Fully Loaded '99

Legacy Review

Fully Loaded '99

July 25, 1999 from the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, NY

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

The main event for this show, a First Blood match between Austin and the Undertaker for the WWF Title, is being billed as an "end of an era" due to its stipulations. If Austin loses, not only does he lose the title, he can never ever challenge for it again. If Austin wins, Mr. McMahon can NEVER EVER EVER appear on WWF TV again. Ever. The show opens with footage from an incident that just took place on the Sunday Night Heat preshow, Taker attacking Austin backstage and busting him open. We go live to Austin in the trainer's room refusing stitches and dropping "son of a bitch" on everyone. Michael Cole accuses Vince of orchestrating the attack, which is of course denied.

 

To lead into the opening match: The night before this PPV WWF held a house show in the Skydome (I know, a house show in the SKYDOME). Ken Shamrock was scheduled to challenge Jeff Jarrett for the IC title but "no showed", and his last minute substitute was hometown boy Edge. Edge and Christian had recently separated from Gangrel in the Brood and turned face. Edge upset Jarrett in his hometown to win his first ever WWF singles title. Far from his last. We get some screencaps from that match but no video.

 

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra) def Edge (c) in 13:22- Jarrett takes a mic before the bell and says little of note. Standing swtiches at the start followed by a Jarrett drop toe hold, leading to a good basic exchange. Stalemate and shoving with Jarrett going down. Edge hits a leg lariat and gets a half nelson cradle for 2. Backslide for 2. He fakes Jarrett out with a fake crossbody and hits a sunset flip off the second rope for 2. Jarrett rolls out, takes the belt, grabs Debra's hand and teases walking with "his" belt. He hops back on the apron with an eye poke. Edge counters the attempted buckle shot. They go to the floor and Edge gets whipped into the steps. Noise! Back in Edge slides under and hits a northern lights suplex for 2. Floatover in the corner but Edge hurts his knee on the landing. Jarrett goes right to work on it. Edge pushes out of a figure four attempt and rolls Jarrett up for 2. Jarrett's kickout sends Edge shoulder first into the post. Now he's got two hurt limbs. Armbar slam from Jarrett. After that he forgets about all the hurt body parts and goes into generic offense with some strutting. Jarrett sleeper. Edge runs him into the top turnbuckle. Jarrett hits a flapjack for 2. The sleeper is back on and Edge goes down. Arm drops. Edge fights out and puts on his own sleeper. He flips out of a Jarrett back suplex attempt and gets a roll up for 2. Edge Bret bumps in the corner, both guys hit heads and Edge does the flop head first into Jarrett's crotch. Edge drapes an arm over for 2. Another leg lariat and a running swinging neckbreaker from Edge. Small package for 2. Tornado DDT. He goes for the spear. Jarrett dodges and Edge flies over the top rope to the floor. Gangrel's music hits and the lights go out. When they come back up, Gangrel is down with Edge standing over him! That clearly didn't work. Jarrett attacks from behind. Crossbody off the top. Edge rolls through it for a 2 count. Powerbomb counter from Edge for 2. Spear! Debra, predictably, gets on the apron and tries to woo Edge. No man in their right mind should go for that trash. Edge and Jarrett punch each other at the same time, Jarrett falls into Debra and Debra goes down! Gangrel gives Edge a shot. Jarrett hits the skull crushing finale or whatever he called it then and gets the title back. With that win Jarrett sets a new record with his 5th IC title win, breaking a tie with Razor Ramon. The match was fine as Edge continues to get better and better. A one day first reign is disappointing, but it's the Attitude Era, hotshotting midcard titles was the norm. Edge having two hurt body parts that never went anywhere was also disappointing, but having a Jarrett match, especially a title match, with no broken guitars was a plus. **3/4

After the match Jarrett gets the mic again and brags. We cut back to the trainer's room where Austin's head has been taped up and he takes his leave in none too good a mood. Back to the ring where Jarrett and Debra still are. Glass shatter! Austin RUNS in! Stunner on Jarrett! Austin gets a mic and tells Taker "If I'm going to be going into this match with stitches, so are you!" and leaves. Rumor has it this was supposed to lead to an Austin/Jarrett program down the line. Austin, however, had no interest in that, and rightly so in my mind as Jarrett was very much a "career midcarder with delusions of stardom" at this point, and the whole thing was dropped before it got going. I think it's better and funnier that Jarrett just happened to be the unlucky SOB in the ring when Austin needed to let off some steam anyway.

