From The Network – WWF SummerSlam 1999

WWF SummerSlam 1999
8-22-99
Minneapolis, MN

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Backstage, Jesse Ventura lays down the law to Triple H and Chyna. Triple H warns Ventura he’ll brake every rule if he wants too.

Earlier today, Chris Jericho promises to save Howard Finkel’s job.

WWF Intercontinental/European Championship- D’Lo Brown © vs. Jeff Jarrett w/Debra
Before the match, Jarrett sends Debra to the back so D’Lo brings her back out on his side. Jarrett attacks to start and Brown comes back with a hip toss and a flying forearm. Powerslam by Brown gets 2 and Jarrett bails. Back in, Brown knocks Jarrett down and catches Jarrett with a sit-out spinebuster for 2. Sleeper by Jarrett but Brown counters into a suplex. Brown goes up and leaps but Jarrett catches him with a sidewalk slam on the way down. Dropkick knocks Brown to the floor and he hits a baseball slide. Jarrett sends Brown into the steps and he works over Brown on the floor. Brown fights back and he clotheslines Jarrett into the front row. Jarrett escapes a suplex attempt back to ringside and he sends Brown into the post. Back in, Jarrett wraps Brown’s arm off the ropes and Brown fights back with rights. Tornado Divorce Court by Jarrett and he continues to work the arm of Brown. Punches in the corner by Jarrett but Brown breaks with snake eyes. Sit-out powerbomb by Brown and both men are down. Tilt-a-whirl slam by Brown and he hits a leg lariat. Slam and a leg drop by Brown gets 2. Back suplex by Brown and he goes up. Summersault senton mises and Debra distracts the ref. Jarrett grabs the guitar but Mark Henry comes out and takes it away. HE NAILS BROWN FROM BEHIND WITH THE GUITAR!!!! Jarrett covers for 3!!! Debra celebrates with Jarrett and Henry after the match.
Winner and NEW WWF Intercontinental and European Champion- Jeff Jarrett *** ( This was a rock solid and fun opener. The crowd was engaged in what they did, they kept everything simple and got the show off to a hot start. Of course we got our swerves with Henry and Debra but considering on this show the overbooking was kept to a minimal I didn’t have much of a problem with it here.)

Edge and Christian says they got tired of living Gangrel’s life and they outgrew him. They says there is no one better for them to face to get a shot at the WWF Tag Team Titles than the Hardy Boyz.

Tag Team Turmoil
Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz start. Both teams brawl to start and Christian leaps off Edge’s back with an avalanche on Matt in the corner. Side Russian leg sweep by Edge to Matt and Christian tags in. Double hip toss to Matt gets 2. Spinning heel kick by Christian and he backdrops Jeff as he comes in. Gangrel gets a cheap shot in, allowing Matt to roll Christian up for 2. Tag to Jeff and they hit a double swinging gordbuster for 2. Slam by Jeff and he hits a slingshot moonsault for 2. Tag to Matt and they hit Poetry in Motion in the corner. Clothesline by Matt gets 2. Leg drop by Matt gets 2 and Jeff tags in. Suplex by Matt and Jeff hits the Swanton Bomb for 2 as Edge saves!!! Tag to Matt and Christian catches both with a double reverse DDT. Tag to Edge and he cleans house. Matt dumps Edge to end that and both teams brawl on the floor. JEFF RUNS THE BARRICADE BUT EDGE FOLLOWS SUIT AND SPEARS JEFF IN MID-AIR!!! Springboard crossbody by Christian onto Gangrel!! Matt with a Asai moonsault onto Christian on the floor!!! Back in, Matt puts Christian on top and follows up. Edge catches him with the sit-out electric chair and Christian hits a flying elbow drop for 3!!! Hardy Boyz have been eliminated.

Mideon and Viscera are next and Viscera hits a Samoan Drop on Christian. Double back elbow into a double elbow drop on Christian. Slam by Mideon and he goes up. Mideon leaps but misses and Edge tags in. He cleans house again and Viscera catches him with a spinning heel kick. Viscera goes for the Avalanche but Edge pulls Mideon into the way. Edge and Christian knock Viscera out of the ring and Edge spears Mideon for 3!!!

