Suplexes and Spandex Reviews: WWF Royal Rumble 1999!

Here I will be reviewing the 1999 Royal Rumble. Certainly appropriate considering that the 2017 edition of this event is about a month away. I have seen this show once before, but it has definitely been a while. All that I really remember is the Rumble match itself, and that I thought it was one of the worst Rumbles I had ever seen. Will my opinion change? Will it stay the same? Well scroll down and find out!

Before the show even starts, I have already gotten three TV-MA warnings from the Network….

So the big story for the actual Rumble match this year was that it would be Stone Cold and Vince McMahon himself in the match entering at #s 1 and 2, respectively. This was right in the middle of their famous rivalry and whoever eliminated Stone Cold would get $100,000. Or as Virgil likes to refer to it as, fuck money. Another highlight of tonight is Mankind defending his WWF Championship against The Rock in an infamous “I Quit” match that I have maybe seen 2 or 3 times but it’s been a while so I am looking forward to watching it again with fresh eyes. So here we go ladies and gentlemen: culminating from the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California, this is the 1999 edition of the WWF Royal Rumble!

Opening Match: (WWF Hardcore Champion)Road Dogg Vs. (1/2 WWF Tag Team Champions)The Big Bossman

Non-title

So there’s one of those mini blimp things flying around in the arena and it totally reminded me how much I love those things. Also, why did Road Doggy Dog do his shtick for both of the NAO when Billy isn’t even with him?? He must have separation issues. I also don’t even remember who Big Bossman was tag champs with at the time…. (Found out a couple seconds later it was Ken Shamrock, I still don’t recall that reign at all)

Onto the match!

Bossman runs the ropes to start the match and Road Dogg politely tells him to “suck it”. They lock up, Bossman throws Road Dogg down. Dogg is back up and they lock horns again, but with the same result. There is a pretty audible “Bossman sucks” chant echoing through the arena. Bossman goes for a clothesline, but Dogg ducks under and hits him right in the mush. Bossman recovers and corners Dogg, beginning to wail on him. Bossman clothesline him into the opposite corner and hits the D-O-Double-G with a big splash, and begins to choke him in the corner. He clotheslines him back into the other corner and goes for another splash but misses and gets caught in the turnbuckle, Road Dogg then shakes the ropes and takes Bossman for a ride. Road Dogg climbs on top of Bossman and throws punches onto him in the corner. Bossman then hits a very awkward looking inverted atomic drop, in the sense that Road Dogg didn’t sell it at all and I couldn’t even tell if Bossman actually landed it. Bossman goes for a clothesline, but Dogg ducks under and hits a dropkick. Road dogg goes to the outside of the ring after Bossman grabs his nightstick, but while Bossman is arguing with the ref about the nightstick, Road Dogg pulls him down from the outside of the ring and pulls his family jewels right into the ring post. Dogg then gets back in the ring and starts mocking him. Bossman starts to get up and Dogg hits him with a few punches. Road Dogg puts some sort of standing guillotine on him and the ref starts counting him for whatever reason. Dogg breaks. Road Dogg clotheslines him into the opposite corner. Back in the corner. Bossman hits Road Dogg with an elbow as he comes towards him that knocks Dogg out of the ring. Bossman goes out of the ring and picks Dogg up, then puches him down again. Boss throws Dogg into the ring, he crawls to a corner. Bossman starts beating on him. Dogg starts fighting back but Bossman shuts him down. Bossman goes for a couple of punches but Dogg counters them. Boss eyerakes Dogg. Dogg goes back into the corner, Boss takes him out and irish whips him and then hits a big boot. Boss whips him hard into the corner and goes for a pinfall. 2 count. Bossman whips him into the ropes again and gets him in a bear hug. (This bear hug does not look good at all and it seems like Road Dogg is the only one actually selling the move.) Dogg bites his nose to get out of it. He hits the ropes but Bossman gives him a knee to the mid-section and knocks him down. Dogg crawls to the corner, Bossman hits him with an uppercut. He puts his boot in his throat and the ref counts him. Bossman goes to the other corner and starts to take the top turnbuckle off. Bossman goes back and picks up Dogg like he was going for a bear hug but instead drops him with a weird spinebuster-looking move that Cole calls “A power move”. (Good save, Cole.) Bossman goes for a pinfall. 2 count. Dogg crawls to the corner and Bossman puts his shin in the back of his neck to choke him. Ref counts him. Dogg gets up, bossman knocks him back down. Dogg keeps getting up and Bossman keeps knocking him down. Bossman goes for another punch but Road Dogg counters him and punches him into the ropes. Bossman comes right back with a punch that knocks Dogg down. Bossman starts choking Road Dogg on the ropes and the ref counts him. (This match has literally been ALL Bossman so far. Barely any offense from Road Dogg.) Bossman continues with the choke and starts asking Jerry Lawler “Who the man is”. Bossman runs the ropes and drops the back of his legs on Road Doggs head. Dogg is down. Bossman starts choking him with his boot in his throat. Ref counts him. Road Dogg crawls to the corner and hits a really weak looking shoulder into Bossman. Bossman takes him to the ropes and Irish Whips him. Goes for a clothesline but Dogg ducks under and gets him in a sleeper hold. (It seems like all Road Dogg knows how to do in this match is duck under clotheslines and counter punches.) Bossman goes down to his knees but rakes Road Doggs eyes and breaks the hold. Bossman picks him up and hits a backbreaker. Bossman goes to the top rope but Dogg comes back up and hits him in the face, then throws him off the top rope. (Very Ric Flair-esque.) Both are down. They get up and both get into a slug-fest. Road Dogg prevails and irish whips Bossman but Bossman reverses it and Dogg ducks under. (Again. Jeez you think Bossman would realize this by now.) Road Dogg hits his Shake Rattle ‘n Roll. Bossman falls onto the bottom rope. Road Dogg hits the ropes and goes butt first onto the back of Bossmans head. Bossman gets back up, Dogg hits a flying elbow. Bossman goes down. Road Dogg hits another Shake Rattle ‘n Roll and goes for the pinfall. 2 count. Road Dogg hits the ropes but Bossman counters into a sidewalk slam. Bossman goes for the pinfall. 3 count. Mercy, Its finally over! Winner: Big Bossman @ 11:52 with a Sidewalk Slam

Rating: D

This was just a very boring and uneventful match, definitely not the best way to open the Rumble. Also, this match went on much longer than it should have. I understand that at a Rumble PPV you need to have longer undercard matches to compensate for the length of the Royal Rumble match itself, but this time should have been given to two people that had better chemistry with one another. Another thing that irked me was just how little offense Road Dogg actually got in and how repetitive Big Bossmans offense was.

