| Survivor Series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringThe Rock | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | November 14, 1999 | ||
| City | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Venue | Joe Louis Arena | ||
| Attendance | 18,735 | ||
| Buy rate | 406,000[1] | ||
| Tagline | A Family That Slays Together, Stays Together | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| Survivor Series chronology | |||
| |||
The 1999Survivor Series was the 13th annualSurvivor Seriesprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on November 14, 1999, at theJoe Louis Arena inDetroit, Michigan. It was the second Survivor Series held at theJoe Louis Arena after the1991 event.
Themain event was aTriple Threat Match (a non-elimination match involving three wrestlers against each other) for theWWF Championship betweenTriple H,Big Show andThe Rock. Big Show was a replacement forStone Cold Steve Austin, who had been run down by a car earlier that night inkayfabe. In reality, Austin needed spinal surgery to repair damage stemming from a serious injury he sustained just over two years prior atSummerSlam 1997.
Theundercard included theNew Age Outlaws defending theWWF Tag Team Championship againstAl Snow andMankind,Chyna defending theIntercontinental Championship againstChris Jericho, threefour-on-four Survivor Series elimination match (including aHandicap match involving Big Show), as well as the WWF in-ring debut of Olympic gold medalistKurt Angle.
Survivor Series is an annualgimmickpay-per-view (PPV), produced every November by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1987. In what has become the second longest-running pay-per-view event in history (behind WWE'sWrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam, andRoyal Rumble,[2] and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along withKing of the Ring.[3] The event is traditionally characterized by havingSurvivor Series matches, which aretag team elimination matches that typically pits teams of four or five wrestlers against each other. The 1999 event was the 13th event in the Survivor Series chronology and was scheduled to be held on November 14, 1999, at theJoe Louis Arena inDetroit, Michigan.[4][5]
Survivor Series consisted ofprofessional wrestling matches involving wrestlers from pre-existing feuds andstorylines that played out onRaw is War andSmackDown! — WWF's television programs. Wrestlers portrayed ahero or avillain as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[6]
The mainrivalry heading into the event was betweenTriple H,Stone Cold Steve Austin andThe Rock over theWWF Championship. AtNo Mercy, The Rock defeatedBritish Bulldog in astandard wrestling match. Later that night, The Rock challenged the winner of the WWF ChampionshipAnything Goes match between Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin for the title.[7] After issuing the challenge, The Rock was attacked by Triple H with asledgehammer. Later that night, Triple H defeated Austin to retain the title.[8] On the October 18 episode ofRaw is War, The Rock challenged Triple H to a match for the title at Survivor Series, because The Rock was angered at the previous night's attack. Austin also issued a challenge and claimed that he deserved a title shot instead of The Rock. The WWF ChairmanVince McMahon solved the situation by making aTriple Threat match between Triple H, Austin and The Rock for the WWF Championship.[9][unreliable source?]
Another predominant rivalry heading into the event was betweenNew Age Outlaws (Mr. Ass andRoad Dogg) andAl Snow andMankind for theWWF Tag Team Championship. On the October 18 episode ofRaw is War, Mick Foley gave hisRock 'n' Sock Connection partner The Rock, a copy of his book "Have A Nice Day!". However, later that night, the same copy was discovered by Al Snow in a trashcan. He informed Foley about it. Foley confronted The Rock about it. The Rock denied doing so but Foley broke up the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. Later that night, Foley cost The Rock and himself, the WWF Tag Team Championship againstThe Hollys (Hardcore Holly andCrash Holly) by coming out for the match without wearing Mankind gear and leaving The Rock to wrestle on his own. This allowed The Hollys to defeat The Rock and win the titles.[9] On the October 21 episode ofSmackDown!, Mankind and The Rock had a match which ended in adisqualification whenVal Venis interfered and attacked Mankind with his book.[10][unreliable source?] On the October 25 episode ofRaw is War, Mankind wrestled Triple H for the WWF Championship. Triple H was disqualified when Venis assaulted Mankind again, earning Mankind, a disqualification win. However, Al Snow came out to rescue Mankind from the assault.[11][unreliable source?] On the October 28 episode ofSmackDown!, Mankind defeated Venis after distraction from Snow. As a result, Mankind and Snow formed atag team.[12][unreliable source?] On the November 4 episode ofSmackDown!, Mankind and Snow defeated The Hollys to win the Tag Team Championship.[13] On the November 8 episode ofRaw is War, New Age Outlaws defeated Mankind and Snow for the WWF Tag Team Championship.[14][unreliable source?] This led to a title match between New Age Outlaws and Mankind and Snow for the Tag Team Championship.