Droz and Prince Albert are next and they clear the ring of Albert. Reverse atomic drop by Droz and he stomps away. Back elbow by Droz and Albert tags in. He works over Edge in the corner and he charges in the corner but misses. Reverse TKO by Albert gets 2 as Christian saves. Albert goes for a press slam but Christian chop blocks him causing Edge to fall on top for 2!!! Downward Spiral by Edge gets 3!!!

The Acolytes are next and Bradshaw hits a big boot on Edge. Swinging neck breaker by Edge and he goes up. Missile dropkick by Edge and he hits some punches in the corner. Bradshaw comes out with a powerbomb for 2 as Christian saves. Faarooq tags in and Edge hits a spinning heel kick. Tag to Bradshaw and he works over Edge in the corner for 2. Back suplex by Bradshaw gets 2 and Faarooq tags in. Backbreaker by Faarooq gets 2. Chinlock by Faarooq but Edge fights out so Faarooq catches him with a spinebuster for 2. Edge escapes the Dominator and he hits a DDT. Tag to Christian and he cleans house. Christian goes up but Faarooq crotches him. Christian catches Bradshaw with the Tornado DDT for 2!!! Christian leaps off Edge’s back into an Avalanche on Faarooq but he walks into the Clothesline from Hell by Bradshaw for 3!!! Edge and Christian are eliminated.

The Hollys are the last team and Crash hits a dropkick on Faarooq. Faarooq comes back with the Dominator but Hardcore attacks from behind. Double shoulder block to Hardcore gets 2. Suplex by Hardcore and Crash tags himself in. Faarooq knocks him down and dumps Crash to the floor. Back in, Bradshaw hits a swinging neck breaker for 2. Tag to Faarooq and Hardcore catches him with a clothesline off the blind tag. The Hollys argue about who makes the cover and they brawl. Hardcore hits a big boot to Crash and he walks into the spinebuster from Faarooq for 3.
Winners- The Acolytes *** ( Again, another solid contest. The booking of Edge and Christian was really good as the crowd got more behind the longer they survived in the match. They probably should’ve gotten the win here over the Acolytes since the Acolytes had been in the tag title picture for the better part of 1999 but the overall performance still helped them get more over as faces. )

Al Snow has a conversation with his dog, Pepper, backstage.

Road Dogg comes out and issues a challenge to the winner of the Hardcore Title match for a match on Raw. Chris Jericho comes out and downgrades Summerslam. He says the people got conned out of their money since the card is filled with useless performers. Jericho says no one cares about Road Dogg and now that Jericho is around Road Dogg won’t bore the WWF again. Road Dogg calls Jericho a bitch and tells him to suck it. Road Dogg joins commentary for the Hardcore Title match.

WWF Hardcore Championship- Big Boss Man © vs. Al Snow
Snow hides on the entrance set and he leaps on Boss Man as he was coming out!!!! Snow drives a chair into Boss Man and they head to the back. Road Dogg decides to do live, walking commentary now. Rights by Boss Man and he nails Snow with a chalkboard. Boss Man nails Snow with Pepper’s crate and Snow comes back with a shot with the chalk board. Boss Man nails Snow with a crutch and he drives Snow’s head into a soda machine. Snow sends Boss Man into a car and they head outside the building. They brawl in the street and head across the street. Super kick by Snow gets 2. Boss Man tosses Snow into some tables outside of a bar for 2. They head into the bar and Snow fires away on Boss Man. They nail each other with broomsticks and they fight into the bathroom. Snow nails Boss Man in the head with a beer bottle and he chokes Boss Man with a chain. Snow climbs onto the bar and hits a moonsault through a table!!! They head into the Billiards room and Boss Man takes a swing at Road Dogg so Dogg nails Boss Man in the back with a nightstick. Snow covers for 3!!! Snow heads back to the arena and finds Stevie Richards and Blue Meanie with pepper’s crate, so he destroys both.
Winner and NEW WWF Hardcore Champion- Al Snow **1/4 ( This was your basic brawl all over the building hardcore match but I’ll give props to creativity with the match ending up in a bar across the street. )

Jesse Ventura lays down the law with Mankind but Mankind would rather talk politics.