 

Acolyte Rules Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship: The Acolytes def The Hardy Boyz (c) and Michael Hayes in 9:32- The Hardyz upset the Acolytes on Raw a few weeks prior to win their first ever WWF titles. There's an unintentionally funny bit in the prematch promo where Hayes says he led the Hardyz "from curtain jerkers to tag champs". Yeah, from curtain jerkers to....the second match on the card. Bradshaw and Faarooq being who they are they're actually letting themselves be at a 3-2 disadvantage for this "Acolytes Rules" match. More people to punch. Everyone jumps everyone else in the aisle and it's on. I'll give Hayes credit, he's in the middle of it all years after his retirement. Matt gets tossed into the steps. Noise! Hayes takes a Bradshaw clothesline across the top of his head, then the Acolytes give him some stair shots. Faarooq and Jeff get in the ring and the bell rings to officially start things. Bradshaw is still pounding away on Hayes. Jeff ducks a clothesline and hits a tope con hilo on Bradshaw! Matt moonsault off the top to the floor! OK Hayes, your turn to dive. Back in Bradshaw hits Matt with a fallaway slam. Jeff quickly comes off the top with a missile dropkick and Matt rolls Bradshaw up for 2. The Hardyz dropkick Bradshaw to the floor. Bradshaw catches Matt trying to plancha, but before he can do anything Jeff baseball slides him. They swap to the Hardyz double teaming Faarooq in the ring. Matt and Hayes double suplex him, then Jeff hits the as yet unnamed swanton bomb for 2. Bradshaw starts pounding on Hayes on the floor again while Faarooq plants Matt with a spinebuster in the ring. Things start to settle in and switch from wild brawl to normal tag match for a bit with Matt in peril and the Acolytes hitting some nice power stuff, tossing Matt all over the place. Jeff breaks up a powerbomb attempt and Matt tags Hayes. Bradshaw quickly pummels Hayes down. Hayes counters a Farrooq backdrop and gets the hell out of town, tagging Jeff in. Faarooq hits a powerslam. Jeff was FLYING on that, Faarooq barely kept his grip. Bradshaw plants Jeff off the top rope. Jeff jawbreakers out of a Faarooq chinlock, which barely fazes Faarooq. DONNYBROOK! Or, back to the wild brawl. Matt hits the also yet unnamed Twist of Fate on Faarooq. Bradshaw breaks the pin up and kills Matt with a short clothesline. Back superplex from Bradshaw! Jeff saves the pin. Jeff nails Bradshaw with Hayes' cane! Bradshaw kicks out! The Hardys go for their double team. Bradshaw whacks Jeff out of midair with the Clothesline from Hell! Two straight PPVs there's been a great counter out of that double team. Matt makes the save on the pin. The Hardyz get tossed out and Hayes ends up alone in the ring. I don't like this. The Acolytes go easy on him with a simple double powerbomb, and that gets the pin and the titles back. Good stuff. Not long after this the Hardyz dumped Hayes and took over Edge and Christian's old place with Gangrel as the New Brood. ***1/4

Austin is walking and door slamming backstage.

 

WWF European Championship: D'Lo Brown def Mideon (c) in 7:11- Not long after Wrestlemania Shane McMahon decided to retire the European title instead of defend it, a decision he could make as he was in control of the WWF at that point (slightly retconned since with the Vince as the higher power reveal but hey, it's Russo). A few weeks ago Mideon found the belt in Shane's bag, and Shane said what the hell, it's yours. Why Mideon was going through Shane's bag in the first place will, and probably should, remain a mystery. As soon as D'Lo Brown saw that belt back in play there was no choice to make for him. Find someone that loves you as much as D'Lo loved the European title. Brown gets right in Mideon's face while the ref is trying to take the belt. Slugfest. Brown hits a back elbow and clothesline. Mideon gets 360 clotheslined to the floor. Brown hits a baseball slide. Tope suicida! Mideon reverses a whip and Brown goes into the stairs. Noise! He drops Brown on the aisle guardrail. Brown 360 sells a short clothesline that barely hit. Mideon gutwrench powerbomb for 2. Chinlock time. After arm drops Mideon blocks a clothesline and hits a neckbreaker for 2. Both guys trade eye pokes in the corner as some "boring" chants start to roll around the arena. Brown sunset flip for 2. Mideon clothesline. Brown gets a boot up in the corner and hits a tornado DDT for 2. Sky High spinebuster for 2. Brown goes up top. The frog splash hits! That gets the pin! Brown gets his baby back. It's been a bad night for champions so far. Brown tried the best he could, but in the end it's a Mideon match. *1/2

Austin shoves a cameraman out of the way backstage. After that we get a quick recap of Boss Man putting a spike through Head, causing Al Snow to go even crazier than usual. Snow's been demanding Boss Man finish him off. Cole is with Snow live, who rants about hearing voices nonstop and needing them to stop. The drums, the drums, the never ending drums....

