10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1999

If 1997 was about changing direction and starting the fight back against WCW, 1998 and 1999 were mainly about WWF supplanting their rivals at the top of the wrestling mountain and making sure they stayed there.

After receiving confirmation from the fans that controversy and car-crash television were the way to go, Vince McMahon decided to step up his game and began introducing highly questionable, yet highly entertaining storylines for fans to feast on.

Long gone were the days of white meat babyfaces telling children to say their prayers; 1999 was about being as anti-authoritarian as possible and raking in the viewership. The year would also be the year of heartbreak and tragedy for the wrestling business as one of the industry's most beloved characters lost his life during a WWF PPV.

In what would prove to be an emotionally exhausting yet overall successful year for the company, here are 10 shocking moments from WWF 1999:

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#1 Vince McMahon wins the Royal Rumble

Not the winner we expected

Over the previous few years, the Royal Rumble match had been used to essentially signal who the main start of that year was going to be. In 95 and 96, Shawn Michaels utilised his Rumble victories to headline the company and win the WWF Championship.

In 97 and 98 it would be Stone Cold picking up back-to-back victories and going on to wrestle the torch away from Shawn and lead WWF back to the top of the wrestling business.

Things were a little less predictable in 1999 when the owner of the company Vince McMahon ended up being the one to defeat the 29 other superstars. This was a continuation of the near year-long feud between Austin and McMahon with the owner trying every trick in the book to keep the belt away from The Rattlesnake.

In December 1998, Stone Cold earned the right to enter the 1999 Royal Rumble by defeating The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match. After overcoming this mountain of a task, Austin then had to contend with McMahon's Corporation and the fact that $100,000 dollars were available to anybody who could eliminate him from the match.

In the end, it was a distraction from The Rock which allowed Vince to lift Austin over the top rope and become the 1999 Royal Rumble winner. It was indeed shocking to see the owner of the company achieve such a victory, but Vince had essentially become an in-ring character himself by this time.

Still, it sent WWF fans into a frenzy and everyone was felt asking what was going to happen as a result.

#2 Austin's beer truck

That's my kind of bath.

One aspect of the WWF Attitude Era that is rarely mentioned by fans is how the weekly episodic shows tended to be more important, and arguably more eventful, than the PPV events. Back in the day, the company's main priority was to gain as many PPV buys as possible, and shows like RAW, Superstars and Prime Time Wrestling were designed to encourage people to hand over their money when they came around.

That is still very much the case today, but for a few years throughout 1998-2001, things were a little different.

WWF was in a ratings war with WCW, and with such a powerful direct competitor, each Monday night show had to deliver. Because pro wrestling was such a large phenomenon in this time, whoever controlled the Monday night spot would inevitably outlast the other eventually.

This is why, as some people are quick to point out, most of the memorable moments of the Attitude Era took place on RAW, and the PPVs were almost there to play back-up. When we look back at top moments from the Era, one of the occasions that makes every single list is the time Stone Cold gave the Corporation a beer bath.

With Wrestlemania XV just 6 days away, Vince, Shane McMahon and The Rock were in the ring talking about their confidence of a Corporation victory at the show of shows. Stone Cold had earned his right to face The Rock after defeating Vince in a steel cage, and now the stage was set.

Just as Vince was about to play footage bigging up his employee of the month, Stone Cold's music hit and sent the fans into hysterics. But it wasn't just the sight of "The Rattlesnake" fans were cheering for, it was also the enormous beer truck he was driving to ringside. It was incredible for long-term WWF fans at the time to see how far RAW had come.

Back in 93 we had men dressed as clowns throwing buckets of water over people and fast forward a few years the props, the budget, pretty much everything about the company operated on a much larger scale.

Stone Cold sprayed the trio in the ring with Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler providing the commentary and thousands of fans loving every second. This is why people adored Austin back then, his ability to raise his own highly perched bar and give them something they'd never seen before.

#3 The debut of Chris Jericho

RAW IS JERICHO!

Throughout 1993-1997, WCW and WWF were operating on very different business models. While Bischoff and Turner were poaching talent from Vince and turning them into widely popular factions, WWF were thinking more long-term, building up new stars that would take the company forward after the novelty of the NWO had worn off.

However, in 1999, with WWF now firmly back on top of WCW in the ratings, there were a number of employees over on TNT that were starting to recognise WCW's slow decline.