WWF Women’s Championship- Ivory © vs. Tori
Ivory attacks as Tori was coming in and Tori hits a powerslam for 1. Ivory bails and she pulls Tori out so Ivory sends her into the post. Ivory snaps Tori’s neck off the ropes and she hits a back elbow for 1. Knee to the midsection by Tori and she hits rolling suplexes. Dropkick by Tori gets 2. Ivory slams Tori’s face on the mat and she hits some snap mares using the hair of Tori. Ivory chokes Tori in the ropes and she hits a leg drop. Giant swing by Ivory gets 2. Tori comes back with a Spear and she chops away. Ally-oop by Tori and she goes up. Second rope crossbody by Tori gets 2 and she gets a sunset flip for 1. Ivory blocks a second sunset flip for 3. Ivory tries to undress Tori after the match but Luna chases her away.
Winner and Still WWF Women’s Champion- Ivory * (The women were used for sex appeal in this era of the WWF so the fans could not have cared less about their in ring stuff. Tori has to be one of the worst workers I have ever seen and Ivory worked hard enough to make watchable.)

The Rock claims he’ll prove once again with a Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow he is the People’s Champion.

Billy Gunn is walking with someone with a sheet over them saying he has a big surprise tonight.

Video package for Shamrock/Blackman airs.

Lion’s Den Weapons Match- Steve Blackman vs. Ken Shamrock
On paper, you think this just another Russo gimmick on top of gimmick match, but it makes sense in the context of this being an MMA vs. Karate type of feud. Blackman nails Shamrock in the leg and head with the numchucks and Shamrock comes back with a dragon screw leg sweep. Blackman sweeps the legs and he chokes Shamrock with the numchucks. Shamrock escapes and he hammers Blackman on the mat. Shamrock sends Blackman into the cage and he throws some knees. High kick by Shamrock and he climbs the cage to grab a kendo stick. Blackman rakes the eyes and he sends Shamrock into the cage. Inverted atomic drop by Blackman and he nails Shamrock with his sticks. Blackman chokes Shamrock with the stick and Shamrock comes back with a springboard forearm using the cage!!! Shamrock prevents Blackman from climbing the cage and he hits a back suplex. Knee to the midsection by Blackman and he hits a DDT. Powerslam by Shamrock and both men are down. Enzuigiri by Blackman and he nails Shamrock a few times with a kendo stick. He nails Shamrock in the head with the kendo stick and he goes for the bicycle kick but misses. Belly to belly suplex by Shamrock and he beats Blackman with the kendo stick. He nails Blackman in the head with the kendo stick and Blackman is KO’ed!!!
Winner- Ken Shamrock *** (Surprising good brawl. It came across as an authentic battle of the arts and Shamrock beat Blackman at his own game using his own arsenal of weapons. They made the gimmick work and props to them for it.)

Love Her or Leave Her Match- Test vs. Shane McMahon
This is a street fight and Test must win in order to continue dating Stephanie McMahon. Before the match, the Mean Street Posse come out in casts and slings and Shane puts them in a couch that is placed in the front row. Test tackles Shane on the floor to start and back in; Shane takes Test down and hammers away. Test works Shane over in the corner and he hits a backdrop. Test sends Shane into the steps and they fight in the crowd. Shane clotheslines Test back to ringside and he leaps off the barricade but Test catches him with a powerslam on the floor!!! Test PRESSES SHANE ONTO THE POSSE IN THE CROWD!!!! Test nails all three members of the Posse with a baking sheet but the Posse overpower Test. Joey Abs slams Test on a stand and back at ringside, Shane hits Test with a mail box. Shane nails Test in the back with a street sign and he SHATTERS a framed picture over the head of Test!!!! Back in, Shane covers for 2. Back elbow by Shane and he goes up. Corkscrew moonsault off the top misses and Test catches Shane with a powerbomb. He covers for 2 after Rodney distracted the ref for a moment. Test goes for a big boot but misses Shane and nails the ref!!!! Test clotheslines Shane to the floor and he nails Shane in the back with a street sign a few times. Test slams Shane on the floor and the Posse prevents Test from entering the ring. They put Test on the announce table and Shane goes up. FLYING ELBOW DROP OFF THE TOP THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!!!!! Back in, Shane covers for 2!!! Pete Gas charges with a street sign but misses and nails Shane. Test covers for 2 as Joey Abs pulls Shane into the ropes. Rodney nails Test with his cast and he puts Shane on top for 2!!! Pat Patterson and Gerald Briscoe come out and attack the Posse!!!!! Test hits Joey Abs with a big boot knocking him off the apron. Shane charges but eats the post shoulder first. Pump handle slam by Test and he goes up. Flying elbow dorp by Test gets 3!!!! Stephanie McMahon comes out and celebrates with Test.
Winner- Test ****1/4 (This was so good. This match showed the world that Shane can go in the ring and will pull out all the stops to put on a show. The overbooking was perfect, the Posse interference was great and this was another sign that Test SHOULD have become a huge star.)

