WWE Fully Loaded
July 25, 1999
Recap of Heat, The Undertaker attacks Steve Austin busting him open. This leaves Austin to a clear disadvantage leading into their First Blood match.
Edge (c) vs Jeff Jarrett w/ Debra - IC Title
So Ken Shamrock no showed a Toronto Skydome house show the previous night, so Edge took his place. Edge defeated Jarrett for the title. This is now the rematch. Early on in the match, the crowd chants for puppies. Debra was of course the one who Lawler made the term puppies up for. Nonetheless, Lawler has already molded the fans into only caring about the women, not the matches. Great job king. Jarrett targets Edge's leg early on, but for whatever reason turns his attention to his shoulder. Late in the match, the lights go out and the Brood's music plays. If you weren't watching at this time, it meant only one thing was happening - a bloodbath. The lights come back on and Gangrel was knocked out and blood way on the floor. Edge has diverted the bloodbath. I think the first one to ever do it. It should be noted that Edge and Christian recently left the Brood, which is why Gangrel came out. Back inside, Edge has a few near falls on Jarrett. Debra tries to distract Jarrett, but is knocked down. Edge looks worried for Debra, but Gangrel jumps up and pulls Edge's head down on the ropes (choking him) to allow Jarrett to hit the Stroke and reclaim the title. This turned out to be Edge's first major match. It was slow at points, but once Gangrel came out, it really picked up. This match may seem random, but it accomplished a lot. First, it was the Edge's chance to prove he could be a singles star. Second, it was a way to begin the Edge - Gangrel feud which once The Hardy Boyz joined Gangrel, it started one of the most popular feuds of the Attitude Era.
14 Minutes. 2 Stars.
Backstage, Steve Austin is being fixed up by the doctor. Austin leaves and heads to the ring where he stuns Jeff Jarrett. On the mic, Austin tells Taker that he will be bleeding before the match too. Supposedly, Vince Russo was very high on Jarrett (Which makes a lot of sense). Austin didn't want anything to do with Jarrett. So Austin came out and buried Jarrett. It probably wouldn't have worked out for Jarrett anyways. Triple H was literally on the brink of being a main eventer, Chris Jericho's Countdown promos were already going on, you had Angle and The Radicalz debuting in less than a year. Oh well, Jarrett got to be the star in less than a year in WCW.
The Hardy Boyz (c) and Michael Hayes vs The Acolytes - Tag Titles Acolyte Rules Match
This was at the start of the Hardy Boyz first push. Jim Ross still couldn't tell them apart, but they were given the tag titles for some unknown reason. For this match, their mentor Michael Hayes is in the match. Acolyte Rules Match is just No DQ. Match begins with a brawl outside and inside the ring. The Hardys bust out all of their famous moves (Poetry in motion, twist of fate and Swanton Bomb), but none of them have names yet. Farooq Irish Whips Jeff, but Jeff ducks a closelines and flies over the top rope and hits a Swanton bomb on Bradshaw and Matt Hardy on the outside. Incredible spot. Finally, the match starts to look like a match with tags (Well...sometimes). Bradshaw is very stiff with Michael Hayes. Even when Hayes isn't in the ring, Bradshaw is giving him the finger. Well Bradshaw is a Texan. I assume all Texas wrestlers hates the Freebirds.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Jeff Hardy breaks Hayes' pimpcane across of Bradshaw's head. Hardys attempt another Poetry of Motion, but Bradshaw nails a closeline from Hell to Jeff in mid air. A group of guys in the first few rows go crazy from the spot. With the Hardy Boyz on the outside, the Acolytes hit the Acolyte Bomb (Double powerbomb) to Hayes to win the titles. The Hardy Boyz still didn't know much about psychology or selling long term, but they could bust out some nice spots, make the future APA look like badasses and they were very quick. It was a nice PPV debut for them and a must see for any Hardy fan. It's very weird Ross not knowing any of the Hardys moves. This was a lot of fun though.
