Fully Loaded 1999 - Marine Midland Arena, Buffalo New York, July 25th, 1999

The video package at the start of the show is all about goodbyes. The stipulation for the main event is simple - if Austin wins then Vince is gone, and if The Undertaker wins then Austin can never be WWF Champion again. They’re promising a lot.

It once again all kicked off on Heat as just before the PPV started, The Undertaker attacked Stone Cold backstage and drove his head into a concrete support and busted him open again. Stone Cold has some very fresh wounds ahead of his First Blood match. The McMahons were interviewed and claimed to have had nothing to do with it. I don’t really see what difference it makes if they did - The Undertaker wants to be the WWF Champion regardless. Drama for the sake of drama, which I can’t complain about.

For fans of trivia, this event took place the same weekend as Woodstock 99. There’s a couple of very good documentaries about that event but it means that while the winner of tonight’s main event celebrates, there were riots and fires being set in Rome, New York. 

WWF Intercontinental Championship 

Edge © vs. Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra)

There was a little build for this one on Raw but in a last minute twist, Edge is now the champion. Last night on a house show in Toronto, Edge won the title from Jeff in front of his hometown crowd. His first title in the WWF.

Debra has her usual PPV attire of a glittery bikini and a matching blazer jacket and looks pretty spectacular. 

The build on Raw specifically is that someone (probably Gangrel) gave Jeff a bloodbath and framed Edge. Gangrel has split from The Brood since we last saw them together on PPV. 

Jeff says that both the puppies and the Intercontinental title belong to him. Rude.

The fans give this match for the second most important title in the company the respect it deserves by chanting “we want puppies” but there is a distinctly girly squeal when Edge takes over with some offence. The crowd is in heat. 

While King talks about his love of animals (puppies, chicks and beavers) JR corrects that to “young chicks” which is an odd joke to make about a man who’s had legal proceedings brought against him by underage girls on more than one occasion. 

Jeff focuses his attack on Edge’s arm and shoulder which is smart because he’s been using the spear as his finisher but that part of strategy isn’t discussed because King and JR are too busy discussing Debra’s boobs. They do talk a bit about Edge and Gangrel’s issues and apparently on Heat earlier Gangrel tried to win over Christian to choosing his side. 

Jeff works over Edge slowly but the champion gets some flashes of offence for near falls with a sunset flip and an accidental headbutt to the crotch. 

Edge gets control with a tornado DDT but Jeff sends him to the outside. The lights go out and Gangrel tries a bloodbath on Edge but when the lights come up the blood has missed and Gangrel is laid out on the outside instead. It lets Jeff jump him from behind though and after trading a couple of near falls Edge hits the spear but can’t cover with his sore shoulder! Debra distracts Edge and the referee, Gangrel hangs Edge across the top rope which allows Jeff to hit The Stroke and regain the Intercontinental title. Jeff Jarrett becomes a four time Intercontinental champion.

After the match, Stone Cold is in the trainer room and is finally done being stitched up and leaves in a fury. While Jeff is still in the ring strapping on his title belt in victory, the glass shatters and the WWF Champion motors to the ring and drops Jeff with a Stone Cold Stunner! Austin says that if he’s going into the First Blood match with stitches in his head then so is The Undertaker.

This is actually a remnant of booking as there was discussion about Jeff Jarrett having a main event feud with Stone Cold down the line. Austin dropped Jeff with a pair of Stunners a couple of weeks ago and Jarrett actually name dropped Austin this past week on Raw. The truth was that Stone Cold knew Jeff wasn’t on his level but also didn’t want to work with him over some sore feelings dating back to Stone Cold’s days working for Jeff’s dad Jerry and also Jeff making some worked-shoot comments about Austin 3:16 being blasphemous back in the day. Petty for sure but he was right - Jeff isn’t on his level and never was. 

Acolyte Rules match for the WWF Tag Team Championships

The Hardy Boys (Matt and Jeff Hardy) © and Michael P.S. Hayes vs. The Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faarooq)

Acolytes rules just means no disqualification. The Hardys and Hayes are defending the titles here under Freebird rules, which Hayes actually invented. 

I mentioned that King of the Ring last month was the start of a very long streak with The Hardys and/or Edge and Christian being prominently featured on every PPV and here they are as the defending tag team champions. Hayes promised to “lead by example” in this match. 

