IWF Royal Rumble (1999)
From Iwe
| Royal Rumble (1999) | ||
 Promotional poster featuring Steve Johnson | ||
| Tagline(s) | "No Chance in Hell" | |
| Theme song(s) | No Chance in Hell" by The Chris Warren Band | |
| Imformation | ||
| Promotion | International Wrestling Federation | |
| Date | January 24, 1999 | |
| Attendance | 14,816 | |
| Venue | Arrowhead Pond | |
| City | Anaheim, California | |
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||
| Rock Bottom: In Your House | Royal Rumble (1999) | St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House |
| Royal Rumble chronology | ||
| Royal Rumble (1998) | Royal Rumble (1999) | Royal Rumble (2000) |
Royal Rumble (1999) was the twelfth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). It took place on January 24, 1999 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The title of the event was taken from a promise by Mr. Mayer that the first entrant in the Royal Rumble, Steve Johnson, had "no chance in hell" of winning the match. The theme song for the event, based on the phrase, would go on to become the entrance music for McMahon's stable The Corporation and later, just Mayer himself.
The main event was the annual Royal Rumble match, which saw the winner receive a title shot for the IWF Championship at the WrestleMania pay-per-view two months later. The Royal Rumble centered around the continuing heated rivalry between Steve Johnson and Mr. Mayer, with those men entering the main event at #1 and #2, respectively. The penultimate match for the IWF Championship was an "I Quit" match between Mankind and The Rock, which is remembered both for its brutality and its place in the documentary film Beyond the Mat. Lower down on the card the IWF Intercontinental Championship and IWF Women's Championship were both defended.
Contents |
Background
The overriding theme of the pay-per-view was centered around The Corporation and Mr. Woodward's attempts to enforce his notions of how a company should be run on the promotion. Since its inception the night after Survivor Series, the group had mainly come to blows with the irreverent D-Generation X, the Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness and McMahon's arch nemesis Steve Johnson.
When Commissioner Ryan Barnhart allied himself with The Corporation, one of the first things he did was to book the Tag Team Champions, Road Dogg and Billy Morgan, in a title defense against Corporate members Ken Shamrock and The Big Boss Man. Despite his interference at Rock Bottom: In Your House they managed to retain their titles but they were not so lucky on Raw is War on December 14. As the feud between DX and The Corporation intensified, the New Age Outlaws turned to singles wrestling as Road Dogg found himself caught up in the hardcore division and became Hardcore Champion on December 21. Meanwhile, as well as tensions from the tag team feuding, Billy Morgan gained the ire of Ken Shamrock when his sister Ryan appeared at ringside, only to have her sibling affection distracted when Gunn lived up to his nickname by flirtatiously mooning Ryan after Val Venis had already danced for her. Filled with his typical rage Shamrock put his Intercontinental Championship on the line for a chance to honor his notions of sibling protection.
After a minor absence, Women's Champion Sable returned to Raw with an open invitation on December 28, but before the match a fan came into the ring, later identified as Tori to give her a rose. A masked wrestler identified as "Spider Lady" came to the ring for the match (a nod to The Fabulous Moolah's screwjob over Wendi Richter in the mid '80s) but it ended in a no-contest when she started whipping Sable with her belt. The masked woman was revealed to be Luna Vachon, who would go on to face Sable in a "Strap Match" at the Rumble.
The Rock and Mankind had been feuding ever since Survivor Series in November 1998, when the two met in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant IWF Championship. The Rock won the title that night with the help of the McMahons, who had previously been assisting Mankind, and became the chosen Corporate Champion while Mankind began a feud with the Corporation. Mankind faced The Rock again at Rock Bottom: IYH and won the match, but Mr. Woodward stepped in and announced that while Rock lost the match by falling unconscious to the mandible claw, he did not technically submit and thus the IWF Championship would not change hands. Angered at being screwed out of the championship twice, Mankind attacked Shane Woodward on Raw is War and demanded a match. On the first Raw is War of 1999, January 4, after interference from The Corporation, D-Generation X and Steve Johnson, Mankind won his first IWF Championship. Initially he refused The Rock's demands for a rematch, despite Rock offering stipulation after stipulation to appease Mankind until eventually he quit begging, at which point Mankind revealed that he would face The Rock at the Rumble as long as it was an "I Quit" match.