At No Mercy,Chyna defeatedJeff Jarrett in aGood Housekeeping match to win theWWF Intercontinental Championship.[15] On the October 18 episode ofRaw is War, Chyna issued an open challenge, which was answered byChris Jericho, whose insults prompted Chyna to attack him.[9]Stevie Richards also got involved in Chyna and Jericho's rivalry. On the November 8 episode ofRaw is War, Jericho was scheduled to wrestle Chyna for the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series.[11][12][13][14][16]
On the October 18 episode ofRaw is War,Big Boss Man challengedBig Show to a match and agreed to defend theWWF Hardcore Championship. Big Show accepted the challenge. However, before the match Big Show left the arena to check on his father, who had reportedly died (in storyline). The report was later revealed as a plan of Boss Man. On the October 21 episode ofSmackDown, an enraged Big Show attempted to attack Boss Man but Boss Man escaped. Big Show then assaulted the police officer. On the October 25 episode ofRaw is War, Boss Man distracted Big Show during his match withPrince Albert. Albert attacked Big Show from behind and Boss Man broke Big Show's father's watch with a hammer. As a result, Boss Man and Albert formed a new alliance. On the October 28 episode ofSmackDown, Al Snow had a match with Boss Man. However, Boss Man's ally, Albert continuously interfered in the match and the two attacked Snow, leading him to challenge both men to aHardcore match in the parking lot. Later that night, Boss Man and Albert went to the parking lot to wrestle Snow but instead of Snow, Big Show appeared. He trapped Boss Man and Albert in a car, smashed it into pieces and pushed a dumpster on the top of the car. On the November 1 episode ofRaw is War, Boss Man and Albert attacked Big Show during an interview.[16][unreliable source?] On the November 8 episode ofRaw is War, a tribute was paid to Big Show's father on his death. Boss Man came out and insulted Big Show and his father. On the November 11 episode ofSmackDown, footage was shown of Boss Man interrupting the funeral, attacking Big Show and ruining the grave.[17][unreliable source?] This led to aSurvivor Series match between Big Show's team (consisting ofKai En Tai (Funaki andTaka Michinoku) andThe Blue Meanie) and Boss Man's team (consisting of Prince Albert,Viscera andMideon). On the November 14 episode ofSunday Night Heat, Big Show attacked all of his team members, who withdrew from the team, making the match a4-on-1 Survivor Series match.[5]
At No Mercy, theHardy Boyz (Matt Hardy andJeff Hardy) defeatedEdge and Christian in aLadder match, which was the final round match in a tournament for themanagerial services ofTerri Runnels and a prize of $100,000.[15] On the October 18 episode ofRaw is War, New Brood disbanded their relationship withGangrel'sNew Brood stable,turningface in the process, and formed an alliance with their former enemies, Edge and Christian.[9] TheHolly Cousins defended the WWF Tag Team Championship against the Hardy Boyz on the October 21 episode ofSmackDown[10] and against Edge and Christian on the October 25 episode ofRaw is War. In the latter match,Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay andScotty Too Hotty) interfered, costing Edge and Christian the victory. The Hardy Boyz came out to rescue Edge and Christian and the four wrestlers cleared the ring of Too Cool and Hollys.[11] As a result, the teams of Edge and Christian and Hardy Boyz began a rivalry with Too Cool and Hollys, as the four teams battled each other in several tag team matches and standard wrestling matches, leading to a Survivor Series match at Survivor Series.[12][13][14][16][17]
On the October 18 episode ofRaw is War,The Headbangers (Mosh andThrasher) distractedThe Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley) during their match againstX-Pac andKane, costing the Dudley Boyz the match.[9] On the October 25 episode ofRaw is War, Dudley Boyz made fun ofThe Godfather'shos for being attacked by Viscera, after Viscera defeated Godfather in a "Winner Takes Hos" match.[11] The following week onRaw is War, The Headbangers defeated Dudley Boyz in a tag team match.[16] On the November 11 episode ofSmackDown, Dudley Boyz defeated Godfather andD'Lo Brown.[17] It led to a Survivor Series match pitting Dudley Boyz andAcolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq andBradshaw) against Headbangers, Godfather and Brown.