Match #2: (WWF Intercontinental Champion & ½ WWF Tag Team Champions)Ken Shamrock Vs. Billy Gunn

WWF Intercontinental Championship

The story here was that Billy Gunn mooned Ken Shamrocks sister, Ryan, a few weeks before the event on Raw in an effort to piss Shamrock off enough to give him a title match at the Rumble. Interesting strategy. Also I’m pretty sure just from listening to Cole and Lawler talk that Gunn is selling a knee injury in this match. Gunn gets on the mic and cuts a pretty run of the mill promo on Shamrock, of course ending in “Suck it!!!!!”.

Shamrock darts straight into the ring and Gunn starts wailing on him. They starts brawling and Billy Irish whips Shamrock and hits him with a flying clothesline. Ken is down but gets back up and Gunn takes him right back down and starts beating on him. Gunn gets back up but Ken hits a single leg and gets on top and starts hitting him with some ground and pound. Billy rolls him over and starts pounding him. Billy goes for a choke and the ref counts him, so Gunn gets up and starts stomping on Ken, then he picks Shamrock up and walks him over to the corner and tries to hit him against the turnbuckle, but Shamrock counters it and irish whips Gunn into the opposite corner. Gunn bounces back and Shamrock hits him with a mean looking clothesline that takes him down. Shamrock against whips Gunn into the corner and tries to go for another clothesline, but this time Gunn counters with a clothesline of his own. Gunn goes for the pinfall. 2 count. Gunn gets Shamrock in a headlock on the ground. The ref starts counting Gunn after he pulls Shamrocks hair, Gunn breaks. He stands Shamrock back up and hits a standing vertical suplex (That looked a little uneven.) He goes for the pinfall. 2 count. Gunn picks Shamrock up and takes him into the corner, he kicks him in the mid-section and then whips him into the opposite corner. Gunn goes for a shoulder tackle in the corner but Shamrock moves out of the way and Gunn hits the ringpost. Shamrock starts kicking his butt in the corner. Literally. Shamrock takes him out of the corner and hits a kneelift which knocks Gunn down. He picks Gunn back up and body slams him back onto the mat. Shamrock drops a knee. Gunn sits up and Shamrock kicks him right in the face. Another kick to the face. Now a kick to the back. Shamrock sits on Gunns back and jumps on him. He takes Gunn back up, and hits a pretty impressive standing heel kick. Cover. 2 count. Shamrock picks Gunn up and whips him into the ropes, he ducks down and Gunn hits him with the Fameasser on the way back. Cover. 2 count. Gunn picks Shamrcok up and kicks him in the ribs a few times. Back into the corner. Gunn is on top of Shamrock. Starts punching on him. Gunn hits the ropes but Shamrock ducks and Billy goes out of the ring. Ken starts beating on Billy on the outside. Shamrock throws Billy Gunn facefirst into the ringpost. Shamrock rolls back into the ring to break the count. He comes back and throws Gunn face-first into the steps. A couple of kids are flicking Shamrock off and Lawler says that “They think he is number one”. Gunn goes facefirst onto the chair on the outside. Gunn and Shamrock are on the apron and Shamrock starts wailing on him. He starts fighting back. Gunn drives Shamrock facefirst onto the table. Cover. 2 count. Gunn drops Shamrocks face into his knee. Shamrock kicks Gunn in the back of the knee and takes him down. He starts kicking on Gunns leg. Shamrock teases the ankle lock but instead drops his leg into the back of Billys. Shamrock keeps working over Gunns leg. He takes it into the ropes and jumps on it. Gunn starts fighting back. Shamrock goes back to the leg. Shamrock says “I smell blood” and keeps kicking that leg. Shamrock puts Gunn into a standing guillotine. Gunn fights out of it but Shamrock pulls him right back down by his hair. Shamrock puts him into a standing front facelock. Gunn starts fighting back again. HE hits the ropes, Shamrock goes for a kick, but Gunn reverses it into a rollup. 2 count. Gunn goes for a punch but Shamrock ducks under. He hits a nice looking fishermans suplex into a bridge. 2 count. Shamrock goes back to Gunns left leg. Shamrock takes Gunn into the corner and starts kicking on him. He whips Gunn out of the corner but he reverses it and Shamrock goes for a clothesline, Gunn ducks under, and Shamrock takes referee Tim White out. (That wasn’t a very wise decision, Mr.White) Gunn hits the ropes and goes for a clothesline but both men collide into eachother. As King says, “Everybodies down from clotheslines!”. Val Venis hits the ring and gives Shamrock a pretty gnarly-looking DDT and then runs back to the locker room. The ref is still down. Gunn crawls over to Shamrock for the cover. Referee is back up. 2 count. Gunn and Shamrock are back on their feet Gunn hammers away on Ken before Irish whipping him and hitting him with an elbow. Shamrock gets back up and Gunn clotheslines him from one corner to another. Gunn hits a flying fist in the corner, and takes Shamrock back to the center of the ring. He bodyslams Shamrock in the center of the ring and climbs to the top rope he goes for a flying…um…something, but Shamrock gets out of the way and Gunn rolls his ankle. Shamrock smells blood and goes in for the ankle lock which causes Billy Gunn to tap out. Winner and still WWF Intercontinental Champion: Ken Shamrock @ 14:24 with the Ankle Lock

Rating: C

An alright match, but it was pretty much just that: alright. These two can both go in the ring though and rewatching this match has given me more appreciation for Ken Shamrock as a wrestler. I also like how even with the Val Venis run-in that they still booked Shamrock strong enough to kick out when Gunn FINALLY went for the cover. I really think that Ken Shamrock could have worked well with a character similar to Brock Lesnar, just a legitimate badass fighter who kicks ass. One more little note, how the Hell do you book a man that exposes himself to some guys sister as the good guy in a feud? Were we supposed to boo Ken Shamrock because he wanted to get a little retribution for Gunn flashing his sister? Bleh,

Vinny Mac is backstage with Shane and the stooges, Shane is hyping him up for his Rumble appearance tonight. We also see referees carrying Billy Gunn back to the locker-room, really selling how effective that ankle lock is.

Match #3: (WWF European Champion)X-Pac Vs. Gangrel

WWF European Championship

Man, Gangrel really was a perfect character for the Attitude Era. I just can’t imagine his gimmick working in any other time period, especially with that blood spit-take that he does which I still think is awesome.

