In this WWF Backlash 1999 review, The Rock and Steve Austin square off in a No Holds Barred Match for the WWF title, Triple H takes on X-Pac, and much more.
- Show: WWF Backlash 1999
- Date: April 25, 1999
- Location: Providence Civic Center in Providence, RI
RINGSIDE: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler discuss Shane McMahon announcing on Sunday Night Heat that The Rock vs. Steve Austin will be a No Holds Barred Match.
The Brood vs. The Acolytes and Midian – Six-Man Tag Team Match
You know business has picked up when JR starts saying “Christian was about to be sacrificed.” The Attitude Era was different. It’s wild to think Edge and Christian are still doing their thing 23 years later (as of this writing). As we know, this was right when they were coming into their own, and their talents certainly stand out in this match.
A nice “Midian Sucks” chant makes its way throughout the arena, and he does a great job engaging the crowd while he’s on the apron. Edge finds himself on the receiving end of a beatdown for a large part of the match. Eventually, chaos ensues with everyone in the ring, and Christian gets a near fall on Bradshaw after a swinging DDT.
From there, Bradshaw absolutely destroys Christian with a powerbomb. However, Gangrel makes the save, and then it’s another near fall for the good guys. Action all over the place, and here comes Viscera, who squashes Christian. Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from Hell and that’ll do it for the win. Again, Edge and Christian were clearly on their way to stardom, and this was a solid opener. (**1/2)
VIDEO: Recap of the build to Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly for the Hardcore title, including the famous brawl in the Mississippi River.
Al Snow vs. (c) Hardcore Holly – Hardcore Title
I always loved the chemistry between these two. In my opinion, they sort of defined the hardcore division era in the company. Snow is busted wide open a few minutes into the match, so business picks up in a hurry. One of the highlights is Snow doing a moonsault off the barrier for a two count.
For those keeping score on weapons used, there’s a jug of water, a hockey stick, a table (which gets the biggest pop), a cooking sheet, a kitchen sink, a water hose, a broom, and more. Like most hardcore matches, they fight all over the place, which leads to the action heading backstage. They work their way to the parking lot and set off multiple car alarms.
Holly throws Snow into a dumpster and leaps onto him for the near fall. Poor Mike Chioda trying to navigate his way through the trash. They’re in the television truck fighting, and Snow throws Holly on top of a car and drops an elbow for another near fall. More creative near falls with weapons, and they fight back to the ring.
That’s where the table comes back into play, with Holly hitting a superplex on Snow through the table. Holly gets a near fall, then it’s Snow grabbing Head and using it for the win. This was presented like an epic where they pulled out almost every hardcore trick in the book. But it was a bit long for my liking, and any time you take the action out of the arena, the lack of crowd reaction also comes into play. (**)
BACKSTAGE: The Undertaker is having a talk with the Ministry about the future arrival of the higher power.
Goldust (w/The Blue Meanie) vs. (c) The Godfather – Intercontinental Title
Lawler’s reaction to the ho’s is always interesting. And if you really want to know how different things were in this era, the camera focuses on the boobs of every ho as they walk up the steps. Meanie gets involved early in the match to help out Goldust, but all the fans want is their ho’s.
Godfather uses the powder and throws it in Goldust’s eyes, which of course leads to Goldust beating down Meanie since he can’t see who it is. Goldust kicks Meanie in the balls for good measure. More shenanigans ensue, and Godfather hits the Death Valley Driver to retain the title. This was an experience. (*)
BACKSTAGE: Michael Cole is by a urinal with Snow. There’s a sentence you don’t type every day. Snow talks to Head.
The New Age Outlaws vs. (c) Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart (w/Debra) – WWF Tag Team Titles
Debra struts out wearing….something. It’s not much, but it’s something. Road Dogg wants to see the puppies, but Jarrett blocks it. On a more serious note, it’s truly sad to think that this is Owen’s final WWF PPV match. The heels control the action early on as the crowd chants “Show the Puppies.”
A long stretch of Jarrett and Owen working over Dogg until Gunn gets the hot tag. They use some teamwork to take advantage, and here comes Debra and her puppies. That allows Owen to turn the tide, but it’s Billy who hits the Fameasser on Owen to win the titles. Solid match between two good teams. After the match, Gunn shows his ass to the crowd. Joy. (***, Recommended)
BACKSTAGE: Cole with Shane McMahon. Shane gives his word that he’ll count the pin if Austin gets one on Rock, and he wants Vince to stay out of the way.
BACKSTAGE: Kevin Kelly with Vince and Stephanie McMahon. Vince doesn’t want Shane to make a big mistake.
The Big Show vs. Mankind – Boiler Room Brawl
I typically enjoyed the Boiler Room Brawl concept, but to be honest, I don’t remember much from this one. They brawl (pun intended) and bounce each other of things like refrigerators and other household items. Mankind takes a beating, but that’s nothing new.
Show gets some glass smashed over his head, then Mankind gets put through a table with broken glass. In what shouldn’t be a surprise, both are bleeding profusely. And now it’s a faceful of steam for Show, and that’s never ideal. Mankind throws a row of pipes on Show, then escapes out the door – bloody hand and all – for the victory.