 

WWF Hardcore Championship: The Big Boss Man def Al Snow (c) (w/spiked Head) in 10:13- Snow meets Boss Man in the stage during his entrance, kneels down and wants Boss Man to hit him. Boss Man hits the spike in Head with his nightstick, and Snow sells it! Snow snaps and attacks. Brawl around the stage area. Snow gets stuffed in a trunk, then gets a sandbag and hits Boss Man with it. Snow gets thrown through a piece of the stage. He still wants more. They go through the curtain to the back. Snow gets run through a Punt, Pass and Kick competition target! Lots of prop shots. Snow gives Boss Man a cookie sheet shot, then pours hot coffee on him! Full trash can shot. Boss Man gets suplexed through the table! Boss Man pokes Snow with a football down marker! He changes it from 1st to 4th down, leading to some good football jokes from JR and Lawler. Boss Man gets in a golf cart but can't get it to start. Shelve that spot. Snow pulls a plant out from its planter and nails Boss Man with it! Boss Man pulls his belt off and whips Snow. He chokes Snow with it and drags him down a long hallway. They go through a door to a stairwell. Snow hits a combo of open hand strikes with Boss Man doing a nice flop sell. Through another door and they're outside. Boss Man hits a bulldog on the sidewalk! That gets a 2 count. Snow hits Boss Man with a hubcap. And a cone. I think I know which one hurt more. Boss Man hits knees to Snow's head. Snow's smiling. Brick shot for 2. They go into the street. A passing car has to slam on his brakes for them, honks and drives off! Holy shit, I don't think that was planned, that was a guy legit just driving by. Boss Man rams Snow into an iron fence on the other side of the street, then handcuffs Snow to it. He gets out a retractable stick, pummels Snow with it, then puts his foot across Snow's throat. Snow's shoulders are on the fence so the ref has some mercy and counts 3 to give Boss Man the title. Boss Man hustles back into the arena and all the way into the ring to get the belt, the only time anyone was near the ring this whole match. Snow is still smiling. That was another fun hardcore plunder brawl, though maybe a tick too long. Great storytelling too. Snow's stuff was so off the wall, but so good for it. Usually. 4 for 4 on title changes so far tonight. ***

Recap of where the Kane/Big Show feud has gone since their disaster of a match at King of the Ring (that JR rightly calls bowling shoe ugly). The two big guys continued to do big guy things to each other, but where it got interesting is when Taker and Kane seemingly got on the same page opposed to Show. Of course this being Russo it was all a vehicle just to set up a SWERVE, namely Taker chokeslamming Kane's new best bud X-Pac, causing the brothers to break up once again. Hardcore Holly is guest reffing this match, or "The Big Shot" as he's now calling himself during the period where he was under the delusion that he was a superheavyweight. Don't ask, it's Russo. Holly had also been feuding with Show but they now seemed to be on the same side. Kevin Kelley asks Holly if he can be impartial for this match. Holly says yes and how dare you even ask that question. Kelley's meek "Yes sir" to Holly's threat is pretty funny.

 

The Big Show def Kane in 8:13- While Holly's giving elaborate AWA style instructions to Kane Show jumps him. He military presses Kane and tosses him down to the floor! Legit impressive strength wise, but Kane also hit the top rope on the way down and that could have been ugly. They trade headbutts on the floor and Kane gets whipped into the ring post. Not stairs. No noise. They're probably going to get fined for that. Back in Kane slugs away in the corner. Holly hooks his arm to stop him and Show hits a clothesline. The next 5ish minutes that feel like 20 is the usual slow, dull Show beatdown. Kane tries to slug back but runs into a big boot. Show tells Holly he's going to hit a powerslam, then does for a 2 count. Holly helpfully tells Show to "hook his leg". Russian leg sweep from Show. Kane dodges an elbow drop, wobbles Show with about a hundred punches and hits a DDT. Clothesline off the top rope. He sets up for the chokeslam. Goozle! Holly clips Kane's knee! Show hits a chokeslam, as if it's needed Holly fast counts for the two people that haven't gotten what's going on yet, and it's over. Well, it's better than the KOTR match. Barely. 1/2*

After the bell X-Pac runs in and takes out Holly. Taker runs in and chokeslams Pac. They beat down Kane for an overly long time while also looking pretty lost, like someone else was supposed to run in and didn't. Finally Taker just leaves and Show's music hits. Show and Taker share a look as Taker leaves, leaving commentary to speculate what's going on there. When Taker gets through the curtain Austin jumps him! Taker gets busted open! Promise kept.