He takes a brutal pummelling on the outside from Bradshaw as Faarooq easily handles both Hardys in the ring until Jeff goes an amazing flip over the ropes onto Bradshaw and Matt follows with a moonsault from the top to the floor. This is the first chance for The Hardys to properly show off their style and gain some fans for their flips. Much like with Edge and Christian there’s plenty of girly squeals for them already.

The Hardys and Hayes combo manage to get control when they can get an Acolyte isolated and use tag team moves and double teams but whenever its one on one both Bradshaw and Faarooq easily dominate. 

Hayes gets beat up until he tags in Jeff who Faarooq and Bradshaw have great fun with showing off their stiff, hard hitting power moves.

Faarooq grinds Jeff down with a deep sleeper hold and his arms look thicker than Jeff’s legs. Faarooq sets up a Dominator but Jeff is rescued by Matt and it all breaks down again. Matt wriggles out of a Dominator and hits the Twist of Fate but Bradshaw breaks that up and hammers him with a stiff clothesline and follows up with an impressive looking back suplex off the top rope. 

Jeff cracks Hayes' cane over Bradshaw’s head which seemingly knocks him out but Bradshaw kicks out! The Hardys set up a double team but Bradshaw clotheslines Jeff out of midair which looked great! Faarooq sends both Hardys to the outside and The Acolytes spike him with a stiff double powerbomb to get the win and regain the tag team titles. Our second title change. 

We’re left to wonder if The Hardys will be upset at their dad Michael Hayes for losing the tag team titles for them.  This was a good match! 

Backstage Stone Cold is on the warpath looking for The Undertaker and/or Vince McMahon.

Michael Cole interviews D’Lo Brown ahead of his European title challenge, He really puts over the importance of the European title to himself, and takes issue with the way Mideon got the title - Shane McMahon had retired the belt, and Mideon found it in his bag and just…asked for it. Mideon has at least racked up a defence or two on episodes of Sunday Night Heat. 

WWF European Championship 

Mideon © vs. D’Lo Brown

JR talks a lot about D’Lo’s previous battles with being overweight and how he’s now in the best shape of his life. That is true, but it's important for the plot going forward as his tag team partner Mark Henry has put on a lot of weight and the WWF is now shaming him on TV for it.

Mideon slaps D’Lo in the face before the bell and this one starts out hot and heated. Mideon did cost D’Lo the Hardcore title a couple of weeks ago too. 

D’Lo wrestles but Mideon brawls. This is dull but he does hit a nice looking powerbomb and make me laugh by shouting “COME ON MIKE!” at the referee after a near fall. 

Mideon just isn’t very good, but he’s well liked backstage and close friends with The Undertaker in real life so isn’t going anywhere. 

While Mideon slowly works over D’Lo in the corner the fans start to chant boring so D’Lo takes over with a tornado DDT for a near fall. 

After a back and forth off the ropes D’Lo hits the Sky High, a leg drop and a top rope Frog Splash. 

A dominant victory for D’Lo Brown and he becomes a three time European champion! That’s three title changes in a row. This one was pretty poor but it was at least a nice dominant victory for the right man.

Pre-match interview with Al Snow. He hasn’t been the same since Prince Albert “pierced” Head by driving a railroad spike through it. Al Snow can hear Head screaming and hasn’t slept since, and he’s been begging The Bossman to put him out of his misery. The pain helps apparently. This is all pretty dark as Al Snow’s relationship with Head was always played for laughs until this storyline.

WWF Hardcore Championship

Al Snow © vs. The Big Bossman

Al goes to meet Bossman on the entrance ramp and begs to be hit again. Bossman picks up Head and hits it with his nightstick instead, which Snow sells, and then attacks Bossman in a rage. The fight takes off to the concrete area at the side of the ramp. Bossman locks Snow inside a carry case and goes off looking for his nightstick so Al gets out and hits Bossman with a sandbag. 

The pair fight up the ramp and send each other crashing into the metal lighting rigs along the entrance ramp and we get a good look at the stage which features a big image of a bloody Vince McMahon. Fighting backstage The Bossman has full control and uses wooden rods and various other random items as weapons. 

Snow uses hot coffee as a weapon to scald Bossman and then suplexes him into a catering table which collapses under their weight rather than breaks. The fight along the back with Bossman running Snow’s head into a metal shutter door and then tries to run him over with a golf cart which doesn’t start. Snow pulls a plant out of a potted plant and uses that as a weapon too!

Bossman takes off his belt and whips Snow with it before tying it around his neck and running him into the concrete wall along the corridor before sending him crashing through one of the emergency exit doors. 