Video package for Kane/X-Pac vs. Show/Undertaker airs.

X-Pac says he and Kane are closer that Kane and Undertaker have ever been and that makes Show and Undertaker the underdogs tonight.

WWF Tag Team Championships- X-Pac and Kane © vs. Undertaker and Big Show w/Paul Bearer
They brawl to start and Kane gets double teamed. Kane fights back with a clothesline to Taker and he clotheslines Show to the floor. Crossbody off the top by X-Pac gets 2. Taker knocks X-Pac down and he works the arm of X-Pac. Tag to Kane and he hammers Taker in the corner. Kane clotheslines Taker to the floor and X-Pac goes after him on the floor. Taker knocks him down with a back elbow and he goes for a Chokeslam but Kane saves. Kane works over Taker on the floor and back in, Kane goes up. Flying clothesline by Kane gets 2 as Show breaks it up. Taker catches Kane with a DDT and Show tags in. Chops by Show and he stomps away in the corner. Show charges in the corner but eats elbow. Big boot by Show and he hits an elbow drop. He chokes away on Kane and drives some knees into Kane. Rights by Kane and Show catches him with a power slam for 2. Tag to Taker and he works Kane over in the corner. They slug it out and they clothesline each other, sending both men crashing to the mat. Tag to X-Pac and he fires away on Taker. Spinning heel kick by X-Pac gets 2. X-Pac throws some kicks but Show takes him down by the hair to come back. Taker dumps him to the floor and Show presses him onto the barricade. Show presses X-Pac back into the ring and Taker works X-Pac over on the apron. He crotches X-Pac on the ring post and back in, Show drops a head butt into the groin of X-Pac. Slam by Show and he drops his knee again. Show misses an elbow drop and X-Pac hits some rights. Show catches him in a Bear Hug but X-Pac bites his away out. Tree slam by Show gets 2 as Kane saves. Show goes for the Chokeslam but Kane saves again. X-Pac goes low on Show and Taker tags in to prevent the tag. X-Pac goes low on Taker and Kane tags in!!! Kane cleans house and X-Pac hits a spinning heel kick sending Taker to the floor. He goes for the slingshot pescado but Taker catches him but X-Pac escapes to send Taker into the post!!! Kane stomps away in the corner and X-Pac tags in. Bronco Buster by X-Pac and Show comes back with a Chokeslam for 2!!! Taker tags himself in and he hammers away on X-Pac in the corner. Tombstone by Taker gets 3!!!
Winners and NEW WWF Tag Team Champions- Undertaker and Big Show ***1/2 ( This was pretty damn good. They executed a perfect story of X-Pac being the plucky underdog in the land of the giants and despite his best effort could not stand up to the power of Taker and Big Show. This was a ton of fun and probably one of Taker and Show’s better efforts in 99. )

Jesse Ventura lays down the law to Stone Cold but he walks away.

Kiss My Ass Match- Mr. Ass vs. The Rock
Before the match, Mr. Ass says Rock won’t kiss his ass, he’ll kiss hers. He pulls the sheet off and shows a fat woman. Mr. Ass attacks to start and he works Rock over in the corner. Rock fights back with rights and he knocks Ass off the apron sending him crashing to the floor. They brawl into the entrance way and Ass catches Rock with a clothesline on the floor. Ass drops Rock onto the railings and Rock sends Ass into the Lion’s Den before knocking him down with a clothesline. Ass sends Rock into the steps and he hammers away on Rock. Rock works over Ass on the floor but Ass nails Rock with the ring bell to end that. Back in, Ass covers for 2 and he chokes away on Rock. Rights by Rock and he knocks Ass down with a clothesline. Ass comes back with a neck breaker and both men are down. Ass covers for 2 and he works over Rock on the apron. Rock fights back with rights and Ass comes back with a bulldog for 2. Avalanche in the corner by Ass and Rock comes out of the corner with a clothesline. Back elbow by Ass and Rock comes back with a swing around DDT. Rock covers for 2 and he cleans house. Swinging neck breaker by Rock and he catches Ass with a Samoan Drop for 2. Ass blocks the Rock Bottom and he hits the Fameasser. He brings the woman into the ring and she reveals a hole in her panty hose. Rock clips Ass and SHOVES HIS FACE INTO HER ASS!!!! Rock Bottom by Rock and he hits the People’s Elbow for 3.
Winner- The Rock ** ( The match was pretty dull, as no one was buying Mr. Ass being even close to the level of the Rock and the crowd was basically wait for Rock to lay him out with the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow. The fat woman stuff was frustrated and was the only part the show that came across as garbage.)