Just as the likes of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had jumped ship once they knew better deals could be offered elsewhere, a number of Bischoff's employees went the other way in 1999 in the hope of finding better management and more opportunities away from the NWO glass ceiling.

One of those to make the move was Chris Jericho. Jericho had been captivating audiences across the world as part of WCW's cruiserweight and mid-card divisions but knew there was only a limited amount of room at the top. A few years before the company was eventually brought down, Jericho found himself on RAW, and made quite the entrance.

As none other than Dwyane Johnson was in the ring delivering a promo, the countdown clock that had been keeping fans guessing for weeks, finally hit zero and out came the "Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla" to announce he was here to save the WWF and that RAW, from this moment on 'is Jericho'. It is still one of those debuts that is highly spoken about to this day and was pretty fitting for a man of Jericho's stature and lasting influence on the business.

Jericho's first few months and years in the WWF were a bit of a rollercoaster, but he has made it through and now stands as one of the most beloved superstars ever to enter a wrestling ring. The fact that he still continues to put on great matches in 2017 is a testament to how gifted an individual he is.

#4 Triple H betrays DX

End of an era

After The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin had cemented their status as the big dogs of WWF at Wrestlemania XV, it was time for the company to issue in some new stars to shore up their long-term prospects. Other than the two aforementioned legends, 1999 was also very much the year of Triple H.

After taking the reigns of D-Generation X in 1998, Triple H was fast manoeuvring himself into one of the company's most invaluable assets. His feud with The Rock and the Nation of Domination throughout that year was the perfect accompaniment to the Austin-McMahon rivalry in the main event. The DX faction had grown so popular that it was difficult to remember a time in which Triple H was not the leader.

As the WWF moved to 1999, DX would again find itself at war with The Rock, who was now a part of the Corporation. At Wrestlemania 15, a series of matches were booked as a way to highlight some of the main talents from each group, with Triple H taking on Kane and Shane McMahon defending his European Championship against X-Pac.

After it appeared as though Chyna had rejoined DX, after her earlier betrayal of Triple H, the pair came to the ring seemingly to assist X-Pac, who had Test to contend with on the outside. Triple H dragged Test out of the ring and entered just as X-Pac had the victory in his grasp.

However, to the dismay of the audience, Chyna distracted the referee long enough for "The Game" to pedigree his DX brother and allow Shane to pick up the victory.

Despite fans not wanting to see DX fall apart after so many years of entertaining them, it was clearly time for Triple H to go it alone and try to challenge Rock and Austin at the top of the pecking order. 1999 certainly began well for the future COO, but things were only about to get more bizarre.

#5 Vince McMahon becomes WWF Champion

Is controversy always a good thing in wrestling?

Following the conclusion of Austin's rivalry with McMahon, the owner of the company turned face for a brief while towards the end of 1999, feuding with the now villainous Triple H. While not holding the same level of importance as Austin-McMahon, this feud did do a lot for the company going forward and brought some new faces to the main event scene.

One of the most shocking moments of this feud -- and there were plenty -- was the sight of Vince McMahon, the guy who had brought professional wrestling to the apex of popular culture, holding the WWF Championship above his head. If winning the Royal Rumble wasn't enough, the evil Mr McMahon was now the company's champion.

The midst of the Attitude Era, the WWF worked out that shocking moments translated into reactions, which in turn meant an increase in ratings. This is why the period from 98-02 was filled with so many moments of controversy.

Some look back on Vince's victory as a black mark against the prestige of the championship, while others see it as the perfect embodiment of WWF's car crash television that they used to do so well.

Unfortunately, this booking would eventually merge into more of a McMahon family feud, culminating in one of the weakest and most unnecessary main events in Wrestlemania history at Wrestlemania 2000, but at the time, this was enough to get the fickle wrestling fan base talking about the WWF, which at the time, could only be a good thing.

#6 The birth of Smackdown

Layeth the Smackdown!

During the Monday Night Wars, professional wrestling was operating on a level previously unheard of in the US. There was even speculation that wrestling viewing figures were having an impact on the NFL's ability to hold the Monday night spot, which, as today's fans will know, is practically impossible in 2017.