Bossman uses a bulldog headlock on the concrete which gets a strong reaction from the live crowd but Al kicks out. Snow uses a hub cap which gives an almighty clatter off Bossman’s head for another near fall. Bossman hits Snow with a brick! And that also only gets a two count. They fight across the street and almost get run over.

Bossman smashes a bottle over Snow’s head and reads out a “no trespassing” sign before ramming Snow into it. He handcuffs Al to the fence in a crucifix position and wears him out with his nightstick until Snow passes out and slumps to the ground. Bossman pins the seated Snow against the fence to become the new Hardcore Champion. Fouth title change in a row folks.

Bossman jogs to the ring to get his title belt and celebrates as Al Snow froths at the mouth and smiles, fading in and out of consciousness still handcuffed to the fence. This was a good Hardcore title match, but the darkness of the Al Snow and Head storyline upsets me.

The Big Show vs. Kane

Special guest referee: Hardcore Holly

There’s a different kind of video package for this one which focuses on Kane’s relationship with The Undertaker and X-Pac. Its clips from Raw set to the usual awesome dramatic music but narrated live by JR and King. It was cool. 

The Big Show is technically the babyface in this whole situation as Kane cheated to beat him at King of the Ring and teamed up with The Undertaker to stop him, but everyone loves this version of Kane and is deeply emotionally invested in his friendship with X-Pac so Kane is the one who gets cheered. That’s democracy.

Their match at the King of the Ring was very poor and dull as both men wrestled the show big man style but this one is immediately better as The Big Show gorilla presses Kane over his head and effortlessly throws him from the ring to the floor where he lands with a splat in an awesome looking spot. 

Kane is back up quickly and the two fight until Kane is sent to the ring post. Kane is basically a light heavyweight in this one and him wrestling that way is how this match can be better. 

The Big Show sells Kane’s massive punches and Hardcore Holly distracts Kane which lets his buddy Big Show take control with a clothesline. 

Show slowly works over Kane in the corner and keeps sending him to the ropes for clotheslines and big boots. Kane gets to show his resilience as he keeps kicking out and sitting up. 

King covers up for some obvious spot calling as The Big Show calls for a powerslam, King says that he was telling Hardcore Holly rather than Kane. He plants Kane with a big powerslam as promised and then Holly gets on his case for his lax cover. The Big Show finally leaves his feet when he misses a big elbow and as much as I think the whole situation makes The Big Show a babyface, he’s very arrogant here and the fans are definitely behind Kane. Kane manages to get Show off his feet with a running DDT and then follows up with the flying clothesline. Kane signals that he wants a chokeslam! We’ll never know if Kane could have done it as Holly chopblocks Kane, The Big Show plants him with a big chokeslam and then Holly counts the three lightning fast. 

Kane’s tag team partner X-Pac runs to the ring and gives Holly a spinning heel kick! He wants to fight The Big Show but The Undertaker arrives and drives him with a chokeslam. In a sight that no one ever thought they’d see, The Big Show and The Undertaker double team Kane! They were rivals but apparently brought together by their mutual hatred of Kane. The Big Show and The Undertaker share an uneasy stare and The Big Show helps Holly to his feet and helps him to the back.

As The Undertaker reached the backstage area Stone Cold was laying in wait and the Rattlesnake managed to bust The Undertaker wide open! It looks like he has a deep cut right on his hairline and the blood flows! The odds are even going into tonight’s main event.

Iron Circle match

Steve Blackman vs. Ken Shamrock

The one gets the same style of video package as the previous one as the clips of the feud are narrated live by the commentators. I like it a lot, and it was probably a lot easier to set up than the usual heavily edited music videos.

The match is set up in the parking lot. There’s a circle of cars with the headlights on, and various WWF Superstars sitting around as the audience. It was a pretty cool visual. Honestly, I like it.

Apparently Shamrock used to have these types of fights a lot when he was younger too which sounds like kayfabe but I bet it isn’t. 

This is physical but short. They slam each other into the parked cars and smash windshields with their fists and heads. There are weapons laying around and they use a trash can and a chain.

Ken wraps the chain around his first and knocks Blackman out and then hammers him around the head with his chained up fist. He then wraps the chain around Blackman’s throat and chokes him out! 

With Blackman out and not moving and Shamrock screaming and looking around for another fight, he wins this first (and only) Iron Circle match. 