Video package for Austin/Triple H/Mankind airs.

WWF Championship- Stone Cold Steve Austin © vs. Mankind vs. Triple H w/Chyna
Jesse Ventura is the guest referee. Before the match, Ventura says that despite the media calling him a disgrace for being here, he is proud to be a wrestler. Austin attacks HHH to start and Mankind pulls HHH to the floor to work him over. Austin clotheslines HHH on the floor and back in, Austin and Mankind trade shots on HHH. Knee lift by Mankind and he hugs Austin, so Austin attacks him!!! Mankind blocks the Stunner and he knocks Austin down. He charges but misses and crashes all the way to the floor. Austin sends Mankind into the steps and he knocks Mankind down with a clothesline on the floor. Chyna sends Mankind into the post as Austin and HHH brawl around ringside. HHH nails Austin in his bad knee with a chair as he was entering the ring and back in, Mankind hits some rights. Facebuster by HHH and he hammers away on Mankind in the corner. Mankind grabs the Mandible Claw but Chyna crotches Mankind against the ring post to break. Ventura throws Chyna out!!!! Austin charges at HHH as he was arguing with Ventura and Austin works HHH over in the entrance way. Back in, HHH slams Austin’s knee against the post and he chop blocks Austin. HHH stomps away on Austin in the corner and Mankind joins in. They double team Austin in the corner and hit a double clothesline. Leg drop by Mankind gets 2 as HHH breaks. Rights by Mankind and he clotheslines HHH to the floor. Mankind goes for a summersault senton but misses and crashes on the floor!!! HHH snaps Austin’s neck off the ropes and he slams Austin’s leg off the post. Austin pulls HHH into the post to end that and he clotheslines HHH into the front row. They brawl in the crowd and Mankind follows out. Mankind goes for a piledriver but Austin backdrops out onto the floor. He tosses HHH back to ringside and HHH sends Austin into the steps. Back in, Austin fights back with rights on both and he throws some shoulders to the midsection of Mankind in the corner. Austin blocks the Pedigree and he catapults HHH into Mankind. Stunner by Austin to Mankind gets 2 as HHH breaks with a chair shot to the back!!! HHH nails Mankind with the chair and he covers but Ventura refuses to count!!!! Shane McMahon comes out and he argues with Ventura. Austin hits the Stunner on Shane!!! Ventura dumps Shane to the floor!!! The camera misses an awkward moment where Austin attempted to taunt Shane but he fell and got his leg caught in the ropes. HHH goes after him and they clothesline each other, sending both men crashing to the mat. Mankind grabs the Mandible Claw on both!!!! Austin goes low to break and HHH goes for the Pedigree but Austin breaks with a clothesline. Austin attacks both men and rams their heads together. Stunner to HHH gets 2 as Mankind breaks!!! Austin sends Mankind into the top of the ring post and HHH hits the Pedigree on Austin. Mankind knocks HHH down and hits the Double Arm DDT for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWF Champion- Mankind ***1/2 ( Ventura played his role to perfection here. He played the strict ref for the entire match and only got involved when he needed to. It was one of the better special ref performances I’ve seen. The match itself was very good, lots of good brawling and it continue to launch Triple H as a top heel based on his actions during the match. Mankind pulling out the win was a nice surprise, probably to make up for Austin’s injury and Triple H ended up getting the title the next night, so I’m OK with Mankind taking the title to send the fans home on a good note. )

After the match, HHH grabs a chair and he attacks Austin’s injured knee with it!!!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

This is one of the more underrated editions of SummerSlam. I'm was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed the show. The wrestling was consistent with plenty of good performances across the board. That Shane McMahon/Test match is sensational and it should have helped launch Test as a major star and it showed that Shane McMahon is actually a capable in ring performer. They kept the overbooking, swerves, and nonsensical booking to a minimum and it resulted in exciting matches and a great atmosphere. Go out of your way to check this out, it really is an underrated gem of a show.