Due to the rise in popularity and demand for wrestling, WCW decided to broadcast a show on Thursday nights to accompany Nitro. The show was called Thunder, and after a brief period of hype, the WWF decided it had no choice but to respond. On April 29th, 1999, history was made when the first ever showing of Smackdown graced our screens.

The WWE were, in many ways, able to learn from the mistakes of WCW. Thunder never really had a proper direction, and this was a big part of its downfall. To the company's credit, this additional show was supposed to help younger talent make a name for themselves, but with such a stacked main event scene across both companies, this was always going to be a risky move as far as viewership was concerned.

Smackdown, on the other hand, decided to showcase its main event talent across both platforms, doubling the amount of exposure fans got towards their favourite wrestlers like Stone Cold, Triple H and The Rock. The Thursday night show also had some memorable moments and big name wrestling bouts to help things move along successfully.

A few years later, when WCW was eventually bought by WWF, Smackdown became a real blessing in disguise as Vince was able to spread an enormous roster across both shows.

Over the years, the show has seen its fortunes rise and fall, but when does well, Smackdown always has that ability to offer fans something different from the RAW monopoly.

#7 Vince McMahon is the higher power

It was me Austin!

If you haven't already noticed from reading this list of 1999's most shocking moments, Vince McMahon's involvement in the on-screen action of WWF during this period was pretty considerable. At the time, not a lot of fans were complaining, as he had the charisma and over-acting abilities that made the Attitude Era what it was.

For all the head-to-head battles between WWF and WCW at the time, Vince was clearly the better on-screen villain compared to Eric Bischoff over on TNT.

One of the more controversial angles involving McMahon in 1999 was the 'higher power' storyline. To its credit, the feud brought in many of WWF's main event stars including Stone Cold, Undertaker, Vince, and the rest of the McMahon family. And for the majority of the time, it did have fans interested, incorporating edgy, controversial television with a classic mystery tale.

It all began with a rivalry between Vince's Corporation and The Undertaker's new faction The Ministry of Darkness. Taker was transitioning himself into more of a gothic, ritualistic and demented character and would spend most of the feud stalking Vince's daughter, Stephanie.

For today's fans, Stephanie McMahon is a powerful business woman who has the ability to chastise any wrestler she pleases, but back in 1999 she was still being portrayed as the sweet innocent child of the evil Mr McMahon.

The Undertaker and the rest of the ministry would kidnap Stephanie on more than one occasion during these few months, all the while claiming to be working on behalf of a 'higher power' who was being kept secret for the time being.

The Undertaker's actions against Stephanie, which included a forced marriage scene in which she was tied to a satanic crucifix-like structure, was enough to draw the attention of Steve Austin. Despite his ongoing rivalry with her father, even he could not stand by and let such a sinister scene occur.

Austin and McMahon briefly became allies and Vince looked to be on the cusp of a genuine babyface turn. Then, in scenes that are still highly examined and torn apart today, the higher power was revealed to be Vince McMahon himself.

Not only was the man an overbearing boss who made people kiss his ass, but he was now capable of hiring goons to kidnap his own daughter.

The higher power story was a bit of a let down in the end, but it's certainly one of the most memorable events from the Attitude Era, which is really saying a lot on reflection.

#8 Triple H marries Stephanie McMahon

Till death do they part.

Stephanie McMahon's experience with forced marriage throughout 1999 did not stop with The Ministry of Darkness. In this year, the daughter of Vince McMahon was again subjected to humiliation, this time at the hands of Vince's nemesis Triple H. And unlike on the previous entry, this time the marriage would stick.

After her introduction to the WWF Universe as part of the higher power storyline, Stephanie then began an on-screen relationship with Test, an upper mid-card talent associated with the McMahons and the Corporation.

Stephanie and Test became engaged and were due to be married on an episode of RAW. During the ceremony, out came "The Game" and announced to the world that there would be a slight issue with Stephanie being able to get married on that particular day.

Footage was played on the screen of Triple H heading to a drive-thru wedding ceremony with an unconscious Stephanie McMahon in the passenger seat. "The Game" then managed to complete the ceremony, imitating Stephanie's voice in hilarious scenes and placed the ring on her finger.

The footage then cut back to a distraught McMahon family and a cocky Triple H on the entrance ramp bragging about how many times they consummated the marriage -- a little worrying considering Stephanie was passed out.