At No Mercy, X-Pac defeated Kane, Faarooq and Bradshaw in aFour Corners Elimination match.[15] As a result of losing to X-Pac, Kane started showing jealousy towards X-Pac and their team started to break up. On the October 28 episode ofSmackDown, X-Pac betrayed Kane during a tag team match against Dudley Boyz bylow blowing Kane and allowing Dudley Boyz topin Kane for the win. After the match, X-Pac proclaimed that Kane did not deserve to be a member ofD-Generation X, a faction that X-Pac was a part of during that time.[12] On the November 1 episode ofRaw is War, the entirety of DX attacked Kane during a match between Kane and X-Pac.[16] This led to a match between Kane and X-Pac at Survivor Series.
At No Mercy,Mae Young helped her friendThe Fabulous Moolah in defeatingIvory to win theWWF Women's Championship. On the October 21 episode ofSmackDown, Moolah defended the Women's Championship against Young, but Ivory interfered in the match and attacked both Moolah and Young.Jacqueline andLuna joined Ivory in the assault andTori came out and joined Young and Moolah.[10] On the October 25 episode ofRaw is War, Moolah decided to vacate her title and retire fromprofessional wrestling. However, Ivory reminded Moolah of her rematch clause andeasily defeated Moolah for the Women's Championship.[11] On the November 11 episode ofSmackDown, Ivory, Jacqueline, Luna and Terri Runnels were set to wrestle Moolah, Young, Tori andDebra at Survivor Series.[17]
Throughout November 1999,vignettes aired that hyped the WWF debut ofKurt Angle, who had represented theUnited States in the1996 Summer Olympics and won thegold medal in heavyweightfreestyle wrestling. His in-ring debut was scheduled for Survivor Series.[14][16]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Jim Ross |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewers | Kevin Kelly |
| Michael Cole | |
| Lilian Garcia | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Referees | Earl Hebner |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Theodore Long | |
| Mike Chioda | |
| Tim White |
The pay-per-view opened with aFour-on-four Survivor Series elimination match pittingThe Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley) andAcolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq andBradshaw) againstThe Godfather,D'Lo Brown andThe Headbangers (Mosh andThrasher). Godfather's team suffered the first elimination when Bradshawpinned Thrasher after performing aClothesline from Hell. Mosh was eliminated next when the Dudley Boyz hit him with a3D. Bradshaw wasdisqualified for hitting Brown with achair. D-Von took advantage and tried to pin Brown, but Faarooq broke up the pin because he wanted to score the pinfall himself. As a result, Faarooq and D-Von started brawling outside the ring and were counted-out. Bubba Ray, the last remaining member of his team, was double-teamed when Godfather performed aHo Train, followed by Brown with aLo Down on Bubba Ray for the victory. As a result, Godfather and Brown were the survivors of their team.[4][5]
After that,Kurt Angle made his WWF in-ring debut against facedShawn Stasiak. Stasiak dominated much of the earlier match until Angle escaped the ring and insulted the fans by telling them not to insult an Olympic Gold Medalist. However, Stasiak beat on Angle and then climbed the top rope to perform aDiving Splash, but Angle got up and caught a flying Stasiak by performing anOlympic Slam for the victory.[4][5]
Another Survivor Series elimination match pittedBritish Bulldog andMean Street Posse (Rodney,Pete Gas andJoey Abs) againstVal Venis,Mark Henry,Gangrel andSteve Blackman. Blackman eliminated Pete Gas after aMartial ArtsKick. Gangrel then eliminated Rodney with anImpaler. Henry hit aBig Splash on Joey Abs and eliminated him. Bulldog eliminated Gangrel by after aSuperplex and Blackman after aFisherman Suplex. Venis and Henry started double-teaming Bulldog as Henry splashed Bulldog and Venis hit aMoney Shot on Bulldog for the victory. Venis and Henry were the survivors on their team.[4][5]