 

Iron Circle Match: Ken Shamrock def Steve Blackman in 4:19- This is one of those "fight in the middle of a ring of cars" matches. It's all pretaped, and the cars are in a parking garage this time instead of outside so there's a roof. There's also a bunch of wrestlers with the car ring, banging on hoods and honking horns the entire match. It can get old, but at the same time as opposed to the alternative (silence) it works OK. Almost like a score for the match. The rules are supposedly the first person to "escape the circle" wins. I'm not getting deep into this, when you've seen one match of this type you've seen them all. Guys get slammed on car hoods, windshields and windows are broken, weapons are used. Shamrock takes one crazy leaping backwards bump onto a hood. Later Blackman slams him on a hood and he slides right off. Blackman gets a tire iron out of one of the cars. Shamrock gets run into the parking garage wall. Wait, that's outside the cars. Is that considered escaping the circle? Shamrock uses a chain Blackman introduced earlier to punch Blackman down, then chokes him out. The bell rings for that with no one escaping. OK then. It's fine for what it is, though they WCW'd the rules quite a bit. *1/2

Terry Taylor (or "Rooster" as JR calls him) tries to get a word with Taker and gets tossed into the wall.

 

For the Rights to the D-Generation X Name: Road Dogg and X-Pac def Mr. Ass and Chyna in 11:44- Considering the stips there's a total lack of heat for this match as DX had become far less relevant than its heyday. Both teams come out to DX's music. Gunn and Chyna are wearing matching fishnet thongs. JR gets a funny line in about them during the match, "How do they know he's wearing his and she's wearing hers?". Pac's clearly wobbly after Taker's attack earlier. Dogg and Chyna start. Chyna controls with headlocks and a couple of shoulderblocks. Dogg dropkicks her from behind into Gunn, then hitting the ropes Chyna runs into Gunn again. Dogg hooks her up for the pumphandle slam, and gestures that he wants to start Chyna's porn career early. Chyna escapes before either hit. Gunn tags in to a huge "asshole" chant. Almost the entire front row opposite hard camera has a giant "Mr. Asshole" sign with his logo at the end. The front row was cool before it was just Green Tee guy and Trinidad and Tobago flag guy every single show. Back and forth slugging with Gunn hitting a Stinger splash. Chyna hits Dogg from the apron and he goes DX in peril. Chyna tags in and hits uppercuts, a PK to the back and elbow drops for 2. JR says the doctors almost held Pac out of this match with a concussion from the chokeslam earlier. Definitely the pre-"concussion everyone panic" days. Gunn plants Dogg with a jackhammer. He comes off the second rope. Dogg gets a boot up and Gunn does the most ridiculous sell of it. Tag to Pac. Kicks for everyone. Gunn gives him a hot shot to cut it off. Pac's head is hurt again. Chyna pounds on him and puts on a sleeper. Pac runs into a Chyna powerslam for 2. They do the phantom tag spot and Pac gets unloaded on in the corner. Pac runs into another powerslam, this time Gunn's, for 2. Chyna goes for the handspring elbow but Pac cuts it off with a clothesline. Both sides tag. Dogg runs wild. He hits his signature jabs and kneedrop on Chyna. Everyone in the pool! Pac gives Chyna the bronco buster. Chyna inadvertently pulls Pac out of Gunn's path, Gunn Stinger splashes the post, and Dogg hits him with the pumphandle slam for the pin. Solid formula tag stuff for a match that, again, doesn't feel like it mattered nearly as much as it should have. This would get the face and heel branches of DX away from each other for a bit, until Gunn's singles push crashed and burned and he and Dogg were teaming back up again two months later. **1/2

 