This was classic WWF Attitude Era programming, with fans not knowing who to cheer for and who to boo. Only in the world of professional wrestling would a forced marriage be met with such approval from the viewing audience.

In the following weeks and months, it was revealed that Stephanie knew what she was doing all along, and decided to stay with Triple H, beginning what became known as the 'McMahon-Helmsley Era', a precursor to the days of The Authority in 2013-17.

#9 Mankind wins the WWF Championship

Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot

Normally there would be nothing shocking or noteworthy about a popular, main event Superstar winning the WWF Championship for the first time. But on the 4th of January edition of Monday Night RAW, Mankind's title victory would prove to be one of the most important moments of the entire time period.

Mankind was in a position similar to the portrayal of Daniel Bryan in 2013/14, an unlikely underdog hero who was being forced out of the WWF title picture by forces acting above him. This came off the back of the double turn at the Survivor Series PPV the year before which saw The Rock join the Corporation and Mick Foley transition back to a face.

Vince made his intentions clear that the only man he wanted to see as his company's champion was the Rock, and he would do everything in his power to make sure Mankind did not ruin this ideal situation.

Towards the end of the year, Mankind would apparently beat the Corporate champion at an In Your House event by making him pass out to 'Mr Socko'. However, he did not win the championship after Vince decided The Rock did not technically give up.

Mankind's time in the spotlight would eventually come in early January after a gruelling main event of RAW which involved The Corporation, DX and eventually "The Rattlesnake", Stone Cold. In one of the biggest crowd reactions ever witnessed in a WWF/E show, Austin would come to the ring, incapacitate Rock with a chair shot to the head and drag Mankind's body over his adversary for the pinfall victory. This moment stands the test of time as one of the truly defining periods of the Attitude Era as a whole.

What made the ending to the match even more important was that prior to RAW being broadcast, WCW commentator Tony Schiavone had already given away the result of the match, a tactic regularly used by WCW to discourage people from tuning into RAW.

His now infamous comment 'that'll put a lot of butts in seats' ended up being one of the biggest backfires in pro-wrestling history as millions of viewers decided they wanted to see the moment play out for themselves.

RAW gained a considerable amount of the viewing audience that night, largely unnecessarily. This would prove to be something the WCW would not ever fully recover from.

#10 The death of Owen Hart

R.I.P

In the midst of all the excitement and fanfare surrounding the WWF throughout 1999, the year will ultimately be remembered for a tragic event that took the life of one of wrestling's most talented and beloved superstars of all time.

At WWF Over the Limit on May 23rd of that year, Owen Hart suffered internal bleeding from a fall during a botched entrance stunt. Owen had been portraying the comedy, Super-hero persona 'The Blue Blazer' at the time, and was due to arrive in the ring for his match in spectacular fashion, descending from the top of the building, similar to Shawn Michael's entrance at Wrestlemania 12.

One small amount of grace in this otherwise tragic incident was that Owen's fall happened whilst a vignette was playing on people's screens. While thousands did, unfortunately, have to witness the awful occurrence, millions more were spared. As footage cut back to the arena, the cameras were scanning the audience in an obvious attempt to hide what was happening at ringside.

JR and Jerry Lawler then appeared on screen, with Jim Ross having to announce that a serious incident had just taken place involving Owen Hart, all the while reiterating that this was not a part of the kayfabe storytelling of the event. Later on, JR then had the unenviable task of announcing to the world that Owen had died from his injuries.

The WWE's handling of Owen's death was highly criticised at the time. Despite putting together a fitting tribute to Owen the next night on RAW, the WWE decided that the PPV itself had to continue, and the rest of the wrestlers involved were told to carry on as planned.

Looking back at the PPV now, you can tell that wrestling was the last thing on a lot of people's minds. In Vince's words, continuing with the event was what 'Owen would have wanted'. This has been strongly refuted by Bret Hart, Owen's brother, over the years.

Owen Hart, in many people's opinion, was the greatest wrestler never to hold the WWF Championship. Perhaps being a member of the Hart family, and all the controversy that came with their relationship to the McMahons, Owen may never have gotten the chance to hold the title, even if Over the Edge had never have happened.

One thing is for sure, however, despite what Vince believed, "The King of Harts" would have made one hell of a champion in any wrestling company across the world and the business as a whole is a lesser place without him in it.