Next, aneight-woman tag team match pittedIvory,Luna,Jacqueline andTerri Runnels againstMae Young,The Fabulous Moolah,Tori andDebra. The match went back and forth until Moolah performed aScoop Slam on Ivory and splashed her to win the match.[4][5]
After that,Kane foughtX-Pac. X-Pac attacked Kane from behind at the end of his signature fiery intro and had the upper hand for a good portion of the match. Kane climbed the top rope, but X-Pacdropkicked him outside the ring. Back in the ring, X-Pac hit Kane with three consecutiveSpinning Heel Kicks and then attempted aBronco Buster, but Kane avoided it and performed aFlying Clothesline and aChokeslam on X-Pac. Kane attempted a pinfall, butD-Generation X teammateRoad Dogg pulled him out of the ring. As Kane rolled back into the ring, he was hit by X-Pac'sX-Factor. Kane threw X-Pac away and eventually attempted aTombstone Piledriver, butTriple H interfered and hit Kane in the face with theWWF Championship belt, thus resulting in a disqualification victory for Kane. Kane was placed in the corner when Tori ran to the ring to stop X-Pac'sBronco Buster. She was kicked in the face as Kane fought off all of the DX members to rescue her.[4][5] After the match,The Rock was trying to give an interview, but Triple H attacked him. The two brawled until they were separated by several WWF officials.
Next,Big Show facedBig Boss Man,Prince Albert,Mideon andViscera in aHandicap Survivor Series match. Big Show was the only member on his team because he had attacked all of his teammates prior to the event. However, he single-handedly dominated the match when he eliminated Mideon, Prince Albert and Viscera in under a minute. With all of his teammates eliminated, Boss Man left the ring and ran to the backstage and was counted-out. Big Show won the match and ran after Boss Man to the backstage.[4][5]
After the match, Triple H interrupted an interview withStone Cold Steve Austin. Austin started chasing Triple H in the backstage area until a car drove up and ran down Austin at high speed. WWF ChairmanVince McMahon confronted Triple H, D-Generation X and WWF's head of security, but Triple H said that he was not to blame. Austin was loaded into the ambulance and removed from theWWF Championship match against Triple H and Rock.[18][5]
After that,Chyna defended theIntercontinental Championship againstChris Jericho. They immediately started attacking each other when Jericho shoved down Chyna'smanagerMiss Kitty. Both women then kicked Jericho to the outside of the ring as Chyna jumped out and threw Jericho into the stairs. Jericho taunted and teased Miss Kitty throughout the match and even kissed her on one occasion. Kitty started fighting Jericho as Chyna fought back with aSpear and anIrish whip into the ring post. However, Jericho quickly regained momentum andPowerbombed her for anear-fall. Jericho then attempted aLionsault, but Chyna avoided the move and attacked Jericho. She then hit Jericho with aDDT and accidentally attacked thereferee. Jericho took advantage and nailed Chyna with the championship belt. Chyna hit Jericho with aPedigree and then attempted aHurricanrana, but Jericho countered it into aWalls of Jericho. Jericho then placed Chyna on the top rope, but Miss Kitty distracted the referee as Chyna hit Jericho with aLow Blow and a Pedigree from thetop turnbuckle to win the match and retain the Intercontinental Championship.[4][5]