Both men lock up and X-Pac puts Gangrel in a side-headlock. Gangrel brings him into the ropes and Irish whips him, knocking him down with a shoulder takedown. Gangrel hits the ropes but X-Pac ducks and comes back at him with a hip toss. X-Pac tells him to “suck it” and they lock back up. Gangrel puts him in a side headlock and X-Pac hits the ropes, Irish Whipping Gangrel and ducking under again. He goes for another hip toss but this time Gangrel stops him and X-Pac does that weird lucha move that I have always despised where he jumps backwards while still holding the arm, which gives him the advantage. He picks Gangrel up for a back body drop, and then hits the ropes and drops a leg on him. Cover. 2 count. X-Pac picks him up and starts kicking on him in the corner, and nails a pretty nice looking spinning heel kick. Gangrel is whipped out of that corner into the opposite one, X-Pac goes for a Bronco Buster type move but Gangrel moves out of the way and he goes manhood first into the ring post. Ouch. Still not the worst pain X-Pac has had related to his family jewels in a wrestling ring (See X-Pac in early TNA….). Anyway, Gangrel hit him in the back of the head and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on X-Pac. Cover. 2 count. Gangrel picks X-Pac up and gorilla presses him throatfirst into the ropes. Cover. 2 count. Gangrel sinks in a chinlock. X-Pac fights out of it and hits the ropes, Gangrel goes for a clothesline but X-Pac ducks under, X-Pac comes right back but Gangrel throws him up in the air and slams him back down. Another cover from Gangrel. 2 count. Gangrel gets to the top rope and trys to hit a splash but X-Pac rolls out of the way. They both get back on their feet and X-Pac throws some hands before hitting a spinning heel kick. X-Pac whips Gangrel into the ropes, he ducks under X-Pacs clothesline but X-Pac hits the ropes and comes back with a jumping lariat. Cover. 2 count. X-Pac takes Gangrel up but he reverses him into the ropes, Gangrel tries to hit a clothesline but X-Pac ducks under and hits another spinning heel kick. Gangrel goes to the corner and X-Pac gets on top of him, giving him some punches and an axehandle before Gangrel falls to the bottom turnbuckle. We know where this is going. Bronco Buster! Which I still think is the most homoerotic move in wrestling…..Gangrel gets up and goes for a clothesline but X-Pac again ducks under and hits ANOTHER spinning heel kick, Gangrel is down. X-Pac goes to the top rope but Gangrel punches him in the face. Both men are up top now and are trading blows, and Gangrel is down again. X-Pac hits a flying crossbody which turns into a really weird cover where I couldn’t necessarily tell who was pinning who. 2 count. Gangrel gets up again and whips X-Pac into the corner, he runs to him but X-Pac hits him with a boot. Another boot. X-Pac charges towards Gangrel but he turns his momentum into a rolling body slam. Cover. 2 count. Gangrel whips X-Pac into the ropes but puts his head down and X-Pac gives him a kick to the face. X-Pac goes for a clothesline but Gangrel ducks under, X-Pac goes right back into the ropes and X-Factor outta nowhere! Winner and still WWF European Champion: X-Pac @ 5:53 with an X-Factor

Rating: D

Pretty standard X-Pac offense here and Gangrels style didn’t really mesh well with his……still better than the Bossman/Road Dogg match though, but just slightly not as good as Shamrock/Gunn.

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Road Dogg, HHH, Chyna, and a sweaty X-Pac talking about DXs strategy for the Royal Rumble match tonight. Remember folks, Chyna is in the Rumble tonight!

Shane O’ Mac is coming to the ring. He introduces the challenger to the WWF Womens Championship in the next match, Luna. Apparently Sable suffered a “chronic back injury” on Heat earlier tonight after Luna attacked her and she won’t be able to defend her belt tonight. Shane asks her to come out and publicly relinquish her title to Luna. Sables music hits, here we go folks. She gets on the mic and tells the ref to ring the bell, I guess we still have a match.

Match #4: (WWF Womens Champion)Sable Vs. Luna

Strap Match For The WWF Womens Championship

So apparently this is a strap match? Also Shane McMahon is on commentary.

Sable pulls Luna towards her and then shoves her into the corner. She then whips Luna (Pretty hard), until she stumbles out of the ring. Luna is trying to get a breather while Sable is still in the ring but she pulls Luna right towards the ringpost with her strap. Luna gets onto the apron and headbutts Sable. She gets back in the ring and tries to hit Sable with the strap but she ducks under and kicks Luna in the mid-section. Sable whips Luna a few times and she falls to the ground, she gets back up onto the ropes and Sable Irish whips her across the ring and then hits her with a clothesline. Luna is down and Sable goes for a choke with the strap. Sable pulls Luna back up and tosses her into the corner of the ring. Sable gets to 2/4 of the turnbuckles before Luna pulls her back and hits her in the mid-section with the strap. She goes for a choke and starts working Sables back on the ground with the strap. Luna steps on her back and starts choking her again. Also, Shane O’ Mac is doing a pretty good job on commentary. Luna gets to 2/4 of the turnbuckles before Sable pulls her back and they get into a tug of war over the strap. Sable gets the advantage and throws Luna onto the mat with the strap. She whips her a few times on the ground and Luna stumbles her way into the corner. Sable starts kicking on her and then Irish whips her into the opposite corner and tries to shoulder smash her, but Luna gets out of the way and Sable runs right into the turnbuckle. Luna picks her up for a backbreaker. Luna chokes Sable on the ground and pulls Sable up, going to each turnbuckle, but not realizing that Sable is right behind her ALSO touching each turnbuckle. She makes it to ¾ of the turnbuckles before Sable goes over from behind and tries to make it to the fourth one, but Luna pulls her right back down. Shane is now on the apron distracting the ref, but a random woman (I couldn’t recognize her) gets up on the other apron and punches Luna, giving Sable the chance to touch the fourth and final turnbuckle and get the win. Winner and still WWF Womens Champion: Sable @ 4:43

Rating: C-

Wasn’t too bad of a match. Shane was pretty good on commentary and some of those strap shots sounded pretty brutal. Obviously it wasn’t some technical masterclass, but it wasn’t too bad either.

Backstage we see Big Bossman talking to fellow Corporation members Test and Ken Shamrock about how big it would be to win the Rumble tonight, with the $100,000 bounty on Stone Cold and the WWF Title shot at Wrestlemania. He says that he “Will do whatever it takes to win.”