Terry Taylor interviews The Undertaker about being busted open. He is, obviously, angry.

Michael Cole interviews Mr. Ass and Chyna ahead of the next match where they hammer home that this is only about the money and they don’t care about the DX name. 

For the rights to the D-Generation X name

Chyna and Mr. Ass vs. Roaddogg and X-Pac

Both teams enter separately to the D-Generation X theme song. Mr. Ass and Chyna have matching leather and mesh ring gear which JR is borderline homophobic about. 

Roaddogg has some choice words for his former DX mates before the match. JR makes a joke about King’s legal troubles which is something he’s done a few times lately. Deeply sketchy. 

The story here is that Triple H, Chyna and Mr. Ass wants the money from DX. They sell tons of D-Generation X merch and as the two surviving members only Roaddogg and X-Pac get the money from that. I think it’s a valid point, but they’re not the reason people are still buying DX stuff. Like if they win, everyone would stop buying it anyway right?

Roaddogg gets slowly worked over by the mesh wearing Mr. Ass and Chyna. Almost all of her in ring action recently has been with Roaddogg. He's obviously someone she trusts, but also is one of the few guys willing to sell for her. 

Roaddogg does get a hot tag to X-Pac but hes shut down quickly and selling his neck again. He did take a massive chokeslam from The Undertaker earlier.

As Chyna wears down X-Pac with a front facelock King continues to be misogynistic about being beaten up by a woman. I’d pay good money to see Chyna beat up Jerry Lawler. 

Roaddogg finally gets the hot tag the crowd explodes for his offence on Chyna, lighting her up with the shake rattle and roll punch combo and knee drop. 

Chyna gets the Bronco Buster in the corner and as Mr. Ass tries to splash X-Pac from behind, Chyna pulls X-Pac out of the ring which accidentally sends her own partner crashing into the corner and staggering into a Pumphandle Slam. Roaddogg pins Mr. Ass and he and X-Pac retain the rights to the DX name, brand and merch sales.

Fully Loaded Strap match for the number one contendership for the WWF Championship at Summerslam

The Rock vs. Triple H

The video package for this match has weirdly been removed from the WWE Network version of this event because it has clips of the time Triple H "blacked up" to pretend to be The Rock in the summer of 1998

This is a classic strap match in the sense that the men are attached at the wrist by the strap however it loses the lame “first man to touch the turnbuckles” stuff and so its basically a physical street fight with the straps as an extra weapon.

JR talks about his interview with Triple H on Heat where Triple H ranted and raved about being held back by the front office, being punished for things in real life and just generally breaking kayfabe. It's a pretty iconic promo which cemented Triple H's rise to the main event and also is the first instance where he calls himself "The Game". Give it a watch.

The Rock references it during his pre-match promo and made me laugh. “They didn’t keep you at the bottom of the barrel because you wanted to say goodbye to your roody-poo friends at Madison Square Garden, no they kept you at the bottom of the barrel because you absolutely SUCK!” 

The Rock is in no hurry to get the strap on his wrist and hammers Triple H with right hands in the corner. 

Once The Rock does have the strap in place it’s Triple H who tries to use it first but they fight on the outside on and around the announce table. This match as well as being no disqualification is also apparently falls count anywhere and the pair fight through the crowd and whip at each other with the strap out on the concrete. 

They’ve talked about JR’s interview with Triple H so much during this match that you’d have to wonder why they didn’t show it on this PPV or on Raw. It seems very important.

Triple H suplexes The Rock out on the concrete and sends him into the ring steps before going back into the ring. With Triple H firmly in control, Chyna makes her way to ringside to watch on. 

The Rock pulls Triple H via the strap into a Rock Bottom and has the visual three count but Chyna has the referee distracted. Triple H regains control with a low blow. 

He strings The Rock up with the strap around The Rock’s neck and jaw and sits on the top rope and hangs him which looks really vicious. As Triple H climbs to the top rope to try and untangle the strap, The Rock uses it to jerk him from the top rope in a massive slam and both men are down.

The Rock finally builds some momentum using the strap to pull Triple H around the ring, into the corners and into a DDT and then a Samoan drop for a couple of near falls. Triple H takes the strap off and takes the fight back to the outside, sending The Rock into the security walls and then goes to get a steel chair. As he swings, The Rock whips him in the stomach and lashes him with the strap up and back down the entrance way before throwing him back into the ring. 

The Rock has the match won with a DDT but Mr. Ass runs to ringside and pulls on the strap to break up the three count. 