14 Minutes. 3 Stars. Mideon vs D-Lo Brown - European Title
Shane McMahon retired the European title earlier in the year so X-Pac couldn't win it back. I guess Shane kept bringing it to shows though since Mideon found the belt. Why Mideon was digging through bags is a question never asked. Anyways, Shane decides to reactive the title and just let Mideon be the champion. D-Lo is very over at this point in his career. Brown hits a Suicide Dive to Mideon. The match drags on whenever Mideon is in charge and not hitting power moves. D-lo hits a Sky High and the Lo Down to win the European title. The fans are happy and so am I. Probably one of Mideon's best matches in the WWE. As for D-Lo, he once again showed he could carry someone to a good match. Mideon really looked like a creepy bastard at this time. Very Charles Manson-like. Mideon could of been a huge star with that look if he only had some mic skills or in ring talent. I really don't understand what happened to D-lo. By this point in his career, only X-Pac was a more popular midcard face. Yet by the end of fall they kill his career by turning him into The Godfather's mini-me. By 2000, they continue to ruin his overness.
7 Minutes. 2 Stars. Al Snow (c) vs The Big Boss Man - Hardcore Title
Head has a spike in his head, so Al Snow is acting even more crazy than normal. Snow begs to have Boss Man put him out of his misery, Boss Man attacks Head. This causes more pain to Snow so he attacks Boss Man. They fight in the back. Boss Man tries to drive a golf cart into Snow, but it won't start up. Golf Cart: 1 - Boss Man: 0. Boss Man attacks Snow with a big plant. Down the hall, they head outside of the arena. A brick against Snow's head only gets a 2 count. Boss Man should of realized that you can't hurt Snow by his head. (well...the head on his body, not the bodyless head). They go across the street and Boss Man handcuffs Snow to a gate. Boss Man whips out a baton and hits Snow a few times before putting his boot on Snow's chest. The ref counts to 3. What made the finish weird was that Snow was sitting down, but his back was against the gate. Lame finish. This match was a lot of fun because of the comedy, whether intentional or not (Golf cart). These two would continue to feud in 1999 with each storyline become more and more bizarre. This is also the 4th title match and the 4th new champion. It's not looking good for Austin.
10 Minutes. 2 1/2 Stars. The Big Show vs Kane - Special Guest Ref - Hardcore Holly
This is a rematch to their godawful match at King of the Ring. At the time, Holly had the Big Shot (Eventually turning into the Super Heavyweights gimmick once Crash came) where he thought he was just as big as Kane or Show. Holly is also kind of friends with Show, so Kane has a disadvantage. Big Show body presses Kane and throws him from the ring to the outside. Say what you will about big man vs big man matches, but seeing Kane thrown around is impressive. Show dominates the entire match. Kane barely even gets in any moves, but it makes sense since Kane can actually sell. Kane finally gains control and goes to chokeslam Show, but Holly chopblocks Kane's leg. Show hits a chokeslam to win the match. Post match has X-Pac running out and hitting a spin kick on Holly. This brings out Taker to chokeslam X-Pac. Show and Taker attacks Kane. This would prove to be the beginning of the Unholy Alliance that would last the rest of the summer. I actually dug the pairing of Show and Taker. While this match was slow and boring at times, Kane keeps the match somewhat interesting by his selling.
8 Minutes. 1 1/2 Stars.
Backstage, Austin attacks Taker when he makes his way and makes him bleed. The sides are all even now.
Ken Shamrock vs Steve Blackman - Iron Circle Match
Iron Circle Match is just a parking lot brawl, but you don't need to pin your opponent. The match ends when someone is just knocked out. In the parking garage, there's cars forming a circle. Many lowcard wrestlers are hanging out. Val Venis, The Godfather, Prince Albert, Droz, Viscera, Mideon, Sgt Slaughter, Brooklyn Brawler, Downtown Bruno, and a certain Olympic Gold Medalist who had yet to make his in ring debut for the company are included. The match is just all brawling. Blackman brings out a chain and a tire iron to attack Shamrock with. Shamrock wraps the chain around Blackman's throat and chokes him out. The match sorta ends right there. This was yet another one of Shamrock's babies. Some of these MMA/Real fights turned out to be good (The Dungeon Match), but some were bad (this one). Well, it could of been worse at least.