As soon as he exits, Big Bossman and Test destroy Mankind, with Show deciding to chase after Bossman. Test gets Mr. Socko to finish things off. Your mileage will vary on this one, but it was a good brawl for those who enjoy that type of match. (***, Recommended)
BACKSTAGE: Cole with Triple H and Chyna. They send a message to X-Pac. Then we transition to Show getting stitched up, and his hand is busted up pretty bad as well. Mankind is also walking around looking at all the objects they destroyed in the match.
X-Pac vs. Triple H (w/Chyna)
Obviously, the story is that Triple H and X-Pac are no longer friends, and this is the war to settle the score. The worst part about this is the generic-sounding music that Triple H’s used for his entrance on this show. I know some people like it, but I don’t. Give me “My Time” every day of the week. The action spills outside early, and the chemistry is never in doubt when these two are in the ring. They work well off of each other.
X-Pac plays up a neck injury, and Chioda tries to stop the match. But that damn Triple H starts hauling off on him, then Chyna gets in a shot of her own. However, X-Pac keeps fighting back, and JR does a fantastic job of telling the story of X-Pac’s neck issues. Triple H keeps the pressure on the neck, and as usual, he does it in a cerebral fashion. Chyna also gets in some more cheap shots.
If there’s one nitpick, it’s that the Triple H offense portion of the match is very, very long. It does make sense for the story of X-Pac’s injury, but it’s not particularly entertaining. X-Pac does eventually get some offense going, and then we get a ref bump. X-Pac hits his finisher, but there’s no referee, and that allows Chyna to kick X-Pac’s ass.
THAT’S GOTTA BE KANE! He’s here, and he chokeslams Triple H before doing the same to Chyna. X-Pac regroups, and it’s Bronco Buster time to both Triple H and Chyna. But Triple H comes right back and hits the Pedigree for the victory. A decent match that could have been much better had it not been as lackluster and repetitive in the middle. (**3/4)
Ken Shamrock vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)
My take: Taker’s Ministry theme music was one of the most underrated themes of all time. Shamrock is looking for payback for his sister, Ryan Shamrock, who found herself on the wrong side of Taker and the Ministry. Taker starts off as the aggressor, but Shamrock goes to the submissions to change the style.
Shamrock really takes control and goes after Taker’s leg for a good while. And Shamrock goes to the armbar to attempt to dissect another body part. The crowd isn’t into the ground game, but let’s be honest, most of them just came to see puppies. They even said it themselves a few matches ago.
It’s Taker who goes the body part route by going after Shamrock’s back. Once again, the fans aren’t thrilled by this, but I get why they chose this type of match. It’s Taker trying to prove he can beat Shamrock at his own game. Taker seemingly gets a pin late in the match as Shamrock doesn’t even attempt to bring his arm up before the three, so Taker just pulls it up for him. That’s not ideal.
Shamrock reverses a Tombstone attempt and locks in the Ankle Lock, but Bradshaw runs down for the distraction. Shamrock counters again, but it’s Taker who counters and he finally hits the Tombstone for the win. Well, the psychology in this match was great. But just like the previous match, at nearly 20 minutes, it dragged on way too long for my liking. (**1/2)
The Rock vs. Steve Austin – No Holds Barred Match for the WWF Championship (Special Guest Referee: Shane McMahon)
For my money, I prefer this match over the WrestleMania XV one between these two men. They brawl everywhere, and I loved the spot where each man gets thrown onto one side of the chain fence set. What I also enjoy about this is there was no way it should be a technical wrestling bout. It needed to be a fight, and that’s what it was.
As if you needed any other example of Rock’s unique charisma, this was another display of that. This includes the famous spot where he puts on the headset and calls Austin a piece of trash. He also plays cameraman on top of the announce table before we see Austin giving him the double middle finger, which is followed by a Stunner. So awesome.
It’s simply one of those matches that’s exactly what it needs to be. An enjoyable match from start to finish, and the crowd was all-in on both Austin and Rock at this point.
This is just one of those matches that played out like it needed to for the story. Shane refuses to count the three for Austin to attempt to screw him over, and it’s Vince who wallops Shane with the belt. Austin hits a Stunner and uses a belt shot to retain the title. I greatly enjoyed this match, as it was an entertaining Attitude Era main event given the star power and crowd reaction. (****, Highly Recommended)
IN THE PARKING LOT: The police are protecting Steph in the limo. Here comes the Ministry to try to go after her, so the police send the car away. And what do you know, the window rolls down, and it’s Taker driving the limo and Vince has no idea. Prediction: I think he did, folks.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF BACKLASH 1999
Recommended Matches: Steve Austin vs. The Rock (****), The Big Show vs. Mankind (***), The New Age Outlaws vs. Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart (***)
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
Thoughts: A solid PPV effort from the top company in pro wrestling. Everyone’s enjoyment will differ on the two long, non-main event matches, but I’m of the opinion they didn’t need to be as long as they were. That probably drops my overall rating a bit, though others could love those two and consider this one of the better PPVs of this era. Either way, the main event was a lot of fun, and that’s what sold the show to most fans anyways.
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