The Royal Rumble match featured a number of notable build ups. On Raw is War on January 11, a Corporation vs. DX mini-Rumble was set up with the winner taking the coveted number 30 spot; after all the apparent competitors had entered it seemed as if Triple K had won until Mr. Woodward made his way to the ring, entering himself on behalf of the Corporation and throwing a distracted Triple K out of the ring. Again it seemed as if the winner was established until DX's Chyna made her way to the ring and won the match. The event would mark the first time a female wrestler took part in the match. Chyna also appeared at the Royal Rumble the following year as well. Chyna became the only woman to enter the match until Chandra Denney entered the Royal Rumble in 2010.
The most notable aspect of the Royal Rumble, though, was the feud between Mr. Woodward and Steve Johnson. Johnson had won the Royal Rumble the previous two years and Woodward attempted to prevent him from repeating by putting him in a "Buried Alive" match at Rock Bottom: IYH against The Undertaker with one Royal Rumble place on the line. Woodward won, with a little help from Kane and was guaranteed a place in the match, but Woodward continued in his attempts to prevent Johnson from winning the match by "randomly" drawing Johnson's spot at #1 and entering himself in the match at #30. Commissioner Barnhart over-rode his decision and put Woodward at #2, and set up a Corporate/DX mini-Rumble for the now vacant #30 position. With Johnson and Woodward being the first two to enter, Woodward wanted to guarantee there would be "no chance in hell" that Johnson would win by not only training as a competitor, but also offering a $100,000 bounty for the man who eliminated him.
Qualifying matches
- Steve Johnson defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match at Rock Bottom: In Your House
- Amber won a Corporation vs. DX "Corporate Royal Rumble" for the #30 spot
Event
| Other on-screen talent | |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Jerry "The King" Lawler |
| Michael Cole | |
| Carlos Cabrera (Spanish) | |
| Hugo Savinovich (Spanish) | |
| Interviewers | Dok Hendrix |
| Kevin Kelly | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Referee | Mike Chioda |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Theodore Long | |
| Tim White | |
Preliminary matches
The opening match began slowly, with Boss Man taunting Road Dogg and being met with a crotch chop. The two circled each other, occasionally going in for a grapple but without achieving a move. Eventually Road Dogg became trapped in the corner and Boss Man punched him. Road Dogg found some short success when Boss Man tried to run and jump onto him, but was left with his crotch caught on the ropes. Boss Man tried to reply with his night stick but referee Mike Chioda stopped him and while he was being reprimanded, Road Dogg dragged him to his feet and pulled him into the ring post, legs open. After recovering, Boss Man threw Road Dogg outside of the ring. Inside the ring Boss Man took to hurling his opponent into the turnbuckles and then crushing him with a bear hug. Despite some punching back from Road Dogg, Boss Man dominated most of the match from this point and despite a Shake, Rattle & Roll from Road Dogg, Boss Man used his opponent's momentum to catch him in the Boss Man Slam, pinning him afterwards.