Next, a Survivor Series match pittedEdge and Christian and theHardy Boyz (Matt Hardy andJeff Hardy) againstToo Cool (Scotty Too Hotty andGrand Master Sexay) and theHolly Cousins (Hardcore Holly andCrash Holly). Hardcore Holly pinned Edge with aSchoolboy and Scotty pinned Matt Hardy after aTornado DDT. Jeff Hardy pinned Scotty after a450° Splash but was eliminated after Grand Master Sexay hit aTennessee Jam. Christian then eliminated Grand Master Sexay after aDiving Reverse DDT and Crash Holly after anImpaler but was quickly pinned by Hardcore Holly with aVictory Roll. Hardcore Holly was the sole survivor.[4][5]
After that, theNew Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) defended theWWF Tag Team Championship againstMankind andAl Snow. Mankind and Gunn started exchangingblows until the action spilled outside the ring. Back in the ring, Gunn and Road Dogg quickly tagged in each other as they hurt Snow outside the ring. After being dominated, Snow performed aClothesline on Road Dogg and tagged in Mankind, while Road Dogg tagged in Gunn. Mankind started dominating until Gunn hit with aFame-asser. Road Dogg then attempted aPumphandle Drop on Mankind, but Snow hit him with aSnow Plow. Mankind then stuffed a smelly sock down Gunn’s throat, and simultaneously applied the mandible claw to Road Dogg for a double mandible claw. However, Gunn and Road Dogg broke free, and then threw Al Snow into the steps and hit Mankind with aTexas Piledriver to win the match and retain the Tag Team Championship.[4][5]
In themain event, Big Show was revealed as the substitute for the hospitalized Steve Austin in theTriple Threat match against WWF Champion Triple H and The Rock. Triple H and The Rock started double-teaming Big Show who fought back by clotheslining both opponents. The Rock eventually hit Big Show with aPeople's Elbow but Triple H attacked Rock. Big Show then hit aSidewalk Slam on The Rock and fought Triple H outside of the ring, where The Rock rejoined the fight. Triple H and The Rocksuplexed Big Show onto the Spanish broadcast table and then continued to fight each other in the ring until the referee was knocked out. The Rock then threw Triple H into the top turnbuckle and hit him with aRock Bottom. The Rock attempt a pinfall but the referee was still out. Finally,Shane McMahon came in as a replacement referee but Triple H kicked out at two. The Rock eventually hit another Rock Bottom when Big Show rejoined the action, pulling McMahon out of the ring, attacking The Rock on the broadcast table and hitting Triple H with astomp, an elbow drop and alegdrop. D-Generation X interfered in the match to help Triple H, but Vince also ran into the ring and hit Triple H with the championship belt. Big Show took advantage and chokeslammed Triple H to win the match and the WWF Championship.[18][4][5]
In 2014, Dylan Diot of 411Mania gave the event a rating of 5.0 [Not So Good], stating, "This show felt more like an episode of Raw than a PPV. All of the classic Survivor Series elimination matches were thrown together, a majority of the show was taken over by the Stone Cold car angle, and the wrestling wasn't all that good with only two exceptions. If [you're] a Big Show fan and want to see his crowning moment since coming to the WWF early in the year, then this show is worth a look. Otherwise, nothing to see here."[19]
After Big Show won the WWF Championship at Survivor Series, he continued hisrivalry with Big Boss Man. The next night onRaw, Boss Man defeatedThe Rock in aHardcore match, with help from Prince Albert, to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship.[20] At the new December pay-per-view,Armageddon, Big Show defeated Boss Man to retain the title.[21]
