. Luna prepared for this encounter by wrestling Duane Gill. But Gill changed his gimmick. He now calls himself Gillberg. It’s a Goldberg parody. Unlike his counterpart, Gillberg was no competition for Luna. However, the obsessed Sable fan attacked Luna after the bout. Then Shane tried to convince Luna to arm wrestle Chyna for Vince. Sable jumped Luna before it could happen. So Luna took revenge. She interrupted Sable’s interview on Heat. Luna injured Sable’s back.

The Match: Sable whips Luna with the strap until Luna regroups. Then Sable pulls her into the post. Back inside, Sable continues the whipping and chokes Luna with the strap. She also performs a strapmare and touches two corners. Luna answers with choking, strap shots, and a back claw. She then taps two corners before Sable stops her. Sable yanks Luna around the ring and hits kicks. But she crashes in the corner on a missed charge. Luna capitalizes with a backbreaker and hangs Sable over her shoulder. She hits the turnbuckles, but Sable slaps them as well. They reach three corners, so Shane grows worried. He distracts the ref. This allows the obsessed Sable fan to jump out of the crowd. She decks Luna, and Sable reaches the final corner for the win.

Thoughts: The action was fine, but they reused the tired old Strap Match ending. We saw it multiple times. I’m okay with the storyline advancement of the obsessed fan angle. The rest was uninteresting.

Winner: Sable (4:43)

We see Boss Man, Shamrock, and Test plotting something backstage. Boss Man says $100,000 and a shot at the WWF Title is on the line. He promises to do whatever it takes to win. Lawler says DX might have dissension, but the Corporation sticks together.

Next, they recap the Rock/Mankind feud. Rocky suggested multiple stipulations for a rematch, but Mankind shot them down. Then The Rock said he quit trying to convince him, so Mankind got an idea. It’s a fight The Rock can’t win and Mankind can’t lose. Mick wanted an I Quit Match. He never quit in his career, despite everything he endured. Mick says pain is his calling. But Rocky doesn’t think Mankind is indestructible. He promised to drag Mick down Know Your Role Boulevard and check him into the Smackdown Hotel. Mankind has one ear. Rocky has two. He will hear Mankind say he quits. Mankind says there are no disqualifications or count outs. They banned the Corporation from ringside. The Rock will look at him with his ridiculous eyebrow and say he quits.

Dok Hendrix asks The Rock if he can do what no one ever did. Can he make Mankind say he quits? Rock tells him to know his role and shut his mouth. He isn’t some rudy poo candy ass on Jabroni Drive. Millions of fans chant The Rock’s name. He will prove he is the Great One and the most electrifying man in sports entertainment! When Rocky makes Mankind quit, he will be the best damn WWF Champion in history. If you smell what The Rock is cooking.

This leads to The Rock’s entrance. Cole says Rocky was the youngest WWF champ, but he may be out of his element in this match. He is in uncharted waters. We see The Rock is wearing a tracksuit for this bout. (He had surgery on his pecs. The top covers the healing scars.) Then Mankind arrives with his new car crash theme. They show clips from Heat. Vince made Mankind face Mabel. The Rock attacked with a chair.

I Quit Match for the WWF Title: The Rock vs. Mankind (c)

Notes: The Rock demanded a rematch, but Mankind joked he wasn’t championship material. Then Mankind rejected Rock’s stipulation ideas. Rocky said he quit trying to convince him. This provided Mick with an idea. He suggested an I Quit Match. Vince punished Mankind by making him defend his belt against Kane. The Rock took exception, ruined the contest, and made Vince apologize. He didn’t want to lose his shot at revenge on Mankind. So Vince put Mankind in a Hardcore fight against Boss Man. Rocky interrupted and beat Mankind with a chair. The Rock also wrestled Kane. Vince told Kane to lie down for a Finger Poke of Doom, but he refused. So they attacked Kane until Mankind saved him with Austin’s help. Finally, Vince booked Mankind against Mabel on Heat. During the bout, Rocky left Mick lying with a chair.