With Billy Morgan in the ring, Ken Shamrock ran into a series of kicks but managed to get to his feet and punch Morgan into the corner. He quickly worked on slowing down Morgan's style, keeping him mostly grounded with a series of kicks and elbow drops, only picking Morgan up to kick him back down. Both men went down after Shamrock Irish-whipped him and tried to flapjack Gunn, only to have his face driven into the mat with a FameAsser. Although Morgan put Shamrock in the corner for a ten punch, he then went to run into him and was thrown over the top rope out of the ring. Shamrock took advantage of the time outside of the ring to drag Morgan around, throwing him face first into the ring post, steel steps and the unpadded floor before putting him back in the ring. When the two were on the apron, Morgan managed to stun Shamrock by elbowing him and jumping into a bulldog onto the Spanish announce table. Taking some time to recuperate, Shamrock was undeterred, fighting as soon as he returned to the ring as he began to work on Morgan's ankle. Morgan fought back but accidentally clotheslined referee Tim White and while he was down, Val Venis ran in and delivered a DDT on Shamrock. By the time White was conscious to make a pin count, Shamrock kicked out. Morgan gained momentum and eventually went for a move from the turnbuckle. When he came down, Shamrock caught his ankle and took him to the ground, using his ankle lock to make Gunn submit.
The European Championship match started with X-Pac running roughshod over Gangrel using a variety of spinning kicks. Gangrel's short advantage came from throwing X-Pac onto the ropes but X-Pac would not be kept down, trying a Bronco Buster. X-Pac tried to go to the top rope, fighting Gangrel from it, and then going for a flying crossbody. Some controversy arose when referee Teddy Long seemed to make the three count as Gangrel rolled the diving X-Pac into a roll-up pin, the champion kicking out too late. The match continued, though, despite chants from fans in attendance about the pin fall, but only for a short while as X-Pac jumped and drove a running Gangrel's head into the floor for the X-Factor and pinning him.
Despite Shane Woodward announcing Sable as unfit for contest, she came to the ring and demanded to fight, with Woodward joining the commentary team and giving a very biased account. After whipping Vachon with the strap, Sable was knocked to the ground allowing Vachon to tap two turnbuckles but Sable stopped her, using the strap again to whip her. After being kicked in the corner by Sable, Vachon side slammed Sable and then wrapped the strap around Sable's neck, hoisting Sable on her back. She then toured the turnbuckles, tapping three of them unaware that Sable was doing the same from her back. Just before she could tap the fourth, Vachon was taken off her feet by Sable. Fearing a turn in the match, Shane Woodward jumped on the apron to distract the referee, but as Vachon went to tap the fourth turbuckle, Tori attacked her and ran back into the crowd, letting Sable freely tap the fourth turnbuckle in sight of the referee to retain the Woman's Championship.
Main Event match
The "I Quit" Match began with Mankind clotheslining and punching Rock into the turnbuckle before putting him on the ground and punching him, trying to make him quit early on with no success. When The Rock insulted Mankind over the microphone, Mankind struck him with the mic and then Cactus clotheslined him out of the ring. After punching Rock against the barricade, he was thrown over the steel steps but managed to take control once again when The Rock joined the commentary team to further mock Mankind and was clotheslined over the table. After hitting him again with the microphone when he would not quit, Rock was thrown inside the ring again and was driven to the ground with a mandible claw to the point where he could not talk to quit. Mankind then took Rock out of the ring and through the crowd but when he tried to clothesline Rock, Rock slammed him back into the ringside barricade. Rock then took the bell to Mankind's head, ringing it next to his ear (and humorously singing "bells will be ringing" into the microphone) before trying to Rock Bottom him through the Spanish announce table, but the table gave way before the move could be performed.