SinceStone Cold Steve Austin was hit with a car, the WWF ChairmanVince McMahon continuously blamed Triple H and D-Generation X for the attack. On the November 18 episode ofSmackDown, DX assaulted McMahon'sCorporate Stooges (Pat Patterson andGerald Brisco).Sgt. Slaughter informed McMahon of the attack and told McMahon that Triple H had invited him to DX's locker room. McMahon went to the locker room, where Triple H warned McMahon not to make this personal. Later in the night, Triple H came down to the ring and blamed McMahon for his title loss at Survivor Series and then challenged McMahon to a match at Armageddon. Shortly after, footage was shown of backstage where theMcMahon family had fallen down the stairs.[22][unreliable source?] On the November 22 episode ofRaw Is War, Vince destroyed alimousine carrying DX using his car. Although DX retreated, the limousine was destroyed. Later that night, police officers arrested Vince for assaulting DX; Triple H attacked the hand-cuffed Vince and later accused him of orchestrating the attack on Austin at Survivor Series.Shane McMahon came to his father's defense and informed Triple H that Vince would accept Triple H's challenge at Armageddon.[23][unreliable source?] On the November 29 episode ofRaw Is War, Vince's daughterStephanie McMahon was supposed to (storyline) marryTest. The ceremony was interrupted by Triple H, who showed a video of himself and an unconscious Stephanie getting married.[24][unreliable source?] On the December 2 episode ofSmackDown, Triple H announced that his match against Vince at Armageddon would be aNo Holds Barred match, and on the following episode ofRaw Is War a further stipulation was added to the match. If Vince won the match, Triple H and Stephanie's marriage would be annulled but if Triple H won, he would be granted a WWF Championship match.[25][unreliable source?][26][unreliable source?] At Armageddon, Triple H defeated Vince in a No Holds Barred match, after Stephaniebetrayed Vince and helped Triple H in finishing Vince with asledgehammer. It was later revealed thatRikishi had run over Austin on Triple H's orders.[27]
Austin later made his return atBacklash 2000 in April, where he helped The Rock defeat Triple H for theWWF Championship. This was Austin's first appearance since Survivor Series over six months prior. He would make a full return atUnforgiven.
| Eliminated | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Method | Time[28] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrasher | Bradshaw | Pinfall | 3:40 |
| 2 | Mosh | Bubba Ray Dudley | 4:57 | |
| 3 | Bradshaw | N/A | Disqualification | 5:52 |
| 4 | Faarooq | Double countout | 6:45 | |
| D-Von Dudley | ||||
| 6 | Bubba Ray Dudley | D'Lo Brown | Pinfall | 9:36 |
| Survivors: | D'Lo Brown andThe Godfather | |||
| Eliminated | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Method | Time[28] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Gas | Steve Blackman | Pinfall | 2:56 |
| 2 | Rodney | Gangrel | 4:21 | |
| 3 | Joey Abs | Mark Henry | 6:02 | |
| 4 | Gangrel | The British Bulldog | 6:46 | |
| 5 | Steve Blackman | 7:32 | ||
| 6 | The British Bulldog | Val Venis | 9:08 | |
| Survivors: | Mark Henry andVal Venis | |||
| Eliminated | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Method | Time[28] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mideon | Big Show | Pinfall | 0:18 |
| 2 | Prince Albert | 0:30 | ||
| 3 | Viscera | 0:55 | ||
| 4 | Big Boss Man | N/A | Countout | 1:24 |
| Sole Survivor: | Big Show | |||
| Eliminated | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Method | Time[28] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edge | Hardcore Holly | Pinfall | 6:06 |
| 2 | Matt Hardy | Scotty 2 Hotty | 6:22 | |
| 3 | Scotty 2 Hotty | Jeff Hardy | 10:11 | |
| 4 | Jeff Hardy | Grand Master Sexay | 11:34 | |
| 5 | Grand Master Sexay | Christian | 11:45 | |
| 6 | Crash Holly | 13:58 | ||
| 7 | Christian | Hardcore Holly | 14:27 | |
| Sole Survivor: | Hardcore Holly | |||
At the time, SummerSlam was one of WWE's "big five" Pay-Per-Views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series were the others), ...