5 Best Wrestling Matches of 1999

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock – Ho Holds Barred – Backlash 1999

In another perfect example of ‘Steve Austin versus everybody’ booking that made WWE so white hot in 1999, Austin faced his arch rival the Rock for the world title. But there the added caveat that if he so much as touched Shane McMahon – who was appointed special guest referee for this match – he’d lost the title. It was a great stipulation that made the drama in this match much more palpable.

This was a fast-paced, white-hot brawl with a raucous crowd that loved the match from the moment it started. It was never meant to be a technical wrestling match, but in this case that was a good thing. The chaotic nature of this savage brawl made it so much better than if they were confined to the ring. Rock and Austin went through metal cages and got slammed onto the floor several times, which made both of them look much tougher than if they were ‘only’ slammed onto the ring canvas.

Also, this match has one of the best and funniest moments of the year. The Rock taunted a prone Austin by grabbing a camera and flipping him the bird, only for Austin to get up, flip the Rock the bird, and then hit the Stunner through the table. It was an awesome visual.

Finally, the match had one of those crazy WWE endings which involved, among other things, a corrupt referee, belt shots to the head, and Vince McMahon hitting his own son Shane. Don’t even try to understand it; just watch this match for the mindless chaos and craziness.