With some help from Billy Gunn Triple H sets up the Pedigree but The Rock fights back and hits Triple H with the People’s Elbow but Mr. Ass is there to once again break up the pin. He takes a Rock Bottom for his trouble but the distraction lets Triple H recover and hit the Pedigree to win this match and become number one contender at Summerslam.

This was a good match with an overbooked, interference filled finish which will become Triple H’s trademark over the next couple of years.

First Blood match for the WWF Championship

Stone Cold Steve Austin © vs. The Undertaker 

End of an Era - If Stone Cold wins, Vince McMahon can no longer appear on WWF television. If The Undertaker wins then Stone Cold can never challenge for the WWF Championship again

Vince McMahon enters first to join the commentary desk for this hugely important main event. They have hyped this one to the max. “There is more on the line here than there ever has been before”. It’s true if either of them sticks to the stipulation. He’s out of his wheelchair and on crutches after being in a motorcycle accident on the 4th of July. “He cracked his butt” says JR. Imagine how different the wrestling world would be if the accident had a worse outcome? 

There’s a real big fight feel for this one as we see both men enter from the backstage area. The Undertaker doesn’t have Paul Bearer with him which I don’t think means anything. Paul hasn’t had much to do since The Ministry formed at the start of the year. Vince and King sarcastically talk about how Austin would make a good European or Hardcore champion after he loses this match which insults the title more than it does Austin.

Stone Cold doesn’t even get his full entrance as The Undertaker charges him and the two brawl at the top of the ramp. Austin swings big with the title belt early but The Undertaker ducks. Vince says that this match won’t stop for a little trickle of blood and someone has to be really laid open - that would be good information for the crowd to have.

The two fight around and block each other's punches and attempt to ram each other head first into the steel. It's a sensible booking! They fight back to ringside and after Austin is thrown over the security wall into the crowd, The Undertaker throws the ring steps at Austin which looked amazing and was a well done spot. 

They trade right hands but its much more engaging than their previous matches as one well placed right hand could end this. Vince cheers The Undertaker on, begging him to lay Austin open and end this early. 

Austin endures an onslaught of punches and body blows but comes back with a low blow and works on The Undertaker’s legs. 

They spill back into the crowd and Vince McMahon is tense, on the edge of his seat. Every time one of them goes down there’s a panicked “is he bleeding? Is he bleeding?” from all three men calling the match.

The Undertaker swings the chair and misses, hitting the ring post and then the announce desk before Austin uses a drop toe hold to send The Undertaker into the ring steps and then bounces his head and face off the steel before choking him with the electrical cord. 

Austin gets The Undertaker tied up in the ropes and measures The Undertaker with a chair to the head but Shane McMahon sprints in to save him and takes a brutal chairshot to the head in return. Shane is OUT! The distraction lets The Undertaker escape though and retake control of the match until a low blow and a Stone Cold Stunner!

Vince McMahon gets up and hobbles to the ring, swiping at Austin’s ankles with his crutches until Austin gets out and punches Vince out.

Austin gets a chair but takes one to the gut and then across the back. The Undertaker shoves the referee down (it's Earl Hebner though so I hope it hurts) and seems to have the match won until X-Pac runs in and spinning heel kicks the chair right back into The Undertaker’s face. Taker stumbles to his feet and Austin blasts him in the head with one of the TV cameras and that’s enough to bust The Undertaker open!

As Austin fights off Shane McMahon and The Undertaker, the referee recovers and sees The Undertaker’s face with blood running down it and rings the bell! The Undertaker punches the referee and gets another Stone Cold Stunner! Stone Cold retains the title and McMahon is gone! 

Vince gets in and tries to use his crutch as a weapon but he takes a Stunner too and the Rattlesnake stands tall! 

Triple H, the new number one contender for Summerslam, rushes the ring and attacks Stone Cold until The Rock runs down to put a stop to that. The Rock and Triple H fight off through the crowd and The Undertaker recovers and blasts Austin with a steel chair, busting him open. This is chaotic at the end of the PPV as Taker and Austin both bleeding profusely trade right hands at ringside. The Undertaker punches Shane McMahon for getting in the middle until more referees run down and finally split them up. The Undertaker leaves at last and Stone Cold goes back to the ring and gives Vince another Stunner for good measure. Drenched in his own blood, Stone Cold celebrates with the Smoking Skull WWF title belt to close out the PPV.