Fully Loaded Strap Match: Triple H def The Rock in 19:21- The winner of this match gets a WWF Championship shot at Summerslam. Trips' morphing into The Game is almost 100% complete. The "Fully Loaded" part of this strap match is that it must end by pinfall rather than touch all four corners rules, and falls count anywhere. Rock charges in and it's on! He's all over HHH. Rock uses the strap to pull HHH into the post. He takes a camera from a fan and takes a picture! That sets HHH off. Both guys take shots off and around the announce tables. Back in the ring Rock has some trouble maneuvering around the strap before they do some typical back and forth stuff. Back out and HHH goes into the stairs. Noise! Over the barricade and it's late '90s mandatory crowd brawl time. When they get over by the stage area both guys use the strap for guardrail shots. It's amazing how those individual sections of the old style guardrail were always in that perfect spot to be used during matches. Rock gets whipped into some of the stage girder and clotheslined for 2. HHH does the first strap whips. Rock blocks a suplex and suplexes HHH in the aisle for 2. Another Rock whip into the guardrail for 2. They work back to the ring with Rock taking stair shots. Back in the ring with HHH doing some more strap whipping. Slugfest. HHH hits the high knee. Chyna makes her way out. HHH argues with ref Mike Chioda over a call, then Chyna gets on the apron to take over arguing. Rock uses the strap to pull HHH into a Rock Bottom! Chyna's still distracting Chioda. HHH hits a low blow. He climbs up the ropes and hangs Rock with the strap. Rock starts to go out. After arm drops Rock uses the strap to slam HHH off the top, the pulls the strap for a clothesline and hot shot into the top turnbuckle. Samoan drop for 2. HHH takes the strap off and pounds on Rock in the aisle. He goes over and gets a chair. Rock cuts it off with strap whips. DDT from Rock back in for 2. Now Billy Gunn runs in. He hits Rock with an international club. HHH cover. Rock kicks out! HHH hooks up for the Pedigree. Rock low blows out. Slam. People's Elbow! Cover. Gunn pulls the strap to pull Rock out of the cover! Rock Bottom on Gunn! Pedigree on Rock! HHH gets the pin! He's headed to the Summerslam main event. Rock, on the other hand, is headed for a scintillating midcard match with Gunn that would prove once and for all Gunn's singles push was a mistake and kill it stone dead. This was a fun brawl with two guys that worked that style and with each other extremely well. ***1/2

 

First Blood Match for the WWF Championship: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (c) def The Undertaker in 15:31- Vince comes out first in crutches, apparently a legit minor injury sustained in a car accident, and joins commentary. As soon as Austin's out we have the usual brawl in the aisle start. Taker ducks a belt shot. He unleashes punch flurries to try to get at Austin's cut. Austin covers up to protect it. Both guys block stair shots. After Austin goes over the barricade Taker tosses the stairs at him! Austin dodges! Crowd brawl time, on the opposite side from the last match so those fans get some personal attention. Taker cuts off a stair shot. He tries to rip open Austin's cut both out of and in the ring. Austin dodges in the corner and gives Taker some hammy kicks to try to work his leg. Clothesline duck and Austin clips Taker's knee, then posts the knee. Taker pushes and Austin flops all the way over the barricade. More crowd brawl on the same side that got it the last match. Crowd favoritism that is. Taker gets a chair. Austin ducks and dodges, then drop toe holds Taker into the steps. Cable choke. Back in Hebner goes down in a goofy ass way that could only have been intentional. Austin hooks up for the Stunner. Taker escapes, but trips over Hebner and gets tied in the ropes! Austin gets a chair, with a huge opening to end it. Shane runs in. Chairshot for Shane! Taker kicks the chair away and gets free of the ropes. Low blow on Austin. Taker takes a top turnbuckle pad off. Austin blocks being run into it and low blows Taker. Stunner! Vince gets up pissed off and starts swinging with his crutch. Austin hops out, swings and down goes Vince! Austin gets another chair. Taker hits him with his chair, then punches Hebner down just because. Now X-Pac runs in for revenge. He kicks the chair into Taker's face! Austin has a TV camera! Camera shot for Taker! Taker's bleeding. Slugfest. Taker scoops Austin up for the Tombstone, but Henber sees the blood and calls it! The match was held down a bit by the stip as most of the first part was two guys punching each other's heads trying to reopen a preexisting cut, but they got rolling better in the second half and like the last match the overbooking was more fun and story logical than overdone. ***

We're not done. Austin gives Taker another Stunner for the road. Stunner for Vince! Triple H runs in, looking to get an early jump on Austin before Summerslam. Rock runs in and fights him off. While they're going at it Taker gives Austin a chairshot off camera and Austin's gushing blood. More bloody slugging with officials running in to break it up, back at it, and broken up again. We get a shot of Sad Vince in the ring, knowing per the match's rules he can no longer be on TV. Austin gets in and offers Vince a handshake. Vince takes it. You know what's coming. One more Stunner on Vince's way out HAHAHAHA yeah right. Vince would be back on TV in less than two months, and I'm surprised it took that long.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- This is how you take a B PPV and make something fun out of it. It's a huge improvement over the disaster that was King of the Ring and gives the company some good momentum heading into Summerslam. I'd say it's up there with Backlash for WWF's best PPV of the year so far.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: B