The Match: They brawl in and out of the ring. The Rock does his usual headset shenanigans and uses a chair. Mankind answers with a Double-Arm DDT and a Socko Claw. But an unconscious Rock can’t quit. Next, they fight on the announce table. It collapses! Then they head down the aisle. Rock introduces a ladder and they climb onto a ledge. He knocks Mankind onto the electrical equipment. Sparks fly and the lights go out! Rock drags Mick to the ring and cuffs his hands behind his back. Mankind rallies, but Rocky nails a chair-assisted Corporate Elbow. He then unloads with eleven unprotected chair shots to Mankind’s head! Cole begs Mankind to quit. Mick says Rock will have to kill him, so Rocky continues the assault. Rock takes the mic and places it beside an unconscious Mankind. We hear him scream he quits. Something about it sounds odd.

Thoughts: This is the height of pro-wrestling drama. The intensity and emotion are great. But it is hard to watch. They agreed upon a few chair shots, but The Rock got carried away. Worse yet, this happened in front of Mick Foley’s kids. They were in the front row. It’s incredible, but it’s not something you watch numerous times. Also, no one should ever duplicate it. We don’t need unprotected chair shots to the head.

Winner: The Rock (New Champion) (21:47)

The Rock poses with his belt. Cole says Rocky makes him sick. Lawler doesn’t agree with Rock’s methods, but he blames Foley. Jerry says Mick should have quit when he had a chance. The doctors check on Mankind, so The Rock kicks him. He then poses over Mankind’s body and knocks over the stretcher. When Mick reaches his feet, he refuses the stretcher. Mick wants to walk out on his own.

They recap the Austin/McMahon feud. Vince is damn sick and tired of Stone Cold. He screwed Austin out of the title, but Steve qualified for the Rumble. However, Vince promises there’s no chance in hell of him winning. Vince entered the Rumble and put a bounty on Steve’s head. Austin will never regain the WWF championship!

Then they show a clip from Heat. The building security denied Austin access to the VIP entrance. He didn’t have a limo. So Austin left and returned with a monster truck limo! He crushed the cars parked outside. Afterward, Austin confronted McMahon. Vince slapped him and ran. Cole wonders if Austin can win his second-straight Rumble. Also, can he become the second person to win from the number one spot? Lawler has a retort. He says Vince McMahon never lost a match in his life. Cole reminds him Vince hasn’t had one, so Jerry tells him to shut up. Meanwhile, Finkel announces the rules. Lawler mocks him for taking too long.

Royal Rumble Match

Notes: Shane announced DX would face the Corporation in a Corporate Rumble on RAW. The winner would enter the Royal Rumble last. Vince tried to regain the #30 spot. He appeared to win until Chyna made a surprise appearance. The Stooges attempted to stop her, but Chyna won! She was the first woman to qualify for the Rumble. Vince then challenged Chyna to an arm-wrestling competition. He lost because the Stooges bumped into him while arguing. So the Stooges demanded a match with Chyna. She wrestled them in a handicap bout and beat them!

The Match: 1. Steve Austin, 2. Vince McMahon, 3. Golga, 4. Droz, 5. Edge, 6. Gillberg, 7. Steve Blackman, 8. Dan Severn, 9. Tiger Ali Singh, 10. The Blue Meanie.

Austin stomps a mudhole in Vince and gives him a low blow. Then Steve takes out Golga, so Vince escapes into the crowd. Austin follows him to a women’s restroom, but the Corporation jumps Stone Cold! They knock him out, and Vince leaves. EMTs load Austin into an ambulance. Meanwhile, Gillberg only last seconds. Severn and Blackman brawl. And The Meanie has a slap fight with Edge.

11. Mabel, 12. Road Dogg, 13. Gangrel, 14. Kurrgan, 15. Al Snow, 16. Goldust, 17. Godfather, 18. Kane, 19. Ken Shamrock, 20. Billy Gunn.