Match #5: (WWF Champion)Mankind Vs. The Rock

“I Quit” Match for the WWF Championship

I have seen this match maybe 2 or 3 times over the years, but I am really excited to be breaking it down tonight and actually reviewing it hold-for-hold. I feel like it will only give me an ever greater appreciation for this match. The promo package for this match is pretty good, with Mankind asking The Rock how it feels to be in a match that “He can’t win, and I (Mankind) can’t lose?”. Nice footage of some of Foleys Japanese deathmatches, including with Terry Funk are included. Also apparently there are no Corporation members allowed at ringside. I’m pretty hyped. Doc Hendrix (What a dumb name for Hayes) is backstage with Rock pre-match and asks him how he can possibly make Mankind quit. Rock guarantees that he will make Mankind say he quits tonight. I also like how even heel Rock still takes a slight pause after the millions and millions line like he is expecting the fans to respond. Rocky is also donning a half unzipped track suit and sweatpants tonight, certainly a unique look. But he is The Rock so he can pretty much make anything look cool, even a black turtleneck and a fannypack.

Rock and Mankind brawl to start off the match, Foley takes Rock into the corner and pounds on him before whipping him into the opposite corner where he hits him with a clothesline. Foley beats Rock down and then hits a running knee onto a downed Rock in the corner. He gets on top and starts choking Rock, but he gets up and starts fighting back. Foley gets into the corner but starts fighting out and throws Rock headfirst into the turnbuckle. Foley whips him into the opposite corner and then hits him with a running bulldog as Rock stumbles out. Foley gets on top and starts pounding on Rock. He grabs the microphone and The Rock kindly tells him to kiss his ass, but gets cut off by Foleys fist in his mouth. Foley gets the microphone and bashes it into Rocks head, knocking him back down. Rock keeps trying to get back up but Foley keeps hitting him in the head with the mic. Foley asks him again but Rock says that he is going to kick Foleys fat ass and Foley punches him in the mush. Foley hits the ropes and clotheslines he and Rock out of the ring. Foley starts beating on Rock by the ring barricade and smashes his head right into it. Foley drags Rock out and trys to whip him into the steps but Rock reverses it and Foley goes right into them. Rock goes over to the announce table and grabs Michael Coles headset and starts bragging about how much better he is than Foley. Foley is behind him and starts winding up a clothesline, and Rock turns around and gets laid out on the announce table. He starts pummeling Rock and then grabs a steel chair and smashes Rock right in the back with it. Foley is raking Rocks eyes and asking him to quit but Rock again tells him to kiss his ass and Foley smashes the mic over the back of Rocks head. Again. Foley throws Rock back into the ring and hits him with his patented double-underhook DDT. Oh God, Socko is out and the mandible claw has been put on The Rock. Rock goes down to the mat and starts to fade. Earl Hebner asks Rock if he wants to quit but Rock is out and can’t respond. He grabs the mic and tells Foley to go to Hell. Geez, the best parts about I Quit matches are typically the insults thrown at one another when asked someone is asked if they want to quit. Foley grabs the mic and tells Rock that he is “Going to split open that ridiculous eyebrow.” Ha. Foley starts beating Rock on the ground and kicks him to the outside of the ring. Foley throws him over the barricade and they are now in the crowd. Foley gets him back onto the barricade and goes for a clothesline but Rock counters with a powerslam and now they are both back at ringside on the ground. Rock starts beating on Foley and smashes his face into the steps. He has the ringbell and the hammer now and rings it right over Foleys head. Again. Foley is now on the Spanish announce table and Rock stands up on it and goes for a Rock Bottom but it….collapses? I don’t even know if you could call that a botch but rather just shotty craftsmanship by those darn Spaniards. Well now they’re both down behind the now collapsed Spanish announce table, probably both wondering what the Hell just happened. Hebner runs over to both downed men and Rock grabs the mic, asking Foley if he wants to quit. He politely refuses and Rock starts beating on him, then grabs a swig of water from a bottle and spits right in Foleys face. Foley starts firing back with right hands and throws Rock head first into a ringpost, and he starts stumbling up the entrance ramp. Foley hits him in the back of the head with a lariat when he gets halfway up. Foley starts beating on Rock and gets him up to the top of the ramp, but Rocky starts punching back. He then grabs Foley by his head and slams him into the tech table on the side of the entranceway. They both start slugging it out but Rock hits Foley with a DDT on the top of the ramp. Rock grabs the mic and asks Foley if he quits, he refuses. Rock starts kicking on him and then grabs…..a ladder? Okay, Rock has a ladder now. He tries to shove it into Foley but he counters and shoves Rock to the ground, ladder still in hand. Foley puts some pressure on the ladder and Hebner asks Rock if he wants to quit, but in a very kind and courteous manner he tells Foley “No thank you, my good sir.” Foley tries to hit a running elbow on the downed Rock with a ladder on top of him, but he rolls out of the way and Foley hits the ladder elbow-first. Rock asks him again, but Foley refuses in a response filled with agony. Rock starts setting up the ladder by the entrance, and climbs to the seats at the top, but Foley follows him. They are both now on the edge of the fan barricade next to the entrance, and this looks risky folks. They start slugging it out and Foley tries to throw Rock off but he hits him with a last-second low blow. Rock gets on the other side of the barricade and waits for Foley to get up, then punches him off and he falls on top of some electrical circuitry. Boom, explosions! Rock is climbing down the ladder and walks over to Foley. Shane O’ Mac is out now as well, telling the official to stop the match. Rock says no, he wants to hear Foley say that he quits. Mankind tries to crawl away but Rock picks him up and throws him headfirst into the entranceway barricade twice. He continues to beat Foley while he is down. Rock throws Foley back into the ring and grabs a pair of handcuffs from the timekeepers area and cuffs Foleys hands behind his back. He tries to get up but Rock starts beating on him and now he is bleeding, but Foley hits a lowblow! He starts kicking on Rock, and then bites him on the ground and plants a knee right into Rocks corporate jewels. Foley asks him, he says no. Rock gets up and hits Foley with a clothesline. He grabs a chair and plants it around Foleys head and hits a Corporate Elbow, pretty brutal spot right there. Rock asks him again. Foley tells him to go to Hell. Foley stands back up and Rock hits him in the head with a steel chair, and hits him again when he is down on his knees. Rock asks him, but he does not oblige. Foley gets back up to his feet and Rock hits him with three chair shots to the head(!) before he goes down. Just watching that makes me cringe a bit. Foley rolls out of the ring and Rocky follows him with a steel chair and hits him in the back of the head. By this point Michael Cole is literally begging Foley over commentary to just quit. Another chair shot to the head. They are now both moving up the entrance ramp and Rock hits ANOTHER unprotected shot to the head. Foley is bleeding profusely right now. Two more shots to the head. Foley is down. Rock asks……Foley quits. Winner and NEW WWF Champion, The Rock at 21:46