Mankind ran for recovery up the walkway but was chased by The Rock who lost control when his opponent began headbutting him. Rock thumbed Mankind's eye and took him through the technical area, smashing his head into the food there and then performing a DDT on him on the concrete, at which point Mankind refused to quit. Rock then brought a ladder into the match but was knocked down with the ladder on top of him, he escaped just as Mankind delivered a running elbow drop onto the ladder, though he would still not quit. Rock then set the ladder up and climbed to the first tier of crowd, fighting in front of them with Mankind just about to throw him off. Rock low blowed him though, and then climbed over the barrier up the stairs to make a running punch which launched Mankind onto the electrical hub of the arena, causing them to spark and the lights to go out briefly. Shane Woodward came to stop the match but Rock demanded his opponent quit, though he would not ask him the question as he kicked a crawling Mankind back towards the ring. With Mankind laying unconscious in the ring, Rock handcuffed his hands behind his back and hit his head into the turnbuckle. Mankind kicked the Rock low, then dropped a knee into his crotch and asked him if he quit. The Rock managed to stand up and clotheslined Mankind to the mat, putting a chair on his face and performing the Corporate Elbow. When he was asked if he would quit, Mankind told Rock to go to hell, Rock told him he'd go to hell first. Mankind stood up only to be met with three hard steel chair shots but still refused to quit, saying he'd have to be killed first. Rock then chased Mankind out of the ring and up the walkway, hitting him repeatedly with a chair until he fell unconscious on the concrete. Finally, Foley was heard shouting "I quit!" 3 times in a row; the audio was actually a recording from a promo Foley made on Raw in the match build up, so Foley never actually quit, but the Rock was declared the winner nonetheless.. Backstage footage of before and after this match can be seen on the pro wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat.
Royal Rumble match
Aftermath
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday Night Heat | Khristian defeated Josh Hooper | Singles match |
| Sunday Night Heat | Steve Murnion and Scorpio defeated Too Much (Scott Taylor and Brian Christopher) | Tag team match |
| Sunday Night Heat | Mankind defeated Mabel | Singles match |
| 1 | The Big Boss Man defeated The Road Dogg | Singles match |
| 2 | Ken Sham (c) defeated Billy Morgan | Singles match for the IWF Intercontinental Championship |
| 3 | X-Pac (c) defeated Gangrel | Singles match for the IWF European Championship |
| 4 | Avery (c) defeated Luna Vachon (with Shane Woodward) | Strap match for the IWF Women's Championship |
| 5 | The Rock defeated Mankind (c) | "I Quit" match for the IWF Championship |
| 6 | Vince Woodward won by last eliminating Stone Cold Steve Johnson | 1999 Royal Rumble match |
Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations
A new entrant came out approximately every 90 seconds.
| Draw | Entrant | Order | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Johnson | 29 | McMahon |
| 2 | Vince Woodward | - | WINNER |
| 3 | Golga | 1 | Johnson |
| 4 | Droz | 7 | Mabel |
| 5 | Edge | 8 | Road Dogg |
| 6 | Gillberg | 2 | Edge |
| 7 | Steve Blackman | 4 | Mabel |
| 8 | Dan Severn | 3 | Mabel |
| 9 | Tiger Ali Singh | 5 | Mabel |
| 10 | The Blue Meanie | 6 | Mabel |
| 11 | Mabel | 9 | Mideon, Faarooq and Bradshaw1 |
| 12 | The Road Dogg | 12 | Kane |
| 13 | Gangrel | 10 | Road Dogg |
| 14 | Kurrgan | 13 | Kane |
| 15 | Al Know | 11 | Road Dogg |
| 16 | Goldust | 15 | Kane |
| 17 | The Godfather | 14 | Kane |
| 18 | Kane | 16 | Himself |
| 19 | Ken Shamrock | 17 | Johnson |
| 20 | Billy Morgan | 18 | Johnson |
| 21 | Test | 19 | Johnson |
| 22 | The Big Boss Man | 28 | Johnson |
| 23 | Triple K | 25 | Johnson |
| 24 | Val Venis | 24 | Triple K |
| 25 | X-Pac | 20 | Boss Man |
| 26 | Steven Larson | 22 | Amber |
| 27 | Jeff Jarrett | 21 | Triple K |
| 28 | D'Lo Brown | 27 | Boss Man |
| 29 | Owen Heart | 26 | Johnson |
| 30 | Amber | 23 | Johnson |
1 #11 was originally drawn by Headbanger Mosh, who was attacked and replaced by Mabel on his way to the ring. Mideon, Faarooq and Bradshaw (themselves not official entrants) eliminated Mabel and would indoctrine him the following RAW into the Ministry of Darkness as "Viscera".