Mabel beats up Mosh and steals his spot. He eliminates Severn, Blackman, Tiger, Droz, and Meanie. Then Dogg tosses Edge. But the lights go out! The Ministry interrupts and pulls Mabel out of the ring. They take him to Undertaker. He asks Mabel if he accepts him as his savior. Mabel shakes his head, so the Ministry beats him up. Next, Dogg ousts Gangrel, but the ring fills up again. However, Kane arrives and clears it. Then the orderlies attack him. They try to put a straight jacket on Kane. He fights them off. Kane eliminates himself to chase the orderlies into the stands. Afterward, Vince returns and joins the commentary desk as Shamrock appears. Ken brawls with Gunn when he comes out next.

21. Test, 22. Big Boss Man, 23. Triple H, 24. Val Venis, 25. X-Pac, 26. Mark Henry, 27. Jeff Jarrett, 28. D’Lo Brown, 29. Owen Hart, 30. Chyna.

The Ministry loads Mabel into a hearse, as Austin returns in a commandeered ambulance! He enters the arena and chases Vince around ringside. Vince goes back to commentary once Austin climbs into the ring. Everyone targets Austin, but fights start over who will throw him out. Even X-Pac and Hunter scuffle. Then they eliminate Gunn, Test, X-Pac, and Jarrett. Owen arrives too late to save his partner. Meanwhile, Austin slides outside and dumps water on Vince. While he does this, Chyna enters to complete the field. She throws out Henry, but Austin clotheslines Chyna over the ropes. Hunter attacks him for this. They fight until Steve hits a Stunner and tosses Helmsley. A few more eliminations bring us to the final four.

Final Four: Vince McMahon, Steve Austin, Big Boss Man, & D’Lo Brown.

Boss Man gives Austin a sliding punch and D’Lo hits the Lo Down. D’Lo poses, so Boss Man throws him over the ropes. It allows Austin to recover. He does the Stunner and gets rid of Boss Man. Then Austin confronts Vince at the announce table. They brawl around the barricade until Austin blasts Vince with a chair. Back inside, Austin nails a Stunner and a diving elbow. However, The Rock appears. He distracts Austin, so Vince dumps Steve out of the ring to win!

Thoughts: The entire match was a backdrop for the Austin/McMahon stuff. I liked their stuff, but the rest was background noise. This was Austin vs. Vince with extras for filler. The storyline was fine. Everything else was lackluster.

Winner: Vince McMahon (56:38)

Austin and Rock brawl to the back while Vince lies on the mat. Shane and the Stooges arrive to help him to his feet. Shane says Vince is going to WrestleMania! Vince calls for beers to celebrate. Everyone cracks open a cold one. Vince poses on the turnbuckles and chugs the beer. Cole can’t believe his eyes. He berates Vince for sitting at ringside for most of the bout. He only won thanks to The Rock! Cole calls it the biggest shock in history.

The Good:

• Rock/Mankind had great drama.

• X-Pac/Gangrel was enjoyable, despite the botch.

• The show contained good storyline and character development.

The Bad:

• The Rumble match was lackluster, outside of the Austin/McMahon stuff.

• Some of the early matches were dull.

Observations:

• Was Austin injured during January? He barely appeared on TV between Rock Bottom and the Royal Rumble.

Performer of the Night:

I have to give it to Mick Foley again. It’s not only for the beating he took. He also gave a great dramatic performance.

Final Thoughts:

This is a one-match show. Rock vs. Mankind is great, but it is uncomfortable to see. With that said, this event still contained great storyline advancement. Nothing on it was terrible, so it’s not a bad watch. I still give the PPV a mild thumbs up.

Thank you for reading. Next week is another two-post extravaganza! I swear I’ll slow down in June. On Wednesday, I’m doing a bonus review of Halftime Heat ’99. Then on Sunday I will cover St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House. Look for both reviews.