Rating: B+

Wow. Just…..wow. Watching this match now with fresh eyes and actually typing out every move and spot just makes me appreciate it even more. Not even the match as much as Mick Foley himself. You can say whatever you want about modern-day Foley; that he is bland, too scripted, a sell-out, whatever. But after watching this match and having seen a few of his other hardcore-style matches over the past few years, I feel like Foley has given enough of himself to this industry that he is allowed to do whatever the Hell he wants. I mean this man took at least a dozen chair shots to the head while his hands were cuffed behind his back, he couldn’t even absorb any of the impact by putting his hands in front of his face, he took it all. That whole electricity spot was cool and all but it felt too scripted, while these chair shots were stiff and plentiful. Not only that, but if you have seen the 1999 documentary Beyond The Mat (Highly recommended), then you know that Foleys wife and two children were in the front row watching their father take all of this punishment, so nothing but the utmost respect for Mick. The match itself was rather slow up until the big spot with Foley falling onto the circuitry, but I’m willing to forget about that considering the reactions I had to those brutal last 10 minutes or so. I was cringing. I love good technical wrestling just as much as the next guy, but while that looks great and is fun to watch, it doesn’t give you the kind of legitimate emotional reactions that moments like that do. It’s like when I watched Rogue One. Sure, it wasn’t some Coen Brothers or Wes Anderson artistic masterpiece, but when Darth Vader came onto the screen I felt like a child again. I felt actual emotions towards this film rather than breaking it down from a cinematic point-of-view. I wouldn’t watch this match again for the actual in-ring action, but rather just that last 10 minutes, and as far as I am concerned that ending more than made up for the lackluster in-ring action.

As The Rock celebrates his win, Foley is being wheeled out via stretcher……but he insists on walking out on his own merit.

Well, it is now time for the Rumble.

The 1999 WWF Royal Rumble Match

Winner goes to the main-event of Wrestlemania 15, whoever eliminates Steve Austin gets $100,000

Entry #1: Steve Austin

Entry #2: Vince McMahon

Vince is friggin’ jacked and oiled up all ready to go. Here we go! Vince goes for a clothesline right off the bell but Austin ducks under and beats on him repeatedly into the corner, and then proceeds to stomp a mudhole. Cole: “How often do you see an employee of a Fortune 500 company get to rip his boss apart?”, Austin hits a bodyslam and then kicks Vince right in his grapefruits. Austin goes to throw Vince out, but stops at the last second and hits VKM with a clothesline.

Entry #3: Golga

Heeereeeeeessssss Tenta! Golga is still walking to the ring when Austin hits the ropes and lands a Thesz press on Vince. Golga gets in and kicks Austin off the boss and starts wailing on him, but Austin eventually throws him out of the ring all while Vince crawls under the bottom rope to the outside of the ring. Elimination #1: Golga by Steve Austin. Austin now goes to the outside of the ring and is following Vince into the crowd and beating on him, he starts chasing Vince up the rafters.

Entry #4: Droz

Droz is up next, but Austin and Vicne are all the way in the lobby of the arena and Austin isn’t letting up. Austin follows Vince into the (Ladies) bathroom but The Corporation is there waiting to ambush him! Test and Ken Shamrock start attacking Austin. Bossman comes in and knocks the cameraman down. Back to the ring, Droz is looking very confused.

Entry #5: Edge

Droz has had some extra breathing time, and now Edge is headed to the ring, and by headed to the ring I mean running like a wild man. Droz goes for a clothesline but Edge ducks under, hits the ropes, and comes back with a flying crossbody. He hammers away at Droz on the ground and gives out some sort of primal scream. He Irish whips Droz and goes for an elbow, but Droz ducks under and hits him with an elbow of his own. Droz gets on top of Edge and starts pounding away. Droz picks Edge up and slams him headfirst into the turnbuckle twice. He now tries to get Edge over the top rope but Edge breaks free. Edge gets Droz into the corner and now tries to get him over the top rope, but Droz breaks free. Edge Irish Whips Droz and hits him with a dropkick.

Entry #6: Gillberg

Who’s next? Gillberg. Get it? Get it??? Sigh. Also Gillbergs entrance is amazing. Anyway, Edge gets Droz back into the corner but Droz fights out of it, and Edge kicks him in the mid-section which knocks him down. He starts kicking on a downed Droz in the corner. Gillberg does a pose…….and he’s gone. Elimination #2: Gillberg by Edge. Droz hits Edge with a clothesline and we are sent back to the (Ladies) arena bathroom where The Corporation is cleaning up after getting Stone Cold unconscious on the floor. Back to the ring, Droz is beating on Edge in the corner and tries to get him over the top rope again, but Edge fights out and kicks Droz in the mid-section. Edge Irish Whips Droz from one turnbuckle to another and tries to hit a running crossbody in the corner, but Droz gets out of the way. Droz is again trying to get Edge out, and keeps beating on him while he hangs on the top rope.

Entry #7: Steve Blackman

My man! Blackman hits the ring fast and starts getting on Droz, and after beating him down for a few seconds throws him headfirst into the turnbuckle. We are again sent back to the (Ladies) arena bathroom and Stone Cold is still unconscious on the floor. Officials are trying to tend to him, and EMTs are bringing a stretcher into the (Ladies) lavatory. Back to the action, Blackman is still trying to eliminate Droz but Edge (Very unwisely, might I add) hits Blackman from behind rather than trying to help him eliminate Droz. Edge whips Blackman into the ropes and goes for a clothesline but Blackman ducks under and hits two savate kicks to Edges chest before dropkicking him to the ground. Droz sneaks up from behind on Blackman and tries to eliminate him and requests help from Edge, who gives Droz a good ol’ fashioned thumb to the eye. Again, Edge is not a very smart man. We again go to the (Ladies) arena bathroom and Stone Cold is being placed on the stretcher by EMTS. Back to the ring and Edge and Blackman are going at it, and by going at it I mean that my boy Blackman is putting the beatdown to that boy. Edge goes to the corner, Blackman tries to follow him, but Edge gives him a kick right in the mid-section. Now Droz is whamming on Blackman too and FINALLY Edge shows that he understands the concept of teamwork by helping Droz work over Blackman. Teamwork makes the dreamwork, Mr.Copeland. Okay, nevermind. Droz just raked Edges eyes. Sigh.

Entry #8: Dan Severn

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Don Frye? No, it’s Dan Severn! The mothertruckin’ beast and his patented sweaty grey T-shirt© make their way to the ring. Back to action, Droz is working over Edge in the corner and Blackman starts to choke him, but right as he sees Severn make his way to the ring he gives all his attention to him. Edge however is still attempting to eliminate Droz. Severn hits the ring and immediately takes Blackman down with a takedown and starts putting the ground and pound on him, gets him in a hammerlock, and Blackman gets out and back on his feet. Severn goes for a clothesline but Blackman ducks under and starts beating down Severn in the corner. We go backstage and see Stone Cold being stretchered out of the (Ladies) bathroom by EMTS and officials and taken to the outside parking lot and put into an ambulance. Back to the action, both Edge and Dan Severn are in danger of being eliminated by Droz and Steve Blackman respectively but both men fight out of their predicament.