4 Minutes. 1 1/2 Stars. Road Dogg and X-Pac vs Chyna and Billy Gunn - "Rights To DX"
After having DX be split up since the beginning of the year, it was time to end it all. Both sides didn't want the others to get the benefits of the DX name. JR actually says that Gunn and Chyna doesn't have any more right to the DX name than Dogg and X-Pac. Yet, Chyna was one of the original members of DX. If anything, I don't see how Pac and Roadie could claim any right to DX. I'm not even going to bother reporting the match except for X-Pac hitting the Bronco Buster on Chyna. Little did we know then, it wouldn't be the last time they did that for a video camera. The match is very slow and since Pac was still hurt (legit), Road Dogg did most of the action. Match ends with Dogg pinning Gunn after the pump handle slam. This match would prove pointless as DX (Minus Chyna) was reunited by the end of the year.
12 Minutes. 1 Star. The Rock vs Triple H - Strap Match
Your first rematch of Over the Edge. This also serves as a number 1 contender's match for Summerslam. Their both attached to each other with a strap, but you can only win with a pin. They brawl on the outside for awhile. Rocky grabs someone's camera and takes a picture of Triple H. Ha, awesome. Midway through, Chyna comes out to watch Hunter. This was around the time when the two were distancing themselves from each other. Chyna distracts the ref when Hunter was in control. You would think that after 2 and a half years in the company, she would have better timing. Triple H removes the strap, but Rocky hits him with the strap over and over. Chyna distracts the ref while Billy Gunn runs down and hits Rocky with a club. Why is Chyna even distracting the ref? You can't be DQ'd. Rock hits a People's Elbow, but Gunn pulls Rocky off by the strap at 2. Gunn gets a Rock Bottom for his interference, but Rock turns around into a pedigree. Hunter covers Rocky and gets the win. So the first half to the main event of Summerslam is now set. Hunter vs Austin/Taker. This was a solid match and a huge improvement from their Over the Edge match. Both guys would have much better matches with each other though. Sadly, this was the start of the Billy Gunn megapush that amounted to jack shit.
19 Minutes. 3 Stars. Steve Austin (c) vs The Undertaker - End of an Era First Blood Title Match
It's a first blood match with the extra stipulations being that if Austin loses, he can never wrestle for the World Title again. If Austin wins, Vince can never be on WWE tv again. Vince is the guest commentator for the match. The match starts with your standard brawling all over the place with both guys trying to reopen their opponent's wounds. Austin grabs a chair just as Shane tries for a run-in. Shane takes a brutal chair shot. Taker has another chair, but X-Pac runs down and kicks the chair in Taker's face for revenge. Taker isn't bleeding yet. Austin grabs a video camera and hits Taker with it. Taker is bleeding, but ref Earl Hebner was knocked down. Austin and Taker punches each other as Vince watches on in horror. Taker sets Austin up for a Tombstone, but Hebner sees the blood and calls for the bell. The fight continues though with Triple H coming out to attack Austin. The Rock comes back out and fights with Hunter on the way out. Taker lays Austin out with a chair. Austin is bleeding badly. Taker finally gives up and just walks away. Austin offers to shake Vince's hand. STUNNER. Vince is left knocked out, Austin is a bloody mess with the title and Taker has his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Like any 1999 match, there was tons of interference and more brawling than anything else. However, it was a fun match with Taker actually looking good. Vince would only be off of TV for a couple of months, which makes this match a bit pointless as well. This match is also superior to their Over the Edge match. I love these brawls, but I wish the WWE mixed it up more in 1999. EVERY main event was a brawl.
16 Minutes. 2 1/2 Stars. Overall
This was Russo Attitude Era at it's best. The entire show was full of out of the ring brawling and gimmick matches. This time period didn't offer much variety, which is a huge letdown if you're not a fan of the style. Most of the resulting stipulations wouldn't even last long, making them useless. But as far as 1999 PPV's go, this was above the majority.
Best Match: The Rock vs Triple H
Worst Match: Road Dogg and X-Pac vs Billy Gunn and Chyna
Grade: B
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