Entry #9: Tiger Ali Singh

Remember Singh? Yeah, I barely do either. Being the top guy on Sunday Night Heat doesn’t really mean all that much when it comes to the main roster. Back to the parking lot, and Austin is still being placed inside the ambulance and it drives away with The Rattlesnake inside and as dozens of fans jump in front of the camera. Back to the ring, and Droz and Edge are attempting to eliminate Severn, but he fights out. Blackman goes over to Singh but he rakes him in the eye and Severn is choking out Droz on the ropes. Singh has Blackman in the corner but Edge comes over and rakes him in the eye, again, Edge really is a lone wolf in this match. Severn is busy slapping away on Droz in the corner. Singh throws Edge into the ropes and picks him up for a Gorilla Press but Edge gets out and attempts to eliminate him. Droz and Severn are double-teaming Blackman, but Droz comes over to help Edge eliminate Singh, to no avail.

Entry #10: The Blue Meanie

So many obscure Attitude Era stars in this match. Meanie hits the ring and Singh immediately starts hammering him. Singh whips Meanie into the ropes and goes for a clothesline but he ducks under and hits Singh with a clothesline of his own. Meanie now takes Singh into the corner and starts wailing on him but Edge this him from behind and he and Droz start doube-teaming Meanie. They both attempt to eliminate him but fail. Meanie takes Drozs head and drags it along the ropes but Edge comes back and hits him in the gut. On the opposite side of the ring, Severn and Singh are both double-teaming Blackman in the corner.

Entry #11: Mosh??……Nope, Mabel

The buzzer goes off but no one is coming out, and then the camera pans to the backstage area and we see Mabel taking out Headbanger Mosh and now heading to the ring. I guess that’s just how things worked in the attitude era. Mabel goes right after Severn who is trying to eliminate Blackman, and in the process he eliminates both men! Eliminations #3 and #4: Dan Severn and Steve Blackman by Mabel. Mabel is now pounding on Singh, and now he’s gone too! Elimination #5: Tiger Ali Singh by Mabel. Meanie now tries to pick a fight with Mabel, and somehow I feel like that’s a bad idea. Mabel knocks him down with a short clothesline and Droz hits Mabel from behind.

Entry#12: (WWF Hardcore Champion) Road Dogg

Road Dogg runs straight for the ring, and bye-bye Blue Meanie! Elimination #6: The Blue Meanie by Mabel. There goes Droz too! Elimination #7: Droz by Mabel. Dogg immediately starts hammering away on Edge but Mabel hits him in the face and Edge goes own for a low-blow on the big man. Edge and Dogg are now trading punches and Edge wins the punching contest, he tries to take Dogg out but Dogg throws him over instead and he hangs on to the ropes on the outside, but Dogg hits him with a running shoulder to the face and Edge hits facefirst onto the announce table on the outside. Elimination #8: Edge by Road Dogg. Mabel and Road Dogg are now going at it in the middle of the ring, and the lights go out? That familiar gong resonates throughout the arena, and The Acolytes and Mideon, members of the Ministry of Darkness, are now attacking Mabel on the outside of the ring! The Undertaker and Paul Bearer are now coming out as well. So I guess this means that…….Elimination Number #9: Mabel by The Ministry of Darkness. The Ministry beats Mabel all the way into the back, and Farooq awkwardly falls on his butt in the entranceway. Meanwhile in the ring, Road Dogg is wondering just what the Hell happened to him right there. It is now Road Dogg all in the ring by his lonesome while we await the next entrant.

Entry #13 Gangrel

Dogg hits Gangrel with a big boot to the head as he enters the ring and then takes him to the corner and starts pummeling on him. Gangrel fights his way out and takes Road Dogg to the ground with his strikes, where he continues beating on him. Gangrel whips Road Dogg but he reverses it and…….throws Gangrel out! Elimination #10: Gangrel by Road Dogg.

Entry #14 Kurrgan

Former Truth Commission member and current Oddities big man Kurrgan makes his way to the ring. Road Dogg tries to throw a few punches at him but Kurrgan takes Dogg down with one fell swoop. He picks Dogg up and hits him with a standing clothesline and then picks him back up, slamming him headfirst into the corner. Kurrgan picks Dogg up and hits him with a sidewalk slam, then picks him back up and headbutts him straight back down. Kurrgan puts Dogg in the corner and starts choking him with his leg. For wearing an outfit composed almost entirely of tie-dye, Kurrgan is a pretty tough dude. Kurrgan throws multiple abdominal punches at Road Dogg in the corner and then clotheslines him into the opposite corner. Kurrgan goes for a big splash but Dogg move out of the way and Kurrgan hits turnbuckle.

Entry #15 Al Snow

What Royal Rumble match would be complete without some head? We are now halfway through this match. The leader of the J.O.B. Squad makes his way to the ring, but with no head. Snow hits the ring and starts hammering on Kurrgan, who was trying to get Road Dogg out of the ring. Both men now attempt to get Kurrgan out, but Road Dogg eliminates Al Snow instead! Elimination #11: Al Snow by Road Dogg. Road Dogg and Kurrgan exchange punches, but Dogg goes down. Kurrgan drops a knee into his back and Road Dogg crawls to the corner. Kurrgan whips Road Dogg into the opposite corner and hits a really weird looking running knee into him. Road Dogg turns him around and starts wailing on him.

Entry #16 Goldust

It’s the bizarre one! Goldust hits Dogg from behind and knocks him down, then whips him into the ropes and hits him with a jumping running clothesline. Goldust takes Dogg into the corner and attempts to set up shattered dreams, but Kurrgan interrupts. Goldust takes him into the ropes and whips him, hitting him with another jumping clothesline, but Kurrgan does not go down. Goldust hits him with a DDT and Road Dogg comes right back for Goldust, knocking him down with a standing clothesline. Road Dogg takes his shots at both men, and then tells them both to suck it. Dogg tries to set up Goldust for a shattered dreams of his own, but he backs up into Kurrgan who grabs him from behind. Goldust goes down low on Dogg and Kurrgan hits Goldust from behind.

Entry #17: The Godfather

Here comes the hoooooooo train! Back in the ring Kurrgan is trying to get Goldust over the top rope but Dogg breaks it up. Godfather is finally in the ring and hits Goldust in the back. He then takes Goldust headfirst into the turnbuckle and starts pounding on him, but Goldust fights out. Now Goldust is the one beating on Godfather in the corner. Goldust goes for a splash but Godfather gets out of the way and Goldust hits the corner. Kurrgan whips Dogg hard into the other corner of the ring, and Godfather does the same with Goldust and hits the train on him. The lights go out.

Entry #18: Kane

They come back on with the explosion of pyro, and the big red monster is now headed to the ring! Back to the action, Godfather is trying to get Goldust over the top rope and Kane goes right for Dogg and throws him out! What an unceremonious elimination! Elimination #12: Road Dogg by Kane. Kurrgan is gone now too! Elimination #13: Kurrgan by Kane. Kane throws a punch at Godfathers mid-section, and then clotheslines him out of the ring as well! Elimination #14: The Godfather by Kane. Kane now grabs Goldust by the throat and (awkwardly) chokeslams him out of the ring! Elimination #15: Goldust by Kane. If we’re talking straight kayfabe, Kane has to be one of the most notorious Royal Rumble competitors of all time. Kane is now by himself in the ring….and a group of mental health workers run to the ring with a straightjacket and police baton, trying to get him back into the asylum? Can’t say I remember this. Kane knocks down two of the workers, and then…..eliminates himself while chasing after the rest? Well……Elimination #16: Kane by……himself. Okay, maybe I was wrong about what I just said a few moments ago.

Entry #19: (WWF Intercontinental Champion) Ken Shamrock

Well Vince is back in the ring, and fellow Corporation member Ken Shamrock is headed to join him! Remember kiddies, Vinny Mac was never officially eliminated. Vince steps back out of the ring and joins Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler on commentary while Shamrock waits for the next entry. Vince tells Cole and Lawler that he has accomplished what he set out to do tonight, and make sure that Austin was taken out of the arena and not able to come back.

Entry #20: Billy Gunn

Billy Gunn limps to the ring as he and Shamrock prepare to go at it for a rematch of earlier this evening. They immediately start trading punches but Shamrock sweeps the injured knee of Gunn. I also just realized that Gunn only has one boot on…. Gunn gets back up but Shamrock just kicks him right back down again by attacking the injured knee. Gunn gets just enough strength to hit a back bodydrop on him, and then gorilla press slams Shamrock right into the turnbuckle. Huh, didn’t know that Billy Gunn had an ankle tattoo. Gunn tries to throw Shamrock over, but he hangs on. You can even hear Gunn say something to Shamrock beforehand along the lines of “I’m going to throw you over”, #everybodytalkstoomuch. Shamrock gets back in the ring and takes Gunn down with a chop block from behind. Shamrock picks Gunns knee up and drops his leg onto it for extra damage.

Entry #21: Test

Here comes another Corporation member. The camera goes back to the parking lot and we see members of the Ministry of Darkness still beating down on Mabel behind a hearse. They throw him in the back and lock the door, but sirens suddenly start going off in the parking lot. We see an ambulance pull up, and Vince gets a very scared/confused look in his eyes. Austin is driving! Austin gets out, and is now headed to the ring!Back in the ring, Shamrock and Test are arguing and Gunn gives them a double lowblow. He hits the ropes and hits a double jumping clothesline on the both of them. All three men are down now as we count down to the next entrant. Austin comes out as someone elses music plays, and he chases McMahon into the ring where Shamrock ambushes him, Vince is now back out.

Entry #22: (WWF Hardcore Champion) Big Bossman

Shamrock is beating on Austin as Bossman gets in the ring, but Austin throws Shamrock over! Eliimination #17: Ken Shamrock by Steve Austin. Austin and Bossman are now going back and forth like a Cameo song in the middle of the ring (Tribe Called Quest reference, anybody? Seriously, anybody?), but Bossman knocks Austin down and throws him headfirst into the turnbuckle and starts beating on him. Gunn throws Test headfirst into the corner on the other side of the ring, but Test fights back and is now attempting to eliminate Gunn while Bossman is choking out Austin on the ropes, but Austin hits a lowblow and gets out. He starts choking Bossman with the…..tag rope? He drags Bossman to the ropes and continues choking him.

Entry #23: Triple H

Triple H immediately starts beating on Test (Ironic) and whips him into the ropes, hitting him with a high knee. Billy Gunn is even now going after Austin but Bossman breaks it up and starts hammering him. Bossman now attempts to eliminate Austin but HHH breaks it up. Now HHH trys to get Austin over the top rope, but Test hits him in the back and Austin starts going to work on Billy Gunn in the corner. Test hits HHH with a sidewalk slam in the center of the ring. Austin whips Gunn into the ropes and clotheslines him. Bossman starts attacking Austin.

Entry #24: Val Venis

Hellllllo, ladiessss. Right as Venis gets in the ring, HHH clotheslines him down. We now have six men in the ring at the same time, probably the most people in the ring throughout this whole entire match. Test and Austin are going at it, as Venis takes HHH into the corner. Test whips austin into the ropes and plants him with a big boot to the face. Austin re-coops and throws him headfirst into the corner, while Bossman starts to pick a fight with Venis. Gunn takes Austin and drags him to the corner, where he starts smashing his head into the turnbuckle. Austin starts punching back, and then throws Gunn over the top rope! Elimination #18: Billy Gunn by Steve Austin. Austin now tries to get HHH over the top rope, and Test hits Venis with a big shoulder smash. Now the (very) unlikely trio of Austin, Bossman, and Test are all trying to get HHH eliminated. Venis gets up and Austin gets off of HHH and clotheslines him right back down. Austin picks him back up and throws him headfirst into t he turnbuckle.

Entry #25: (WWF European Champion) X-Pac

X-Pac starts punching on Test, but Bossman clubs him in the back right before HHH gives Bossman a kick to the mid-section. Austin is in the corner attempting to eliminate Venis. X-Pac takes Test headfirst into the turnbuckle and now tries to eliminate him. Venis goes off the top rope with an axe handle chop to Austin and Austin is down. Venis starts kicking away at him in the corner. Bossman is choking out HHH on the ropes. Test throws X-Pac headfirst into the corner and starts beating on him, but X-Pac fights out. Venis kicks Austin out under the bottom rope, and Bossman is attempting to eliminate HHH. Austin jumps off the top rope and hits a double axe handle on both X-Pac and Venis, both men go down. Austin whips X-Pac into the ropes and goes for a clothesline, but X-Pac ducks under and hits him with a heel kick and he goes down. Test is in the corner trying to eliminate Venis.

Entry #26: Mark Henry

Sexual chocolate makes his way to the ring as X-Pac is attempting to eliminate Austin. Henry breaks it up and attacks both X-Pac and Austin, he now tries to get X-Pac over the ropes but Austin comes back and goes to work on him. Bossman is now holding Austin still while Henry picks away shots at him, but Austin ducks under and Henry hits Bossman right in the face. I guess Henry has a change of heart and now starts beating on Bossman in the corner. X-Pac is stomping on Austin in the corner and starts choking him. Henry attempts to eliminate HHH. Bossman goes after X-Pac.

Entry #27: Jeff Jarrett

As Jarrett comes to the ring with Debra, Lawler states that theirs “two things” he likes about her, and then ensues an awkward silence. Stay classy, King. Jarrett gets in the ring and starts hammering away at X-Pac in the corner, but Test hits him from behind. Bossman tries to eliminate HHH. Both Venis and Jarrett are stomping away at Austin in the corner. X-Pac and HHH have a D-X moment and both double whip Jarrett into the ropes and hit him with a double clothesline, but then X-Pac heel kicks HHH in the face! Now Jarrett and Venis are attempting to eliminate Austin, but they’re pushing him through the middle rope….. Henry is in the other corner trying to get Test over, and X-Pac is beating down on Bossman who is stumped by the turnbuckle, he hits a bronco buster. HHH back bodydrops Venis in the middle of the ring and Jarrett is now singlehandedly trying to get Austin out in the corner, but X-Pac breaks that up and Austin fights out.

Entry #28: D’Lo Brown

A particularly skimpy dress by Terri Runnels this evening as she accompanies D’Lo to the ring with Jacqueline as part of PMS (PrettyMeanSisters, blame Russo), D’Lo gets in and starts going after Austin but Test hits him from behind. D’Lo now draws his attention to Jarrett in the corner. Test gets thrown out by Austin out of nowhere! I was just thinking about how long Test had been in this match….. Elimination #19: Test by Steve Austin. There goes X-Pac by Bossman! Elimination #20: X-Pac by Big Bossman. Vince is starting to sound scared on commentary. D’Lo is tryin to get Venis out in the corner, and now Bossman and Jarrett are teaming up on Austin. Henry clotheslines HHH to the mat in the middle of the ring. Jarrett and Bossman try to eliminate Austin, but they fail. Jarrett whips Austin into the ropes and he comes back with a Thesz press and starts to whoop on him.

Entry #29: Owen Hart

Jarrett is thrown out by HHH! Elimination #21: Jeff Jarrett by Triple H. Hart hits the ring and starts going after Austin, who is attempting to work over D’Lo in the corner. D’Lo motions to Hart to throw Austin over, and as they attempt to HHH bashes both of their heads together. Austin does the same thing! Austin now slides out of the ring and heads towards Vince at the announce table! He grabs a swig from a pitcher of water and throws the rest on Vince, then gets back into the ring. Hart is headbutting Bossman in the corner and Henry is putting a headlock on HHH. D’Lo is now trying to get Austin out and Henry hits a big splash on HHH who is down on the mat.

Entry #30: Chyna

I totally forgot about Chyna being in this match. Chyna starts beating away at Sexual chocolate as soon as she gets in the ring, and now we have all of our entrants over with! Chyna throws Henry over the top rope! Elimination #22: Mark Henry by Chyna. Austin is waiting right behind her, and he clothelines her out! Elimination #23: Chyna by Steve Austin. Austin and HHH start going at it, Austin whips HHH into the ropes but he counters with a facebuster. HHH tries to get Austin over, but Venis breaks it up.Now Venis is trying to eliminate Austin! But HHH throws Venis out! Elimination #24: Val Venis by Triple H. Stone Cold Stunner on HHH! HHH has been eliminated! Elimination #25: Triple H by Steve Austin. Well, here we are folks. Your 1999 Royal Rumble final four are (technically) Owen Hart, Big Bossman, D’Lo Brown, and Steve Austin. Certainly an odd group. Hart is attempting to get Bossman over, and D’Lo hits Austin with a big dropkick. Bossman throws Hart into the corner and is now trying to eliminate him. Austin throws D’Lo into the ropes and swats away a dropkick attempt, as he starts to choke out D’Lo on the mat. Bossman is very close now to being eliminated by Hart, but he doesn’t succeed. Now D’Lo has Austin against the ropes in the corner.Hart tries to get Bossman out again, but D’Lo breaks it up and Bossman hits him with a lowblow. Hart hits Austin with an enziguri. Hart attempt to hit Austin in the corner, but Austin uses his momentum against him and throws him out! Elimination #26: Owen Hart by Steve Austin. Austin and Bossman start going back and fort, and D’Lo hits a LowDown from the top rope! He starts getting cocky, but Bossman throws him out when he isn’t paying attention! Elimination #27: D’Lo Brown by Big Bossman. Austin stuns Bossman and clotheslines him out! Elimination #28: Big Bossman by Steve Austin. Austin knows who he has to throw out last. He goes to the outside and stares down Vince at the announcers table, and Vince tries to plead with him. Austin jumps over the announce table and they exchange punches, before Austin drags him by his head and throws him right over the fan barricade. Austin starts beating on Vince in the crowd. Austin throws him back by ringside and grabs a steel chair, smashing it into Vinces head. Pretty nasty bump for the owner of the company to be taking. Austin throws Vince back into the ring and Vince hits a desperation lowblow! Vince goes for a clothesline but Austin ducks under and hits him with a Stone Cold Stunner! Austin gets on the second rope and drops an elbow onto Vince who is barely conscious on the mat. Here comes The Rock with his WWF Championship in hand! Rock and Austin start arguing with eachother, and rock jumps up on the apron and starts getting in an altercation with Austin, but Vince comes out of nowhere and throws Austin over! Elimination #29: Steve Austin by Vince McMahon. Winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble and now $100,000 richer, Vincent K. McMahon.

Rating: C

Definitely an untraditional Rumble match, but an entertaining one nonetheless. But, that is what the Attitude Era was all about: unconventional storytelling and matches. The E was trying to take risks at this time, and some paid off, and some didn’t. But this Rumble match was the epitome of an Attitude Era match and it had it all: Every AE gimmick character from Gillberg to Blue Meanie to Tiger Ali Singh, a shady finish, and an unconventional match. The whole show was like that. Sure the undercard matches weren’t any technical clinics, but they served their purpose and were generally fun, barring that opening match (yuck). In terms of pure wrestling, this isn’t a great show. But in terms of entertainment value, I would definitely watch this again.

Well that’s it for this review. Next time I will be reviewing King of The Ring 1993! Follow Suplexes & Spandex on Twitter @SuplexesSpandex, and be sure to post your thought and feedback in the comments section below! Cheers!